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An API job moving through request, queue, execution, retry, and completion states
API operations

· Baleybots

Polling vs webhooks for AI job completion

Long-running AI jobs need a way to tell the caller when work has settled. Polling is simple to control; webhooks reduce repeated status checks but add a delivery interface that your application must operate.

Make status authoritative

With polling, use a bounded interval and stop at terminal states. With webhooks, verify the sender, tolerate repeats, and retrieve the run if you need authoritative outputs. A completion notification can be delayed or fail delivery. Your application should have a reconciliation path for jobs that remain locally marked running after the server has finished.

Workflow at a glanceMake status authoritativeUse this sequence as a small fixture before you scale the work.
  1. 1Define successful, failed, and cancelled terminal statesDefine successful, failed, and cancelled terminal states.
  2. 2Set a polling budget or a verified…Set a polling budget or a verified webhook receiver.
  3. 3Periodically reconcile unresolved local jobs against server…Periodically reconcile unresolved local jobs against server status.

Try it on a small example

  1. Define successful, failed, and cancelled terminal states.
  2. Set a polling budget or a verified webhook receiver.
  3. Periodically reconcile unresolved local jobs against server status.

What to verify

Do not confuse pipeline completion webhooks with MCP event subscriptions. Baleybots documents them as different interfaces with different payload and signature contracts. Choose one based on the client's needs and supported route. Test failure completion as carefully as success: a caller waiting only for a success signal can wait forever when a job fails. Retain the run ID regardless of which notification mechanism you use.

Product details checked against the Public API reference on October 4, 2026. These guides describe documented behavior; availability depends on your account and the deployed service. Baleybots is in invite-only beta.