How to Connect Zapier to Thrive Apprentice with Incoming Webhooks

In this article, you’ll learn how to use Zapier to give students access to a Thrive Apprentice course from any app Zapier connects to – for example, a payment tool, a form, or a CRM – using an incoming webhook.

Use this when your tool can’t send webhooks itself, or when you want to filter or combine steps first, such as only granting access for one specific product.

Note: Incoming webhooks are available in Thrive Apprentice 11.1 and later. For a full tour of the feature, see How to Use Incoming Webhooks in Thrive Apprentice.

Step 1: Create the Webhook in Thrive Apprentice

1. Go to Thrive Dashboard › Thrive Apprentice › Settings › Incoming Webhooks.
2. Click Add your first webhook (or Add another webhook).
3. Name the webhook, for example “Zapier → Photography Masterclass.”
4. Under Action, keep Find or create user, then grant access.
5. Under Product, choose the Thrive Apprentice product the buyer should get.
6. Under Paste this URL into your tool, click Copy URL.

Step 2: Copy the Secret

Open the Security tab. Every new webhook starts with Shared secret selected and a secret already generated. Keep In a request header selected, note the Header name (for example, X-Webhook-Secret), and click Copy secret.

Step 3: Add a Webhooks by Zapier Step

1. In Zapier, create a Zap that starts with the event that should grant access (for example, a new sale in your payment tool).
2. If you only want some events to grant access, add a Filter step (for example, only continue for one product).
3. Add an action step: choose Webhooks by Zapier and the POST event.
4. Paste the Thrive Apprentice URL into the URL field and set Payload Type to json.
5. Under Data, add email, first_name, and last_name, and map each to the matching value from your trigger.
6. Under Headers, add the header name from Thrive Apprentice’s Security tab and paste the secret as its value.

Step 4: Test and Map the Fields

In Thrive Apprentice, click Start Listening. Within 60 seconds, test the webhook step in Zapier. Thrive Apprentice captures the request and matches email, first_name, and last_name automatically. Nothing is created or granted during the test.

Important: Run your automation’s test while Thrive Apprentice is listening, or before you activate the webhook. A test sent to an active webhook outside of listening is treated as a real request and grants access.

Map the Fields

On the Field mapping tab, check that Thrive Apprentice picked the buyer’s email address for the Email field, and their first and last name if your test included them. The previews show the real values from your test, so you can confirm at a glance. Adjust anything that looks off.

Save, Test, and Check the Log

1. Leave Activate on save on and click Save & activate.
2. Make a test purchase in the app that starts your Zap, then turn on the Zap.
3. Open the webhook’s Logs tab. You should see Granted access to followed by the product and the buyer’s email.

If the result is different, see How to Read Incoming Webhook Logs in Thrive Apprentice for what each result means.

Removing Access on a Refund

1. In Thrive Apprentice, duplicate the webhook, change the copy’s Action to Revoke access, and copy its URL and secret.
2. In Zapier, build a second automation that starts from your tool’s refund or cancellation event and sends the same fields to the copy’s URL.
3. Save and activate the copy.

Revoking access keeps the student’s account and course progress.

Tip: New students created by a webhook get your New Account Created email, as long as the Incoming webhook trigger is ticked under Settings › Email Templates. If you’ve customized that email before, tick the trigger yourself.

That’s it! Your Zap now gives students their Thrive Apprentice course automatically.