Same webhook endpoint produce different result for different repos

[shivenigma]

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I have two repos under my organisation account and I'm trying to setup webhooks in those repositories. They both point to the same webhook URL, one of the repo events are fired successfully. But the other repo either gives 302 or 404.

I tried even deleting the webhook and setting it up multiple times but the same issue persists. On the problematic repo, the ping event worked fine and succeeded but everything after that just fails.

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[Thyrail]

Hello @shivenigma,

This is a classic issue, and the fact that the ping event works is the most important clue!

It confirms that:

1. The network connection between GitHub and your server is fine.
2. The webhook URL is correct and your server is reachable.
3. Your server is capable of receiving a POST request from GitHub and responding with a 200 OK.

This means the problem is almost certainly in your server-side code (the code running at your webhook URL).

💡 The Probable Cause

The 302 (Redirect) and 404 (Not Found) errors are not coming from GitHub; they are the responses from your own server. GitHub successfully delivered the webhook, but your server rejected it.

The reason the ping works while other events fail is that your code is likely inspecting the payload (the data being sent):

• A ping event sends a very simple, static payload (e.g., with the zen message).
• A push or pull_request event sends a complex payload that is specific to the repository.

Your server code probably contains logic that explicitly checks for the working repository (Repo A). When a payload arrives from a different repository (Repo B), this check fails, and your code returns a 404 or 302.

🔍 Common Mistakes in Server-Side Code

Check your webhook receiver code for the following:

1. Hardcoded Repository Name:

   • Look for a line of code that does something like this:
   • if (payload.repository.name !== 'Repo-A') { return 404; }
   • This is the most common cause. The code is expecting "Repo-A" and rejects all others (like "Repo-B").

2. Missing Configuration:

   • Does your server use a database or configuration file to manage repositories?
   • It's very likely that you need to "register" or "add" Repo B within your own system to tell your server to accept payloads from it.

3. Faulty Secret Validation (Less likely if ping works):

   • If you are using a webhook secret, double-check that it is configured exactly the same in both GitHub repo settings. However, if your code only validates the secret for specific events, this could be the cause.

Next Steps

1. Check Your Server Logs:
   • Look at your webhook server's logs at the exact moment an event from "Repo B" fails. It should log the precise error (e.g., "Repository 'Repo-B' not found in config" or "Unauthorized").
2. Check the "Recent Deliveries" Tab:
   • In your webhook settings for "Repo B."
   • Click on the "Recent Deliveries" tab.
   • Click on the failed delivery (with the red icon).
   • Look at the "Response" tab. The Body of that response (which your server sent) will often give you the exact clue you need (e.g., it might be an HTML error page or a JSON error message from your own application).

In summary: GitHub is working correctly. The problem is with your server's logic, which is not correctly processing the payloads from "Repo B."