WhaleSync

WhaleSync brings true two-way sync between Webflow CMS and the tools your team already runs on, including Airtable, Notion, and Google Sheets. Edits in either place update the other automatically through a visual interface, with no code and no brittle one-way automations to maintain.

That makes it a fit for marketing teams shipping programmatic SEO pages, editors drafting in Notion, agencies running directories from Airtable, and solo operators building resource hubs or membership communities without developer help.

How to integrate WhaleSync with Webflow

What is WhaleSync? WhaleSync is a no-code, two-way data synchronization platform backed by Y Combinator. It connects tools like Airtable, Notion, Google Sheets, and Webflow so that records stay consistent across all connected apps. Unlike one-way automation tools, WhaleSync maintains bidirectional sync, meaning a change in any connected app propagates to every other app in the sync.

Pair WhaleSync with Webflow when you need an external tool to serve as the content management layer while Webflow handles design and delivery. You might manage blog posts in Notion, product data in Airtable, or landing page content in Google Sheets, then rely on WhaleSync to push that content into Webflow CMS collections and pull edits back. This pattern keeps content teams working in familiar tools without needing direct access to the Designer.

The WhaleSync-Webflow integration supports 2 approaches:

• The WhaleSync app handles two-way CMS sync through a visual interface with no code. It supports field mapping, publish status control, filtered syncing, and memberships sync.
• The Webflow Data API gives you full programmatic control over CMS collections and items for custom sync logic that goes beyond WhaleSync's built-in capabilities, but requires server-side development.

Most teams start with the WhaleSync app alone. Add API-based extensions when you need event-driven workflows or custom publish logic.

Install the WhaleSync app

Find the WhaleSync app in the Webflow Apps directory. It connects to your site via OAuth, maps CMS collections to tables in external tools, and keeps records synced in both directions. You need a Webflow plan with CMS access and a WhaleSync Starter plan or above, since the Webflow connector is not included in WhaleSync's Personal plan.

To install and connect WhaleSync:

1. Open the WhaleSync listing in the Webflow Apps directory and click Install.
2. On the authorization page, log in and select which workspace or site to grant access to.
3. Click Approve. You return to the WhaleSync dashboard automatically.

After approval, create your first sync from the WhaleSync dashboard.

Create and configure a sync

With WhaleSync connected, set up a sync by choosing a second app, such as Airtable or Notion, mapping tables, and mapping fields. WhaleSync treats Webflow sites as "bases" and CMS collections as "tables" in its interface.

To create a new sync:

1. Click New sync from the WhaleSync dashboard.
2. Select and authorize your second app. Webflow uses OAuth, and some apps require an API key.
3. Map tables by pairing a CMS collection with a table in the connected app. WhaleSync suggests matches when names align.
4. Map fields individually using visual dropdowns. Choose the sync direction (one-way or two-way) for each field.
5. Click Activate sync. Data begins syncing within seconds. WhaleSync runs a historical sync first, pulling all existing records from both sides.

After activation, check the Operations page for a real-time view of all sync updates and the Issues page for any errors. WhaleSync sends email alerts when sync issues occur.

WhaleSync supports a wide range of Webflow CMS field types:

• Plain text, rich text, number, date/time, email, phone, link, and video link
• Image, multi-image, and file fields
• Reference and multi-reference fields
• Option (single select), switch (boolean), and color fields

These field types cover most common CMS structures.

Multi-select, collaborator, created-by, and button fields are not yet supported. Read-only field types like formulas, lookups, and rollups sync one-way only. For a full compatibility chart, see the WhaleSync field mapping docs.

Control publish status from your source app

WhaleSync adds a synthetic "Webflow Status" field that lets you set whether a CMS item is active, in draft, or archived, all from within Airtable or Notion. This removes the need to open the Designer to change item visibility.

To set up the Webflow Status field:

1. Add a single-select field to your Airtable or Notion table titled "Webflow Status."
2. Add exactly three options: Archived, Draft, and Active.
3. In WhaleSync's field mapping screen, map that field to the "Webflow Status" field.

WhaleSync accepts "Published" as an alias for "Active" but syncs it back as "Active" for consistency. Using the status field may add a few seconds of latency per record. A published CMS item cannot reference a draft item through a reference field. For full details, see the Webflow Status field docs.

Note that setting an item to "Active" via WhaleSync does not make changes visible on your live site. You still need to publish your site from the Webflow dashboard for updates to go live.

Sync filtered records with Airtable views

When you only want a subset of records to reach Webflow, WhaleSync supports syncing specific Airtable Views. Define filters in Airtable's own interface, then select that view during WhaleSync's table mapping step. Only records matching the filter appear in Webflow.

To set up view-based filtering:

1. Create a filtered view in Airtable (for example, only records where "Status" equals "Approved").
2. During table mapping in WhaleSync, select that specific Airtable view instead of the full table.
3. Activate the sync. WhaleSync syncs only records visible in the selected view.

Airtable view syncing is fully two-way. Changes made in the CMS sync back to the filtered Airtable view automatically. This is useful for editorial workflows where only approved content should appear on the site.

Sync Webflow Memberships users

WhaleSync can sync user accounts from Webflow Memberships to external tools through the "User accounts" table. This is useful when you want to review membership applications in Airtable or track user activity in a spreadsheet.

Supported membership fields include email (write-once only), name, accept privacy, and accept communications. Read-only fields like email verified, last login, and status sync one-way from Memberships. Access groups and custom user fields are not yet supported. For full details, see the Webflow Memberships sync docs.

This setup works best when you want Airtable or another external tool to handle review and tracking while Memberships manages the user account itself.

Build with the Webflow Data API

WhaleSync does not expose a public API. All sync configuration happens through its visual interface. When you need programmatic CMS operations beyond what WhaleSync handles, such as triggering publishes from a CI/CD pipeline, reacting to CMS changes via webhooks, or writing custom sync logic, the Webflow Data API v2 provides direct access.

Available API resources for extending a WhaleSync-based setup:

• The Webflow CMS endpoints handle collection and item CRUD operations, including bulk create, update, and delete for up to 100 items per request
• The Webflow webhooks API triggers real-time events like collection_item_created and collection_item_changed when WhaleSync or any other process modifies CMS content
• The publish endpoint moves staged items to the live site programmatically

Together, these endpoints cover the main extension points you typically need.

Authentication uses a Bearer token. Generate site tokens from Site settings > Apps & Integrations > API Access. CMS operations require CMS:read and CMS:write scopes.

React to CMS changes with webhooks

WhaleSync updates CMS items through the Data API. Those updates fire webhook events that your server can listen to. Use this to trigger downstream actions, like cache invalidation or notification emails, whenever WhaleSync syncs new content.

To register a webhook for CMS item changes:

1. Send a POST request to /v2/webhooks with the triggerType set to collection_item_changed and your target URL.
2. A JSON object arrives with event data nested under payload, including values such as collectionId, siteId, and fieldData depending on the event.
3. Process the payload in your server-side application to trigger any follow-up actions.

This pattern is useful when WhaleSync handles the sync itself and your own system needs to respond after CMS content changes.

Failed webhook deliveries retry up to 3 times at 10-minute intervals. Webhooks that fail repeatedly are deactivated, and the site owner receives an email notification. For full webhook event types and payload schemas, see the Webflow webhooks guide.

What can you build with the WhaleSync Webflow integration?

Integrating WhaleSync with Webflow lets you manage CMS content from external tools and publish it to your site automatically without manual data entry or custom code.

• Programmatic SEO pages at scale: Build hundreds or thousands of landing pages from a single Airtable base. A fintech company could maintain a table of city-specific financial terms and sync each row to a unique CMS item, generating one optimized page per city.
• Notion-powered blog publishing: Let writers draft, edit, and approve posts entirely in Notion. When a post moves to the "Live" database, WhaleSync pushes the full rich text content, including headers, images, and embeds, into a CMS collection for immediate publishing.
• Directory and resource hub management: Maintain a directory of listings, tools, or partners in Airtable and sync it to the CMS. A SaaS company could manage its integrations library in Airtable with fields for partner name, logo, description, and category, then display each entry on a directory page through a Collection List.
• Event site content from shared databases: Manage speaker bios, session details, and schedules in Airtable for a conference site. Updates to session times or speaker assignments sync to the live site in real time. The Webflow Conf site was built this way using WhaleSync.

If you need more control over publish timing or event-driven workflows triggered by CMS changes, the API integration path covers those cases with full flexibility.