External Integration Patterns

Patterns for reliable external service integration.

Triggers

Invoke this skill when:

• File path contains webhook, api/, services/
• Code imports external service SDKs (stripe, @clerk, @sendgrid, etc.)
• Env vars reference external services
• Implementing any third-party API integration
• Reviewing webhook handlers

Core Principle

External services fail. Your integration must be observable, recoverable, and fail loudly.

Silent failures are the worst failures. When Stripe doesn't deliver a webhook, when Clerk JWT validation fails, when Sendgrid rejects an email — you need to know immediately, not when a user complains.