Webhook Inbox
A webhook tester app idea: see every webhook and replay it. Weekend build with Next.js, Supabase and Tailwind, for developers integrating payment and other apis.
Why now
GitHub webhook trouble hit Hacker News twice in October, on Oct 19 and Oct 30, drawing 134 and 62 comments. Incidents like these are when you most want to see each event and replay it. The core of this is a contained build.
- Oct 30GitHub Incident with Actions, Pages, and Webhooks (154 points, 62 comments) (opens in a new tab)Hacker News
- Oct 19Degraded availability for GitHub Actions, GitHub Pages and Webhooks (159 points, 134 comments) (opens in a new tab)Hacker News
- Oct 5 to Nov 123 new GitHub repos mention "webhook testing" (opens in a new tab)GitHub
Checked at the source on Nov 2, 2026. Points, comments, and stars are from that day. GitHub counts are keyword matches, so treat them as a rough guide.
The spec
Get a temporary URL, send your webhooks there, inspect each request in full, and replay it to your local app as many times as you need while debugging.
Build time
WeekendBasic logic / CRUD · Level 2 of 5Audience
Developers integrating payment and other APIs.
Stack
- Next.js
- Supabase
- Tailwind
Fun factor
You never again buy something just to trigger a payment webhook.
Core features
- A unique URL per project
- Headers and body for each request
- Replay to another URL
- Automatic deletion after a set time
AI features
- Explains an unfamiliar event
- Writes a handler for the payload
Stretch goals
- Signature checking
- Forward to localhost with a small command-line tool
- Compare two requests
First version
A URL that stores incoming requests and a page that displays them live.
Build plan
4 milestones, in the order you would build them. Saved ideas get this plan with checkboxes and notes.
The build prompt
Paste this into ChatGPT, Claude, Codex, or Cursor, then build the first version before anything else.
# Build Webhook Inbox You are a senior full-stack engineer pairing with me on a side project. Build a working first version of the product described below. Read the whole brief before writing any code, then follow "How to work" at the end. ## The idea **Webhook Inbox.** Get a temporary URL, send your webhooks there, inspect each request in full, and replay it to your local app as many times as you need while debugging. **Why now:** GitHub webhook trouble hit Hacker News twice in October, on Oct 19 and Oct 30, drawing 134 and 62 comments. Incidents like these are when you most want to see each event and replay it. The core of this is a contained build. **Who it is for:** Developers integrating payment and other APIs **What makes it fun:** You never again buy something just to trigger a payment webhook. ## Scope - **Build time:** Weekend. Size every decision to ship a working first version inside this window. - **Technical ambition:** Level 2 of 5, "Basic logic / CRUD". A few screens over a simple data model with create, read, update, and delete. One lightweight persistence layer, no heavy infrastructure. - **First version only.** Ship the core features below end to end. Stretch goals are listed so you can design around them, not build them. ## Core features (each must work end to end in the first version) 1. A unique URL per project 2. Headers and body for each request 3. Replay to another URL 4. Automatic deletion after a set time ## AI features - Explains an unfamiliar event - Writes a handler for the payload How to build them: - Put every model call behind one server-side module with a typed interface, so the provider can change without touching the UI. - Read API keys from environment variables only, and document each one in `.env.example`. - Write prompts as versioned constants with clear instructions and an example of the expected output; parse and validate responses before using them. - Handle timeouts, rate limits, and malformed output with a graceful fallback the user can understand. Stream responses where a wait would exceed a couple of seconds. - Never let a feature depend on the model being perfect. Show the result, let the user edit or retry. ## Stretch goals (later, not in the first version) - Signature checking - Forward to localhost with a small command-line tool - Compare two requests Leave clean seams for these (a module boundary, a nullable column, a feature flag), but do not implement them unless I ask. ## Tech stack Use exactly: Next.js, Supabase, Tailwind. Stay on current stable versions, follow each tool's official conventions, and add a library only when the standard library or the chosen stack cannot do the job cleanly. If part of this stack is a poor fit for a specific requirement, say so and propose the smallest change. ## Owner's notes Written by me, the project owner. Treat these as requirements and preferences that override the generated material above when they conflict. The first version should be exactly this, and no bigger: A URL that stores incoming requests and a page that displays them live. ## Build plan (with saved progress) 0 of 4 steps complete. Resume at step 1: Create a URL. Before you start it, check what is already implemented so you do not repeat finished work. 1. **Create a URL** [not started] A unique endpoint per project. 2. **Capture** [not started] Store headers and body, with a size limit. 3. **Inspect** [not started] A live list and readable detail view. 4. **Replay** [not started] Send it again to any URL. ## Definition of done for the first version - [ ] A unique URL per project works end to end, with real data, not a placeholder. - [ ] Headers and body for each request works end to end, with real data, not a placeholder. - [ ] Replay to another URL works end to end, with real data, not a placeholder. - [ ] Automatic deletion after a set time works end to end, with real data, not a placeholder. - [ ] Every screen handles loading, empty, and error states. - [ ] Typecheck, lint, and any tests pass, and the main user flow was exercised by hand. - [ ] A README explains setup, environment variables, and how to run it locally. ## Quality bar - Responsive from a phone to a desktop, keyboard-accessible, semantic HTML, visible focus states, labelled inputs, and sensible contrast. - Loading, empty, and error states for every screen that reads or writes data. Errors say what happened and what to do next. - Validate on the server, never trust the client, and keep secrets in environment variables with a committed `.env.example`. - Type-safe end to end. No `any` without a comment explaining why. - Small, readable modules named after what they do. No premature abstraction, no dead code, no TODOs left for later without a note. - Sensible defaults over settings. If a choice is not in this brief, pick the simplest option that keeps the product coherent and say what you chose. ## How to work 1. **Read, then restate.** Summarize the product in three sentences and list your assumptions. Ask only the questions that block implementation. For everything else, decide and note the decision. 2. **Plan before code.** List the files and modules you will create, in build order, mapped to the core features. If a build plan is included above, use it instead: resume at the first step not marked done and check what already exists before touching it. 3. **Set up.** If a project already exists, inspect its code, instructions, and conventions first and build on them. Otherwise scaffold the stack above with linting, formatting, a typecheck script, `.env.example`, and a README stub. 4. **Model the data first.** Define the types, schema, and any migrations before the UI, so the shape of the product is settled early. 5. **Build in vertical slices.** Finish one core feature end to end (data, logic, UI) before starting the next. Keep the app runnable after every slice and commit each slice with a message that says what changed and why. 6. **Then the interface.** Apply the quality bar above to each screen as it lands, not as a final pass. 7. **Verify.** Run typecheck, lint, and tests. Exercise the main user flow by hand. Check each item in the definition of done and each acceptance criterion. 8. **Report.** Tell me what works, what you tested and how, what is not done, every setup step I must complete myself, and the three most useful next steps. Never claim a service, test, or flow was verified when it was not. If you can edit and run the project, start implementing right after the short plan. If you cannot, give me concrete code and the exact commands to run for the next step. Rules: keep the product name and the scope as written, do not invent features, prefer boring and proven choices, and stop to ask me when a decision would be expensive to reverse.
How to use
- Copy the prompt above.
- Open ChatGPT, Claude, or your AI editor and paste it into a new conversation.
- Build milestone one, run it, then move to the next. Add stretch goals only after the first version works.
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FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Answers on what Webhook Inbox is, how to build it, and where example ideas come from.
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