# Ashby Webhooks

## When to Use This Skill

* How do I receive Ashby webhooks?
* How do I verify the Ashby-Signature header?
* How do I handle applicationSubmit, candidateHire, or interviewScheduleCreate events?
* Why is my Ashby webhook signature verification failing?

## Verification (core)

Ashby signs the raw request body with HMAC-SHA256 keyed on your per-webhook
secret token and sends the digest in the `Ashby-Signature` header formatted as
`sha256=<hex>`. There is no official SDK, so verify manually: compute the HMAC
over the raw body (before JSON parsing) and compare the hex digest timing-safe.

The event name is in the body, not a header — every payload is
`{ "action": "<eventName>", "data": {...} }`.

Node:

```javascript
const crypto = require('crypto');

function verifyAshbyWebhook(rawBody, signatureHeader, secret) {
  const [algo, sig] = (signatureHeader || '').split('=');
  if (algo !== 'sha256' || !sig) return false;
  const expected = crypto.createHmac('sha256', secret).update(rawBody).digest('hex');
  try {
    return crypto.timingSafeEqual(Buffer.from(sig, 'hex'), Buffer.from(expected, 'hex'));
  } catch {
    return false;
  }
}

```

Python:

```python
import hmac, hashlib

def verify_ashby_webhook(raw_body: bytes, signature_header: str, secret: str) -> bool:
    algo, _, sig = (signature_header or "").partition("=")
    if algo != "sha256" or not sig:
        return False
    expected = hmac.new(secret.encode(), raw_body, hashlib.sha256).hexdigest()
    return hmac.compare_digest(sig, expected)

```

> For complete handlers with route wiring, event dispatch, and tests, see:
> 
> * [examples/express/](https://github.com/hookdeck/webhook-skills/tree/main/skills/ashby-webhooks/examples/express/)
> * [examples/nextjs/](https://github.com/hookdeck/webhook-skills/tree/main/skills/ashby-webhooks/examples/nextjs/)
> * [examples/fastapi/](https://github.com/hookdeck/webhook-skills/tree/main/skills/ashby-webhooks/examples/fastapi/)

## Common Event Types

The `action` field carries the event name (camelCase, no dot notation).

| Event (`action`) | Triggered When |
| --- | --- |
| `ping` | Test event sent when a webhook is created or edited |
| `applicationSubmit` | A candidate submits an application |
| `applicationUpdate` | An application changes (stage, status, fields) |
| `candidateHire` | A candidate is marked hired |
| `candidateStageChange` | A candidate moves to a new interview stage |
| `interviewScheduleCreate` | An interview schedule is created |
| `offerCreate` | An offer is created |

> Fan-out: some events trigger others. For example, `candidateHire` also
> fires `applicationUpdate` and `candidateStageChange`. Make handlers idempotent.

> For the full event reference, see [Ashby webhook docs](https://developers.ashbyhq.com/docs/setting-up-webhooks).

## Important Headers

| Header | Description |
| --- | --- |
| `Ashby-Signature` | HMAC SHA-256 signature as `sha256=<hex>` — use this to verify |
| `Ashby-Webhook` (User-Agent) | Identifies Ashby requests. Do not use for auth |

## Environment Variables

```bash
ASHBY_WEBHOOK_SECRET=your_webhook_secret   # Secret token set per-webhook in Ashby

```

## Local Development

```bash
# Start tunnel (no account needed)
npx hookdeck-cli listen 3000 ashby --path /webhooks/ashby

```

## Reference Materials

* [references/overview.md](https://github.com/hookdeck/webhook-skills/blob/main/skills/ashby-webhooks/references/overview.md) - Ashby webhook concepts and events
* [references/setup.md](https://github.com/hookdeck/webhook-skills/blob/main/skills/ashby-webhooks/references/setup.md) - Dashboard configuration guide
* [references/verification.md](https://github.com/hookdeck/webhook-skills/blob/main/skills/ashby-webhooks/references/verification.md) - Signature verification details