Best answer

How to disable a Zap integration from the client side?

  • 18 March 2020
  • 2 replies
  • 1617 views

I have created a Zapier CLI app.
Everything is good. But I need to implement a feature that requires to turn off the zap automation of the user.

Use case:

  1. Creates a Zapier workflow to create MY_CRM to MY_APP
      - every time a new contact with a tag “Legend” is created on MY_CRM create a new entry on MY_APP
      - when creating this workflow, user is asked to tell what “Folder” will be the new entry placed inside MY_APP. This is done using zapier dropdown(values taken from MY_APP).
  2. User deleted the “Folder” on MY_APP.
  3. A new contact with a tag “Legend” is created on MY_CRM. Zapier calls a webhook to create a new entry on “MY_APP” inside the deleted folder. This will throw an error.

I want to handle it in a way that when an error is thrown on MY_APP, it creates a request to zapier to disable the automation. Because this automation will keep on failing because the folder is already deleted.

Is there a Zapier endpoint I can call to disable this user automation?

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Best answer by PaulKortman 18 March 2020, 11:39

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2 replies

Userlevel 7
Badge +12

Hi @cliff258, thanks for the question!

@PaulKortman is right that the best way to handle this is to create an error message that will let the user know what the issue is (eg ‘[name of folder] folder no longer exists). 

One thing to know is that if a Zap repeatedly runs into an error, Zapier will automatically turn off the Zap and let the user know. In other words, you shouldn’t need this endpoint because Zapier will do it for you!

​I hope that helps, please let me know if you have any questions!

Userlevel 7
Badge +10

Hi @cliff258 

 

I see what you want to do there, but it feels like if it were possible (I’m 90% sure it’s not even possible, that there is no way for you as the app provider to turn off a zap in a users account) it would be a bad practice as the current procedure Zapier has in place will notify (annoy) the end-user until they fix the problem. 

 

Here’s the problem with turning it off, they will not receive notifications that their zap has been disabled and will be frustrated to find out later that none of their contacts have been pushed into MY_APP. However, if it wasn’t turned off, each time the zap fails they will receive an email notification from Zapier that it failed. This will cause the user to take action (oftentimes contacting Zapier support) and eventually they will figure it out that they have a wrong (old, invalid, etc) folder selected. 

 

Another problem with turning the zap off: The user will not know who turned the zap off, they will log in to find it not working/off, turn it on, and then expect it to work, only to login after a while and find it off again. This would look poorly upon Zapier and its system. So I suspect Zapier would never make this ability available to applications on the Zapier platform.

 

The thing you can do to better help the end-user is to give really great error messages via the API or via the Zapier app, either way, that will be the key to helping Zapier support/the end user figure out the problem and fix it quickly.