Countdown timers in Make and Zapier

Why not Delay or Sleep

Both platforms have a built-in wait, and for short pauses inside a scenario they are the right tool. For a deadline measured in days they hold a queued task rather than creating anything.

Zapier: creating a timer

Use Webhooks by Zapier → Custom Request. The built-in POST action URL-encodes the body, which the API will reject.

Zapier — Webhooks by Zapier -> Custom Request

  Method: POST
  URL:    https://countdownshare.com/api/v1/timers

  Headers:
    Authorization    Bearer cs_live_your_key_here
    Content-Type     application/json
    Idempotency-Key  trial_{{customer_id}}

  Data (raw JSON — switch the Data Pass-Through toggle OFF
  and paste into the Data field):
  {
    "name": "Trial for {{email}}",
    "type": "personalized",
    "duration_seconds": 1209600,
    "external_user_id": "{{customer_id}}",
    "publish": true
  }

Make: creating a timer

The HTTP → Make a request module, with Body type set to Raw and content type JSON.

Make — HTTP -> Make a request

  URL:            https://countdownshare.com/api/v1/timers
  Method:         POST
  Body type:      Raw
  Content type:   JSON (application/json)
  Parse response: Yes

  Headers:
    Authorization    Bearer cs_live_your_key_here
    Idempotency-Key  trial_{{1.customer_id}}

  Request content:
  {
    "name": "Trial for {{1.email}}",
    "type": "personalized",
    "duration_seconds": 1209600,
    "external_user_id": "{{1.customer_id}}",
    "publish": true
  }

Turn on Parse response so later modules can reference data.id as a mapped field rather than a raw string.

The detail that prevents duplicates

Both platforms retry failed steps automatically. Without a stable Idempotency-Key, a retry creates a second timer — and on a fourteen-day trial that means someone quietly gets twenty-eight days.

Derive the key from the record, not from anything that changes between attempts:

Reacting when the deadline passes

Create a second scenario or Zap starting with a Custom Webhook (Make) or Catch Hook (Zapier). Register that URL once as a webhook destination, then attach rules to your timers.

Second HTTP module/action — attach the rule.

  Method: POST
  URL:    https://countdownshare.com/api/v1/timers/{{data.id}}/webhook-rules

  Data:
  {
    "name": "Trial ended",
    "webhook_destination_id": "your-destination-id",
    "condition": { "field": "status", "operator": "equals", "value": "ended" },
    "delivery": "once"
  }

Register the destination once, by hand, pointing at the Catch
Hook / Custom Webhook URL from the receiving scenario. Reuse
its ID everywhere.

The delivery arrives with timer, rule, and data objects. Branch on rule.name so one webhook can serve a reminder ladder and an expiry from the same scenario.

The security caveat, stated plainly

Neither platform makes HMAC verification straightforward — Zapier needs a Code step, and Make needs comparable effort. In practice most automation users skip it, which means the webhook URL is the only secret protecting the workflow.

That is acceptable for sending a reminder email and not acceptable for cancelling an order or issuing a refund. If the action is destructive, put the endpoint in something that can verify the signature properly — see the n8n guide, which can, or any of the backend guides.

Putting the countdown in an email step

If the scenario sends mail through Mailchimp, Klaviyo, or Gmail, fetch the outputs and map the GIF into the HTML body.

Getting the email GIF for a Mailchimp or Klaviyo step:

  Method: GET
  URL:    https://countdownshare.com/api/v1/timers/{{data.id}}/outputs

Then map data.email_embed_html into the HTML body of your
email action. It renders the recipient's own remaining time
when they open the message, not when you sent it.

Paired with a personalized timer, each recipient sees their own remaining time rendered at the moment they open the message — which is the thing a Delay step cannot do at all. See embeds and hosted pages.

Common questions

Next steps