Connecting Apprentice to Zapier

Use Zapier to send external form submissions into Apprentice or send Apprentice events to other apps.

Before You Start

The Apprentice Zapier app is currently available by invitation during beta.

If Apprentice does not appear in Zapier, contact Apprentice support with the exact email address you use for Zapier. After you receive access, refresh Zapier and select the latest Apprentice version.

Apprentice uses a secure sign-in connection. You do not need to create or copy an API key. If an older connection asks for an API key, remove that connection and connect Apprentice again.

Choose the Right Direction

To send a form into Apprentice:

1. Use your form service, such as Netlify, as the Zap trigger.
2. Use Apprentice as the action.
3. Choose Create Booking Request.

To send Apprentice activity to another app:

1. Use Apprentice as the trigger.
2. Choose an event such as New Booking Request, New Appointment, New Client, Appointment Status Changed, Payment Status Changed, Waiver Signed, or Client Checked In.
3. Choose the other app as the action.

Create a Booking Request From an External Form

This setup works well for Netlify Forms and other form tools.

Step 1: Test the Form Trigger

1. Create a Zap.
2. Select your form app as the trigger.
3. Choose the new-form-submission event.
4. Submit a complete test form.
5. Test the trigger and confirm that Zapier shows the name, email, phone, request details, consent answer, and submission time.

Testing the trigger first gives Zapier real fields to map in the next step.

Step 2: Add Apprentice

1. Add an action step.
2. Search for Apprentice.
3. Choose Create Booking Request.
4. Connect your Apprentice account.
5. Sign in and approve access when prompted.

Use Create Booking Request when the artist should review the submission first. It creates a pending request. It does not reserve calendar time or charge a deposit.

Do not choose Book Appointment From Booking Page unless the client selected an exact available appointment and the booking page allows direct booking.

Step 3: Map the Required Fields

Map these four fields:

• Booking Page — Select the Apprentice booking page from the dropdown. Do not map free-form form text here.
• Client Name — Map the form's full-name field.
• Client Email — Map the form's email field.
• Request Description — Map the form's intake summary, idea, or main request.

You can map a full name directly. Apprentice handles first and last names, including single-word names.

The top of the action includes the required booking-request fields, plus phone, SMS consent, and preferred dates.

Recommended Netlify Mapping

For a typical Netlify tattoo intake form, use:

• Client Name ← Data Full Name
• Client Email ← Data Email
• Client Phone ← Data Phone
• Request Description ← Data Intake Summary
• Other Preferred Dates ← Data Timeframe
• Placement ← Data Placement
• Size Estimate ← Data Size Estimate
• Style ← Data Category
• Budget Range ← Data Budget Range
• Reference Image URLs ← Data Reference Images Url

Start with the four required fields. Add optional fields only when they improve the artist's review. The intake summary can carry the rest of the form answers.

For Reference Image URLs, map up to 10 public URLs separated by commas or new lines. Apprentice saves the links with the request. It does not copy the files into the gallery.

Optional and Custom Fields

Map dedicated Apprentice fields first, such as placement, size, style, color preference, budget, tattoo history, and reference URLs. Use Custom Form Fields for extra questions that do not have a dedicated field. You can send up to 20 labeled name-and-value pairs.

To combine several answers in Request Description, type a short label for each answer, then insert the mapped value after it. Put each answer on its own line so the request is easy to scan.

The lower part of the action includes optional structured fields, reference URLs, and Custom Form Fields.

Map Transactional SMS Consent

Only map SMS consent when the form displays clear opt-in language and the client actively agrees.

For the Netlify example:

• Transactional SMS Opt-In ← Data Consent Comms
• SMS Consent Captured At ← Data Submitted At
• Client Phone ← Data Phone

Follow these rules:

• The consent checkbox must be unchecked by default.
• A phone number alone is not consent.
• Missing or blank consent is treated as no consent.
• A phone number is required when SMS consent is true.
• This consent covers transactional Apprentice messages, not marketing campaigns.
• A carrier STOP request overrides the form consent.

Use the form's submission time for SMS Consent Captured At. If you leave it blank, Apprentice records the time it receives the request.

Keep Submission Times Out of Appointment Fields

Do not map Data Submitted At or Netlify's Timestamp to Preferred Date and Time. Those values record when the form was submitted, not when the client wants an appointment.

Map Preferred Date and Time only when the client selected a real date and time. The value should include a timezone.

For answers such as “as soon as possible” or “weekday afternoons,” use Other Preferred Dates instead.

Test the Complete Zap

1. Test the Netlify or form trigger.
2. Test the Apprentice action.
3. Confirm that Zapier returns a Request ID and a pending status.
4. Open Apprentice and confirm that the booking request appears for the correct artist and booking page.
5. Confirm that the client receives the verification email when required.
6. Confirm that the artist receives the booking-request notification.
7. Turn on the Zap.

SMS consent does not guarantee an immediate text after the Zap runs. It allows Apprentice to send eligible transactional SMS messages during the booking workflow.

Use test contact details that you control. Delete or clearly label test requests after testing.

Troubleshooting

Zapier Shows a {{=gives[...]}} Reference or Missing Value

The saved mapping points to a field that is missing or came from an older test.

1. Test the previous form step again with a complete submission.
2. Clear the broken field in the Apprentice action.
3. Use Zapier's field picker to select the value again.
4. Do not type or paste a hand-written {{=gives[...]}} reference.
5. Retest the Apprentice action.

Create Booking Request Is Missing

• Confirm that the email used for Zapier has beta access.
• Refresh the app and event list.
• Select the latest Apprentice version.
• Reconnect the Apprentice account if the Zap still shows old fields.

The SMS Fields Fail

• Map Client Phone when Transactional SMS Opt-In is true.
• Confirm that the phone number includes a valid country code.
• Map only an affirmative form answer to the opt-in field.
• Leave the opt-in field blank or false when the client did not agree.

The Booking Page Is Missing

Confirm that the page belongs to the connected Apprentice account. Refresh the field list or reconnect the account, then select the page again.

The Reference Image Does Not Appear

Confirm that the source provides a public HTTPS URL. Private, expired, or login-protected file URLs cannot be opened by the artist.

The Wrong Date Appears

Remove the form submission timestamp from Preferred Date and Time. Map the actual requested appointment time or use Other Preferred Dates.

Security and Consent

Only connect an Apprentice account you are authorized to manage. Review every mapped field before turning on the Zap.

Keep marketing consent separate from booking-related transactional SMS consent. Do not add clients to marketing lists or send promotional texts unless you collected the separate consent required for that purpose.

Related Articles

• Opting In/Out of SMS Notifications
• How Chat, SMS, and Email Work Together
• Managing Notification Preferences

Updated on: 02/10/2026