Actions

Actions are functions that run on Nango’s platform to read from or write to external APIs. Unlike syncs, actions are triggered explicitly and return a typed result synchronously (or asynchronously for batch workloads). Think of actions as “virtual endpoints” on external APIs that you define: a single create-contact action that works with Salesforce, HubSpot, Attio, and any other CRM through a unified interface.

When to use actions

Actions are ideal when you want to:

Create unified interfaces across different APIs (e.g., one create-contact that abstracts Salesforce, HubSpot, and Attio)
Write data to external APIs — creating records, sending messages, triggering workflows
Abstract multi-step operations into a single call (e.g., create an opportunity and link it to a contact and company in one request)
Enforce type safety for all interactions with external APIs

Key facts

Actions run in Nango’s infrastructure, scoped to a connection
Actions take a typed input and return a typed output — you control the code and data models
Actions run synchronously by default, returning results directly in the API response
Actions can also run asynchronously for batch workloads
Actions can call other actions to compose workflows
Actions can be exposed as LLM tools via Nango’s built-in MCP server
The output of an action cannot exceed 2 MB
All invocations and API calls are logged in the Nango dashboard

Build an action

Step 1 — Set up your integrations folder

If you don’t have a nango-integrations folder yet, follow the functions setup guide.

Step 2 — Start dev mode

nango dev

Keep this terminal open while you develop.

Step 3 — Create the action file

Action files live inside an actions/ folder nested under the integration folder. For an action that fetches available fields on the Salesforce Contact object:

nango-integrations/
├── .nango
├── .env
├── index.ts
├── package.json
└── salesforce/
    └── actions/
        └── salesforce-contact-fields.ts

Paste the following scaffold:

salesforce-contact-fields.ts

import { createAction } from 'nango';
import * as z from 'zod';

export default createAction({
    description: '<Description of your action>',
    version: '1.0.0',
    input: z.void(),
    output: z.object({
        id: z.string(),
        // add more fields here
    }),
    exec: async (nango) => {
        // Integration code goes here.
    },
});

Also import the new file in index.ts:

index.ts

import './salesforce/actions/salesforce-contact-fields';

Step 4 — Implement your action

Write the logic in the exec method. Here is a complete action that fetches available fields on the Salesforce Contact object:

salesforce-contact-fields.ts

import { createAction } from 'nango';
import * as z from 'zod';

export default createAction({
    description: 'Fetches available contact fields from Salesforce',
    version: '1.0.0',
    input: z.void(),
    output: z.object({
        fields: z.array(z.object({
            name: z.string(),
            label: z.string(),
            type: z.string(),
            relationshipName: z.string().nullable()
        }))
    }),
    exec: async (nango) => {
        const response = await nango.get({
            endpoint: '/services/data/v51.0/sobjects/Contact/describe'
        });

        await nango.log('Salesforce fields fetched!');

        return {
            fields: response.data.fields.map((field: any) => ({
                name: field.name,
                label: field.label,
                type: field.type,
                relationshipName: field.relationshipName as string | null
            }))
        };
    }
});

SDK methods available in actions

Method	Description
`nango.get(config)`	Authenticated GET request
`nango.post(config)`	Authenticated POST request
`nango.put(config)`	Authenticated PUT request
`nango.patch(config)`	Authenticated PATCH request
`nango.delete(config)`	Authenticated DELETE request
`nango.log(message)`	Write a custom log to the Nango dashboard
`nango.getMetadata()`	Read per-connection metadata
`nango.setMetadata(data)`	Write per-connection metadata
`nango.triggerAction(key, id, name, input)`	Call another action from within this action
`nango.paginate(config)`	Iterate through paginated API responses

Step 5 — Test locally

nango dryrun salesforce-contact-fields '<CONNECTION-ID>'

To pass input data:

nango dryrun salesforce-contact-fields '<CONNECTION-ID>' --input '{"field": "value"}'

Run nango dryrun --help to see all options.

Step 6 — Deploy

nango deploy dev

To deploy a single action:

nango deploy --action salesforce-contact-fields dev

Use an action from your backend

Triggering an action synchronously

Node SDK
cURL

import { Nango } from '@nangohq/node';

const nango = new Nango({ secretKey: '<ENV-SECRET-KEY>' });

const result = await nango.triggerAction(
    'salesforce',        // providerConfigKey (integration ID)
    'user-123',          // connectionId
    'salesforce-contact-fields',  // actionName
    {}                   // optional input
);

console.log(result);

curl --request POST \
  --url https://api.nango.dev/action/trigger \
  --header 'Authorization: Bearer <ENV-SECRET-KEY>' \
  --header 'Connection-Id: <CONNECTION-ID>' \
  --header 'Provider-Config-Key: salesforce' \
  --data '{
    "action_name": "salesforce-contact-fields",
    "input": {}
  }'

The response body is the typed output of your action, returned immediately.

Triggering an action asynchronously

Asynchronous execution is ideal for batch writes or workloads where you want Nango to handle rate limits and retries transparently without blocking your request.

// Trigger asynchronously — returns immediately with an ID and status URL
const { id, statusUrl } = await nango.triggerActionAsync(
    'salesforce',
    'user-123',
    'bulk-create-contacts',
    { contacts: [...] }
);

// Poll for the result
const result = await nango.getAsyncActionResult({ id });

Nango can also send a webhook to your backend when an async action finishes.

Action workflows

Actions can call other actions using nango.triggerAction() from within the exec method. Each invocation appears separately in the Nango logs.

exec: async (nango) => {
    // Call another action as part of a workflow
    const contact = await nango.triggerAction(
        nango.providerConfigKey,
        nango.connectionId,
        'get-contact',
        { email: 'user@example.com' }
    );

    await nango.post({
        endpoint: '/opportunities',
        data: { contact_id: contact.id, name: 'New Deal' }
    });
}

Action configuration reference

Field	Type	Description
`description`	`string`	Human-readable description of the action
`version`	`string`	Semantic version; increment on breaking changes
`input`	`z.ZodType`	Zod schema for the action’s input (use `z.void()` for no input)
`output`	`z.ZodType`	Zod schema for the action’s return value
`exec`	`function`	The action implementation

Get Started

Auth

Functions

Use Cases

Platform

When to use actions

Key facts

Build an action

Step 1 — Set up your integrations folder

Step 2 — Start dev mode

Step 3 — Create the action file

Step 4 — Implement your action

SDK methods available in actions

Step 5 — Test locally

Step 6 — Deploy

Use an action from your backend

Triggering an action synchronously

Triggering an action asynchronously

Action workflows

Action configuration reference

​When to use actions

​Key facts

​Build an action

​Step 1 — Set up your integrations folder

​Step 2 — Start dev mode

​Step 3 — Create the action file

​Step 4 — Implement your action

​SDK methods available in actions

​Step 5 — Test locally

​Step 6 — Deploy

​Use an action from your backend

​Triggering an action synchronously

​Triggering an action asynchronously

​Action workflows

​Action configuration reference

When to use actions

Key facts

Build an action

Step 1 — Set up your integrations folder

Step 2 — Start dev mode

Step 3 — Create the action file

Step 4 — Implement your action

SDK methods available in actions

Step 5 — Test locally

Step 6 — Deploy

Use an action from your backend

Triggering an action synchronously

Triggering an action asynchronously

Action workflows

Action configuration reference