Connect Citation with Make

Before you connect

Custom app definitions. Operator setup is required. This is not a published marketplace integration.

Your Citation operator must configure the MCP address and apply the MCP and automation database migrations. Cloud platforms need a reachable HTTPS address. A localhost address works only for software on that computer.

Each token grants access to one workspace for 1 to 90 days. Read permissions are selected initially. Choose writing and exporting only if your workflow needs them. Save credentials in the platform credential store.

• Download setup package

Set up Make

1. Download the custom app package. In Make Custom Apps create a private app, version 1. Create a Basic connection from connection.json and copy base.json into its Base tab.
2. Create modules using the exact file names as internal names. Copy each definition into its matching Communication, Mappable Parameters, Interface or Static Parameters tabs. Select the app connection for each module.
3. Create a Citation workspace token and add the exact HTTPS origin and token to your Make connection. Map CSL metadata and editor content as collections from Parse JSON, rather than as JSON strings.
4. Run the included blueprint renderer with your actual private app slug and connection ID. Import the output into a new scenario. It creates a draft, saves a source and formats a bibliography. Review the mappings before running it.

The module definitions are builder files, not scenario imports. The renderer makes a scenario blueprint after your private app and connection exist. Four polling modules use saved sequence IDs. Hosted IML evaluation, blueprint import and execution still need verification in a Make account.

• Official Make documentation

Supported operations

Find and read documents. Create drafts and save version checked edits. Find, read, add and update sources. Format references, check citation metadata, and export saved text or reference files.

The setup package includes an OpenAPI contract with exact input and output schemas. HTTP actions use POST at the following relative path:

/api/automation/v1/actions/create_draft

{
  "request_id": "REPLACE_WITH_A_STABLE_UUID",
  "title": "Research intake",
  "text": "Evidence to review."
}

Use read_document with include_content before changing a draft. Sending text replaces formatting and citation nodes.

Events and retries

The HTTP event feed reports document creation, document updates, source creation and source updates. Events are saved with the same database transaction as the change. A retried request returns the same event IDs. History is retained for 30 days or 100,000 events per workspace, whichever is smaller.

Use after for ascending pages and before for descending pages. Keep the same workspace, event type and order. Save the final checkpoint only after all pages and downstream actions succeed. A 410 error requires resynchronization. This integration does not send outbound webhooks.

Reuse the same request UUID and exact input after an uncertain save. A 409 error means the version or request input changed. Read and review before making a new request. A 429 response includes a retry interval. Expired or revoked tokens return 401.

Manage access

Test API access in Citation settings, then test the connection inside your platform. A successful API test confirms Citation access only. Replace a token to invalidate its previous value while keeping its retry history. Update the platform credential before resuming. Revoke the connection to stop access.

• Automation overview