Have any of you ever programmatically set up Webflow pilots after sending a form submission to a custom endpoint? If so, do you have any pointers to save me research time? Thank you!

You're asking about creating Webflow CMS items (“pilots”) programmatically after a form submission triggers a custom endpoint. This is definitely possible using Webflow’s CMS API.

1. Use Webflow Forms to Trigger the Endpoint

• Set your Form Action to a backend endpoint you control (e.g., a serverless function, webhook URL, or API gateway).
• In Webflow, form submissions won't natively support custom headers, so you'll need to handle simple POST data (form-url-encoded).
• Use hidden fields to pass additional data (e.g., page slug, user ID).

2. Build the API Handler (Node.js Example)

• Your endpoint should parse the submission, validate it, and use the Webflow CMS API to create a new item.
• Webflow's CMS API requires:
• Site ID and Collection ID
• API Token (created in Webflow Project Settings > Integrations)
• Format: JSON with field slugs matching your CMS collection

3. Authenticate Correctly

• Send requests to Webflow CMS API at:
• https://api.webflow.com/collections/:collection_id/items
• Add headers:
• Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_TOKEN
• Content-Type: application/json
• accept-version: 1.0.0

4. Match CMS Field Slugs

• When submitting CMS data, use the field slugs, not their display names.
• Use the Webflow API reference to fetch your collection schema if unsure.

Example CMS item data:

{  "fields": {    "name": "New Pilot",    "slug": "new-pilot",    "published": true,    "custom-field": "XYZ"  }}

5. Handle Rate Limits and Errors

• Webflow has API rate limits (60 requests/minute per site).
• Include error handling in your backend to account for validation errors, auth issues, or rate limiting.

6. Consider CMS Publishing Needs

• If you want the item to appear live immediately, set "live": true and "published": true.
• Without live, the item will be staged but not published.

7. Useful Tools

• Postman or Insomnia for testing API request formats.
• Use https://webflow.com/api/reference for up-to-date endpoint documentation.

Summary

To programmatically create Webflow CMS items from a form:

• Route the Webflow form to a custom backend
• Parse and validate the submission
• Use the Webflow CMS API to create the item using your collection and API token
• Match field slugs and handle authentication, errors, and publish logic

This approach automates content creation within your Webflow project based on form input.