Use the csvjson.tools API with Zapier Webhooks

Zapier's built-in Webhooks by Zapier action lets you call any HTTP API from inside a Zap without a pre-built connector. This guide shows you how to use it to convert data formats mid-workflow — for example, turning a Google Sheets CSV export into JSON before sending it to your app.

Prerequisites

• A free csvjson.tools account — your API key lives there
• A Zapier account (free tier is fine for testing)

The API endpoint

Every conversion goes through one endpoint:

POST https://us-central1-jsoncsv-3314b.cloudfunctions.net/api/convert

Required headers

| Header | Value | |---|---| | X-API-Key | Your key from the dashboard — starts with csvjson_sk_ | | Content-Type | application/json |

Request body

{
  "from": "csv",
  "to":   "json",
  "input": "id,name\n1,Alice\n2,Bob",
  "options": {
    "pretty": true
  }
}

Supported values for from / to: json · csv · xml · yaml · sql

The options object is always optional. See the options reference at the bottom of this page.

Example use case: Google Sheets → JSON → your app

Goal: Every time a new row is added to a Google Sheet, convert the row data to JSON and POST it to your application's webhook.

Step 1 — Trigger: New Row in Google Sheets

1. Create a new Zap and click + Trigger
2. Search for Google Sheets and select it
3. Choose the New Spreadsheet Row event
4. Connect your Google account, then pick your spreadsheet and sheet tab
5. Click Test trigger — Zapier loads a sample row so you can map fields later

Step 2 — Action: Webhooks by Zapier (POST)

1. Click + to add the next step
2. Search for Webhooks by Zapier and select it
3. Choose POST as the action event, then click Continue

Step 3 — Configure the webhook

URL

Paste the csvjson.tools endpoint:

https://us-central1-jsoncsv-3314b.cloudfunctions.net/api/convert

Payload Type

Set this to json. This tells Zapier to send Content-Type: application/json and serialize the Data fields below as a JSON object.

Data (body fields)

Add the following key-value pairs. Use Zapier's field picker (the + icon) to insert dynamic values from previous steps.

| Key | Value | |---|---| | from | csv | | to | json | | input | (insert the CSV text from your previous step — see note below) |

Building the input field:

Google Sheets gives you individual cell values, not a raw CSV string. You have two options:

Option A — Assemble CSV inline (simple, works for a single row):

In the input value, type the header row manually, then use Zapier's "Text" formatting to append the row values:

id,name,email
{{id}},{{name}},{{email}}

Replace {{id}}, {{name}}, {{email}} with the actual field pills from your Google Sheets trigger.

Option B — Export the whole sheet (more powerful):

Add a Code by Zapier step before the webhook to fetch the sheet as CSV using the Google Sheets export URL, then pass that string as input. This converts the entire sheet at once.

Headers

Click Headers to expand the section and add two entries:

| Key | Value | |---|---| | X-API-Key | csvjson_sk_your_key_here | | Content-Type | application/json |

Wrap Request in Array

Leave this off.

Unflatten

Leave this off — the API expects a flat JSON object, not nested keys.

Step 4 — Test the webhook step

Click Test action. If everything is configured correctly you'll see:

• Status: 200
• Body: A JSON string starting with [{

If you see a 401 or 403, check that X-API-Key is set correctly. If you see 422, the input value is not valid CSV — check for missing line breaks between the header row and the data row.

Step 5 — Use the JSON output in the next step

Zapier exposes the API response as fields you can map into any later action.

1. Add another action (e.g. HTTP by Zapier, Slack, Google Docs, or your own app)
2. Click inside a text field and open the field picker
3. Expand the Webhooks by Zapier step
4. Select Body — this is the full converted output as a string

If the next step accepts raw JSON (e.g. another HTTP action): map Body directly into the body field and set Content-Type: application/json.

If the next step needs individual fields (e.g. a database insert): add a Code by Zapier step between them to JSON.parse(inputData.body) and return the individual fields.

More conversion examples

JSON array → CSV (flatten an API response before writing to Google Sheets)

{
  "from": "json",
  "to":   "csv",
  "input": "[{\"id\":1,\"name\":\"Alice\",\"address\":{\"city\":\"NYC\"}}]",
  "options": {
    "delimiter":      ",",
    "includeHeaders": true
  }
}

Nested fields like address.city become their own column automatically.

CSV → XML

{
  "from": "csv",
  "to":   "xml",
  "input": "id,name\n1,Alice\n2,Bob",
  "options": {
    "rootElement": "records",
    "itemElement": "record"
  }
}

JSON → SQL INSERT statements

{
  "from": "json",
  "to":   "sql",
  "input": "[{\"id\":1,\"name\":\"Alice\"}]",
  "options": {
    "tableName":   "users",
    "ifNotExists": true
  }
}

Options reference

CSV options

| Option | Type | Default | Description | |---|---|---|---| | delimiter | string | , | Column separator. Use \t for TSV. | | includeHeaders | boolean | true | Whether the first row is treated as headers. | | quoteAll | boolean | false | Wrap every field in quotes. |

JSON options

| Option | Type | Default | Description | |---|---|---|---| | pretty | boolean | true | Indent the output JSON. | | indent | number | 2 | Spaces per indent level (when pretty is true). |

XML options

| Option | Type | Default | Description | |---|---|---|---| | rootElement | string | root | Tag name for the outer wrapper element. | | itemElement | string | item | Tag name for each record element. |

SQL options

| Option | Type | Default | Description | |---|---|---|---| | tableName | string | data | The INSERT INTO table name. | | ifNotExists | boolean | false | Prepend a CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS statement. | | batchSize | number | 1 | Rows per INSERT statement. |

Troubleshooting

| Error | Most likely cause | Fix | |---|---|---| | 401 Missing API key | X-API-Key header not set | Add it in the Headers section | | 403 Invalid or revoked API key | Wrong key, or key was regenerated | Paste a fresh key from the dashboard | | 422 Invalid JSON / PARSE_ERROR | The input value isn't valid for the from format | Click the Webhooks test step and inspect the Body preview | | 429 Rate limit exceeded | Monthly call limit hit | Check your usage on the dashboard; upgrade for higher limits | | Response Body is [] (empty array) | Valid CSV with no data rows | Confirm the input includes at least one row below the header | | Zapier shows raw text, not parsed fields | Expected — the API returns plain text | Use JSON.parse in a Code step to access individual fields |

Rate limits

| Plan | Limit | |---|---| | Free | 500 calls / month | | Pro | 10,000 calls / month |

Your current usage is always visible on the dashboard.