Voice Monkey
Heads up — this guide was written for Voice Monkey v2 and is in the process of being updated for v3. Some steps, screenshots and API examples may be out of date.

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How to make an HTTP GET/POST request from an Alexa Routine

Do you want to make an external GET/POST HTTP request to a URL from within an Alexa Routine? Here's how.

HTTP request from Alexa Routine

This tutorial requires access to the Alexa app and a Voice Monkey account.

There are plenty of reasons to fire an HTTP GET or POST request from inside an Alexa Routine. Trigger an external system by voice, kick off an IFTTT applet, or hit an API that starts a smart-home automation. With Voice Monkey Flows it’s a three-step job.

Step 1 — Create a new Flow

Open the Voice Monkey console, go to the Flows section, and create a new Flow with a descriptive name.

New Voice Monkey Flow

Step 2 — Add a Web Request action

Pick Web Request from the list of actions.

Web Request action

Enter the URL and method, plus any headers you need.

Web Request input data

Hit Add Action.

Step 3 — Trigger the Flow from an Alexa Routine

In the Flow editor, open the Trigger options and look for the routine instructions.

Flow routine instructions

Copy the custom-action phrase.

Custom command phrase

Head to the Alexa app, create a new Routine, choose your trigger, and under actions pick Custom Action with the phrase you just copied.

Final Alexa Routine for triggering a URL

Now every time the Alexa Routine runs, the custom action triggers your Flow, which in turn makes the HTTP request to the URL you specified. Magic.

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