Developer platform: what it is and which way to choose

Last updated: 11 November 2026 · 6 min read

Steps

1. 1

   Key terms

   • Token: a secret key a program uses to identify itself when it sends a request to Clomni. It is like a password: do not give it to anyone.
   • Scope: a permission that says what a token can do. For example, contacts:read is for reading contacts.
   • Endpoint: one address and one operation of the API. For example, GET /v1/conversations returns the list of conversations.
   • Webhook: a notice Clomni sends to your server on its own when something happens in Clomni (a new message, a new contact).
   • OAuth: the way an administrator of another company connects their account to your app without giving a password, by pressing “Allow” on a consent screen.
   • Review: a Clomni team member checks the scopes an app asks for and approves them.
2. 2

   Way 1: personal API key

   Your profile picture › Profile Settings › API access › “New key”. The key works in your name and with your permissions. There are no scopes and no review: it works right away. Requests carry the Authorization: Bearer <API_KEY> header, and the address contains the account number: https://api.clomni.ai/v1/accounts/{account_id}/whatsapp/.... This key works only with the WhatsApp API (templates, messages, statuses). For other data such as conversations, contacts or reports you need a developer app (path 2 or 3). It suits sending OTPs and notifications over WhatsApp from your website or CRM. The key gives broad access, and when the employee who created it leaves, the integration stops. Steps: the “Create an API key (API access)” article.

3. 3

   Way 2: internal app

   You create it on developer.clomni.ai with “New app” for your own workspace. Only an administrator of that workspace can create it. You choose the scopes you need, Clomni checks them, and a token works only with approved scopes. There is a personal access token (clomni_pat_, 30-365 days) or a 1-hour app token (clomni_at_) that your server gets itself. It comes with signed webhooks, sync, the event feed, export and a test channel. There is no workspace number in the address: https://api.clomni.ai/v1/conversations. It is for an integration that runs all the time, such as a CRM, an ERP, your own panel or BI.

4. 4

   Way 3: public app

   An app that other Clomni accounts connect. An administrator of each workspace reads the permissions on the consent screen and presses “Allow”, and a separate token is created for that workspace (OAuth). Every scope goes through review, low risk ones included. After the listing is approved separately, the app appears in the Apps catalog in the dashboard. Choose this way if you offer your product to many Clomni customers. More: the “Public app and OAuth” article.

5. 5

   Choosing by need

   • Send OTPs or order notifications from your website, start fast: a personal API key and the WhatsApp API (the “Get started with the WhatsApp API” article).
   • Keep CRM contacts in sync with Clomni: an internal app, the “CRM sync” preset.
   • Clomni conversations and replies in our own panel: an internal app, the “Clomni in my own panel” preset.
   • Send figures to a tool such as Power BI or Looker: an internal app, the “BI and reporting” preset.
   • Move the whole history once: an internal app, the “Data export” preset.
   • Offer our product to all Clomni customers: a public app.
   • Connect a ready-made app and write no code: Settings › Workspace settings › Apps (the “Apps in the dashboard” article).

   Which scopes you need is explained in the “Which scopes you need: scopes and endpoints by what you want to do” article.

6. 6

   Where to start

   1. Choose the way. If it is a ready-made app, go to the Apps page in the dashboard.
   2. If it is your own integration, create an app and request scopes with the “Create an app on developer.clomni.ai” article.
   3. While you wait for review, test on the test channel (the “Test channel” article).
   4. Create a token and give your developer the full guide (PDF): all the steps, code examples and error codes are there.

   For questions: [email protected], for security: [email protected].