---
title: Test Actions Response Manipulation
description: "Manipulate API responses in your ZITADEL instance by creating targets that handle specific response events with custom logic"
---
This guide shows you how to leverage the ZITADEL actions feature to manipulate API responses in your ZITADEL instance.
You can use the actions feature to create a target that will be called when a specific API response occurs.
This is useful for triggering workflows based on API responses in ZITADEL. You can even use this to provide data necessary data to the new login UI as shown in this example.
## Prerequisites
Before you start, make sure you have everything set up correctly.
- You need to be at least a ZITADEL [_IAM_OWNER_](/guides/manage/console/administrators)
- Your ZITADEL instance needs to have the actions feature enabled.
Note that this guide assumes that ZITADEL is running on the same machine as the target and can be reached via `localhost`.
In case you are using a different setup, you need to adjust the target URL accordingly and will need to make sure that the target is reachable from ZITADEL.
To marshal and unmarshal the request and response please use a package like [protojson](https://pkg.go.dev/google.golang.org/protobuf/encoding/protojson),
as the request and response are protocol buffer messages, to avoid potential problems with the attribute names.
## Start example target
To test the actions feature, you need to create a target that will be called when an API endpoint is called.
You will need to implement a listener that can receive HTTP requests, process the request and returns the manipulated request.
For this example, we will use a simple Go HTTP server that will return the request with added metadata.
The signature of the received request can be checked, [please refer to the example for more information on how to](/guides/integrate/actions/testing-request-signature).
```go
package main
import (
"encoding/json"
"io"
"net/http"
"github.com/zitadel/zitadel-go/v3/pkg/client/zitadel/user/v2"
"google.golang.org/protobuf/encoding/protojson"
)
type contextResponse struct {
Request *retrieveIdentityProviderIntentRequestWrapper `json:"request"`
Response *retrieveIdentityProviderIntentResponseWrapper `json:"response"`
}
// RetrieveIdentityProviderIntentRequestWrapper necessary to marshal and unmarshal the JSON into the proto message correctly
type retrieveIdentityProviderIntentRequestWrapper struct {
user.RetrieveIdentityProviderIntentRequest
}
func (r *retrieveIdentityProviderIntentRequestWrapper) MarshalJSON() ([]byte, error) {
data, err := protojson.Marshal(r)
if err != nil {
return nil, err
}
return data, nil
}
func (r *retrieveIdentityProviderIntentRequestWrapper) UnmarshalJSON(data []byte) error {
return protojson.Unmarshal(data, r)
}
// RetrieveIdentityProviderIntentResponseWrapper necessary to marshal and unmarshal the JSON into the proto message correctly
type retrieveIdentityProviderIntentResponseWrapper struct {
user.RetrieveIdentityProviderIntentResponse
}
func (r *retrieveIdentityProviderIntentResponseWrapper) MarshalJSON() ([]byte, error) {
data, err := protojson.Marshal(r)
if err != nil {
return nil, err
}
return data, nil
}
func (r *retrieveIdentityProviderIntentResponseWrapper) UnmarshalJSON(data []byte) error {
return protojson.Unmarshal(data, r)
}
// call HandleFunc to read the response body, manipulate the content and return the response
func call(w http.ResponseWriter, req *http.Request) {
// read the body content
sentBody, err := io.ReadAll(req.Body)
if err != nil {
// if there was an error while reading the body return an error
http.Error(w, "error", http.StatusInternalServerError)
return
}
defer req.Body.Close()
// read the response into the expected structure
request := new(contextResponse)
if err := json.Unmarshal(sentBody, request); err != nil {
http.Error(w, "error", http.StatusInternalServerError)
}
// build the response from the received response
resp := request.Response
// manipulate the received response to send back as response
if resp != nil && resp.AddHumanUser != nil {
// manipulate the response
resp.AddHumanUser.Metadata = append(resp.AddHumanUser.Metadata, &user.SetMetadataEntry{Key: "organization", Value: []byte("company")})
}
// marshal the response into json
data, err := json.Marshal(resp)
if err != nil {
// if there was an error while marshalling the json
http.Error(w, "error", http.StatusInternalServerError)
return
}
// return the manipulated response
w.Write(data)
}
func main() {
// handle the HTTP call under "/call"
http.HandleFunc("/call", call)
// start an HTTP server with the before defined function to handle the endpoint under "http://localhost:8090"
http.ListenAndServe(":8090", nil)
}
```
The example above runs only on your local machine (`localhost`).
To test it with Zitadel, you must make your listener reachable from the internet.
You can do this by using **Webhook.site** (see [Creating a Listener with Webhook.site](./webhook-site-setup)).
## Create target
As you see in the example above the target is created with HTTP and port '8090' and if we want to use it as call, the
target can be created as follows:
See [Create a target](/reference/api/action/zitadel.action.v2.ActionService.CreateTarget) for more detailed information.
```shell
curl -L -X POST 'https://${CUSTOM_DOMAIN}/v2/actions/targets' \
-H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
-H 'Accept: application/json' \
-H 'Authorization: Bearer ' \
--data-raw '{
"name": "local call",
"restCall": {
"interruptOnError": true
},
"endpoint": "http://localhost:8090/call",
"timeout": "10s"
}'
```
Save the returned ID to set in the execution.
## Set execution
To call the target just created before, with the intention to manipulate the retrieve of an intent by the user V2 API,
we define an execution with a response condition.
See [Set an execution](/reference/api/action/zitadel.action.v2.ActionService.SetExecution) for more detailed information.
```shell
curl -L -X PUT 'https://${CUSTOM_DOMAIN}/v2/actions/executions' \
-H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
-H 'Accept: application/json' \
-H 'Authorization: Bearer ' \
--data-raw '{
"condition": {
"response": {
"method": "/zitadel.user.v2.UserService/RetrieveIdentityProviderIntent"
}
},
"targets": [
""
]
}'
```
## Example call
Now that you have set up the target and execution, you can test it by using a login-flow in the typescript login with an external IDP.
```json
{
"details": {
"sequence": "599",
"changeDate": "2023-06-15T06:44:26.039444Z",
"resourceOwner": "163840776835432705"
},
"idpInformation": {
"oauth": {
"accessToken": "ya29...",
"idToken": "ey..."
},
"idpId": "218528353504723201",
"userId": "218528353504723202",
"username": "test-user@localhost",
"rawInformation": {
"User": {
"email": "test-user@localhost",
"email_verified": true,
"family_name": "User",
"given_name": "Test",
"hd": "mouse.com",
"locale": "de",
"name": "Minnie Mouse",
"picture": "https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/a/AAcKTtf973Q7NH8KzKTMEZELPU9lx45WpQ9FRBuxFdPb=s96-c",
"sub": "111392805975715856637"
}
}
},
"addHumanUser": {
"idpLinks": [
{"idpId": "218528353504723201", "userId": "218528353504723202", "userName": "test-user@localhost"}
],
"username": "test-user@localhost",
"profile": {
"givenName": "Test",
"familyName": "User",
"displayName": "Test User",
"preferredLanguage": "de"
},
"email": {
"email": "test-user@zitadel.ch",
"isVerified": true
},
"metadata": []
}
}
```
Your server should now manipulate the response to something like the following. Check out
the [Sent information Response](./usage#sent-information-response) payload description.
```json
{
"details": {
"sequence": "599",
"changeDate": "2023-06-15T06:44:26.039444Z",
"resourceOwner": "163840776835432705"
},
"idpInformation": {
"oauth": {
"accessToken": "ya29...",
"idToken": "ey..."
},
"idpId": "218528353504723201",
"userId": "218528353504723202",
"username": "test-user@localhost",
"rawInformation": {
"User": {
"email": "test-user@localhost",
"email_verified": true,
"family_name": "User",
"given_name": "Test",
"hd": "mouse.com",
"locale": "de",
"name": "Minnie Mouse",
"picture": "https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/a/AAcKTtf973Q7NH8KzKTMEZELPU9lx45WpQ9FRBuxFdPb=s96-c",
"sub": "111392805975715856637"
}
}
},
"addHumanUser": {
"idpLinks": [
{"idpId": "218528353504723201", "userId": "218528353504723202", "userName": "test-user@localhost"}
],
"username": "test-user@localhost",
"profile": {
"givenName": "Test",
"familyName": "User",
"displayName": "Test User",
"preferredLanguage": "de"
},
"email": {
"email": "test-user@zitadel.ch",
"isVerified": true
},
"metadata": [
{"key": "organization", "value": "Y29tcGFueQ=="}
]
}
}
```
## Conclusion
You have successfully set up a target and execution to manipulate API responses in your ZITADEL instance.
This feature can now be used to add necessary information for applications including the new login UI.
Find more information about the actions feature in the [API documentation](/concepts/features/actions_v2).