Resources · Make integration

CommCare Make integrationAutomate CommCare with Make.

Can Make react when your field team files a form in CommCare? Yes. The CommCare Make integration gives you 5 modules: 4 scheduled triggers on cases and form submissions, plus an API call. This page walks you through the connection and a first working scenario.

Try the CommCare integration on MakeSee the 5 modules

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What you can automate

What can the CommCare Make integration do for you?

The CommCare Make integration links your CommCare HQ account to Make, a no-code tool where you build a scenario: an automation made of modules, each one a single step. Make picks up new cases, updated cases and form submissions from CommCare and hands them to the other apps your team already uses.

Forms that reach the office on their own. A field worker submits a visit form in CommCare. Watch New Form Submission sees it on the next check, and the next module copies the answers into a shared sheet or a reporting tool, so nobody retypes paper notes.

A supervisor who hears about changes. When a case moves forward, Watch Updated Case picks up the change and your scenario can send a message to the person who follows that household. Watch New Case covers the other moment: the day a beneficiary is registered.

Anything else the API allows. Only one action module exists here, Make an API Call. It reuses your connection to reach any endpoint of the CommCare API, which is how you write data back into CommCare.

Know the limits before you start. All 4 triggers are scheduled, so Make checks CommCare at intervals instead of being called at once, and the Make documentation for this app is marked as AI-generated from the CommCare docs, so check important details with CommCare. For a wider view of the tool, read our Make review. CommCare also has a node in n8n; the n8n vs Make comparison helps you pick. If you prefer guided practice, Make training starts from zero.

Connect

How do you connect CommCare to Make?

  1. 01

    Copy your username and API key

    In CommCare HQ, open your account settings and click API keys. Note the username shown on that page, then generate a new API key or reuse one you already have, and copy it somewhere safe.

  2. 02

    Add a CommCare module

    In your Make scenario, add any CommCare module and click Create a connection. A connection is your CommCare account linked to Make once, then reused by every CommCare module. The Connection name field is optional.

  3. 03

    Paste your credentials

    Enter the username and API key you copied from CommCare, or follow the on-screen instructions, then save. Make can now read your CommCare data and fill the module's lists for you.

First scenario

Your first scenario with CommCare

GoalWhen a new form submission lands in CommCare, Make passes its answers to the CommCare API endpoint you choose.

  1. 01

    Create the scenario

    On the Scenarios page, create a new scenario and click the big + to add its first module. Search for CommCare and pick Watch New Form Submission.

  2. 02

    Connect and fill the trigger

    Click Create a connection and paste your username and API key. Once connected, Make lists what it can read in your CommCare account, so you choose from menus instead of typing.

  3. 03

    Add Make an API Call

    Click the + on the right of the trigger and add the CommCare module Make an API Call. It reuses your connection. Pick the endpoint you need and map the form answers from the trigger into the request.

  4. 04

    Test with Run once

    Submit a test form in CommCare, then click Run once. Each module shows the bundles it received: a bundle is one item passed along, here one form submission.

  5. 05

    Schedule and switch it on

    Open the clock on the first module to set how often Make checks CommCare. A new scenario runs every 15 minutes by default. Switch the scenario on and it keeps going without you.

Triggers

What starts a CommCare scenario

4 modules start a scenario when something happens in CommCare. A scheduled trigger is checked by Make on the scenario's schedule; an instant one is called by CommCare as soon as it happens.

CommCare1Watch New Case

Watch New Case

triggerIn the docs only

Starts your scenario each time a case is created in CommCare, so a fresh registration can reach your other tools without anyone forwarding it. Each new case arrives as its own bundle.

How it fires
scheduled. Make checks CommCare on the scenario's schedule, every 15 minutes by default, and collects the cases created since the last check.
When to use it
when a newly registered person or household should open a record in a sheet or a follow-up list.
Watch out
it ignores later edits to the case; pick Watch Updated Case for those.
CommCare2Watch New Form Submission

Watch New Form Submission

triggerIn the docs only

Hands each submitted form to your scenario, which is the most direct way to get field data out of CommCare and into reporting or messaging tools. One submission equals one bundle.

How it fires
scheduled. Make asks CommCare for new submissions at the interval set on the scenario, not the second a worker taps submit.
When to use it
when the answers themselves matter, for example a survey or visit form your office needs to read.
Watch out
on the Free plan the shortest interval is 15 minutes, so a submission can wait that long.
CommCare3Watch New or Updated Case

Watch New or Updated Case

triggerIn the docs only

Covers both moments of a case in one trigger: when it is created and when it changes later. Handy when a single scenario should keep another tool in line with CommCare.

How it fires
scheduled. On every run of the scenario, Make looks for cases that appeared or changed since the previous run.
When to use it
when you mirror cases into a sheet or a database and want one row kept current.
Watch out
new and edited cases reach the same path, so the next module should update an existing record rather than add a duplicate each time.
CommCare4Watch Updated Case

Watch Updated Case

triggerIn the docs only

Reacts only when an existing case changes, which keeps a supervisor or partner informed of progress without the noise of new registrations.

How it fires
scheduled. Make polls CommCare at the scenario's interval and returns the cases edited since its last visit.
When to use it
when a change of status on a case should alert the person who follows it, or refresh a report.
Watch out
it stays silent on new registrations, so pair it with Watch New Case or switch to Watch New or Updated Case if you need both.
Modules

What else the CommCare app can do

CommCare gives you 1 module. For each one: what it does for you, when to reach for it, and what to watch out for.

CommCare1

Make an API Call

ActionIn the docs only

Opens the whole CommCare API to your scenario, with the connection you already set up, so you are not stuck with the four triggers. It is the only way to send data back into CommCare from Make.

When to use it
when you need something no listed module does, such as reading a specific record or pushing an update.
Watch out
you pick the endpoint yourself, so keep the CommCare API documentation open while you set it up.
Need help

Need help automating CommCare with Make?

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FAQ

Questions about the CommCare Make integration

01Is the CommCare Make integration free?
Yes, on the Make side. CommCare is a standard app, so it works on the Free plan. That plan allows 2 active scenarios, a minimum of 15 minutes between two scheduled runs, 5 minutes of execution per run, files up to 5 MB and 512 MB of data transfer. Paid plans (Core, Pro, Teams and Enterprise) lower the interval to 1 minute and lift the limit on active scenarios. Make counts usage in operations: one operation is one module handling one bundle. Your CommCare subscription is a separate matter, handled with CommCare.
02What do you need to connect CommCare to Make?
An active CommCare HQ account and an API key. In CommCare, open your account settings, click API keys, copy the username displayed there, then generate a new key or reuse an existing one. In Make, add a CommCare module, click Create a connection, give it a name if you like and paste the username and key. The connection is then shared by every CommCare module in your scenarios, so you only do this once per account.
03Does the CommCare Make integration work in real time?
No. The 4 CommCare triggers are scheduled: Make checks CommCare at the interval set on the scenario, every 15 minutes by default, and collects whatever is new or changed since the last check. On the Free plan the shortest interval is 15 minutes; paid plans go down to 1 minute. If a short delay matters, lower the schedule on a paid plan. For most reporting and follow-up needs, the default interval is enough.
04What if the CommCare module you need is missing in Make?
Use Make an API Call. This module reuses your CommCare connection and lets the scenario call any endpoint of the CommCare API, which covers everything the four triggers do not, including writing data back into CommCare. You choose the endpoint yourself, so keep the CommCare API reference at hand. Also note that the Make documentation for this app is flagged as AI-generated from CommCare's docs, so confirm important details with CommCare before you rely on them.
05Should you use Make or n8n for CommCare?
It depends on how you like to build. CommCare often has a node in n8n as well, so both tools can reach it. In Make you get 4 scheduled triggers for cases and form submissions plus Make an API Call, with a visual editor, a Run once test button and a Free plan to try it. The sensible move is to test the scenario you need in the tool your team already knows, then compare how comfortable each one feels for your use case.
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