How to Integrate Retool with Microsoft Teams

The simplest Teams integration uses an Incoming Webhook — a URL associated with a specific Teams channel that accepts HTTP POST requests and delivers messages. Navigate to the Teams channel where you want to receive Retool notifications. Right-click the channel name in the sidebar and select 'Manage channel'. In the channel settings, click the 'Connectors' or 'Edit' link next to Connectors. Search for 'Incoming Webhook' in the connectors list and click 'Add'. Note: Microsoft began deprecating legacy Connectors in late 2024. If you do not see Incoming Webhook in the Connectors list, use the new 'Workflows' app approach instead: click the three-dot menu on the channel → Workflows → search for 'Post to a channel when a webhook request is received'. Follow the setup wizard to get a webhook URL. For the legacy Incoming Webhook approach: click 'Configure' next to Incoming Webhook, give it a name (e.g., 'Retool Alerts'), optionally upload an icon, and click 'Create'. Copy the webhook URL that appears — it looks like https://outlook.office.com/webhook/{id}/IncomingWebhook/{id}/{id}. For the new Workflows-based webhook, the URL format starts with https://prod-xx.westus.logic.azure.com/. Store this URL as a Retool configuration variable — do not hardcode it in your queries.

In Retool, navigate to the Resources tab and click '+ Create new resource'. Select 'REST API' from the connector list. Name the resource 'Microsoft Teams (Webhook)'. For the Base URL, enter the base portion of your webhook URL — for legacy Incoming Webhooks, use https://outlook.office.com; for the new Workflows webhooks, use https://prod-xx.westus.logic.azure.com (use the actual region prefix from your URL). Leave authentication as 'None' — Incoming Webhooks are authenticated by the secret embedded in the URL path, not by headers. Click 'Save resource'. Now create a query that uses this resource. In your app or Workflow, create a new query, select the Teams webhook resource, set Method to POST, and enter the path as the remainder of the webhook URL after the base URL (the /webhook/... path). In the Body, select JSON and enter a MessageCard or simple text payload. For the legacy webhook format, use the MessageCard schema. For the new Workflows webhook, post a JSON object with your message content as simple key-value pairs that your Workflow is configured to accept. Test by running the query and confirming the message appears in your Teams channel.

1{
2  "method": "POST",
3  "path": "/webhook/XXXXXXXX@XXXXXXXX/IncomingWebhook/XXXXXXXX/XXXXXXXX",
4  "body": {
5    "@type": "MessageCard",
6    "@context": "http://schema.org/extensions",
7    "themeColor": "0076D7",
8    "summary": "Retool Notification",
9    "sections": [{
10      "activityTitle": "{{ notificationTitle.value || 'Retool Alert' }}",
11      "activitySubtitle": "{{ new Date().toLocaleString() }}",
12      "activityText": "{{ notificationBody.value }}",
13      "facts": [
14        { "name": "Source", "value": "Retool" },
15        { "name": "User", "value": "{{ current_user.email }}" }
16      ]
17    }]
18  }
19}

For richer Teams integration — sending messages to specific users, posting adaptive cards, or choosing channels dynamically — you need the Microsoft Graph API with Azure AD authentication. Navigate to the Azure Portal at portal.azure.com. Click 'Azure Active Directory' (or search for it). In the left sidebar, click 'App registrations' → 'New registration'. Name the application 'Retool Integration', select 'Accounts in this organizational directory only' under Supported account types (unless you need multi-tenant), and leave Redirect URI blank for now. Click 'Register'. On the app registration page, note the Application (client) ID and Directory (tenant) ID — you will need both for Retool's OAuth configuration. In the left sidebar, click 'Certificates & secrets' → 'New client secret'. Give it a description like 'Retool' and set an expiry of 24 months. Click Add and immediately copy the secret value — Azure will not show it again. Now configure API permissions: click 'API permissions' in the sidebar → 'Add a permission' → 'Microsoft Graph' → 'Application permissions'. Add ChannelMessage.Send (to post to channels) and Chat.ReadWrite (to send direct messages, if needed). Click 'Add permissions', then click 'Grant admin consent for [your organization]' and confirm. Admin consent is required for Application permissions to take effect.

In Retool, navigate to the Resources tab and click '+ Create new resource' → 'REST API'. Name the resource 'Microsoft Graph (Teams)'. Set Base URL to https://graph.microsoft.com. For Authentication, select 'OAuth 2.0'. Configure the OAuth 2.0 fields as follows: Grant type — set to 'Client Credentials' (for Application permissions, this is the correct grant type since there is no user interaction). Token URL — enter https://login.microsoftonline.com/{tenantId}/oauth2/v2.0/token, replacing {tenantId} with the Directory (tenant) ID from your Azure AD app. Client ID — paste the Application (client) ID from Azure AD. Client Secret — paste the client secret value. Scope — enter https://graph.microsoft.com/.default (this tells Azure AD to grant all permissions you configured in the app registration). For the OAuth token, use the magic variable OAUTH2_TOKEN in the headers section: add a header Authorization with value Bearer {{ OAUTH2_TOKEN }}. Click 'Test connection' — Retool will request a token from Azure AD and confirm it is valid. If successful, click Save. Now you can write queries against any Graph API endpoint including Teams channel messages.

1// Graph API query configuration to send a message to a Teams channel
2// Set Method to POST in the Retool query editor
3{
4  "method": "POST",
5  "path": "/v1.0/teams/{{ teamId }}/channels/{{ channelId }}/messages",
6  "body": {
7    "body": {
8      "contentType": "html",
9      "content": "<strong>{{ messageTitle.value }}</strong><br>{{ messageBody.value }}<br><i>Sent from Retool by {{ current_user.email }}</i>"
10    }
11  }
12}

Adaptive Cards are Teams' rich message format that supports structured layouts with images, facts, and interactive buttons. They are significantly more visually useful than plain text for operational notifications. Create a Retool Workflow (from the main Retool navigation → Workflows → New Workflow). Set the trigger type — Schedule for recurring reports, Webhook for event-driven notifications, or leave it as a manual trigger for testing. In the Workflow canvas, drag a Resource Query block and select your Microsoft Graph REST API resource. Set Method to POST and path to /v1.0/teams/{teamId}/channels/{channelId}/messages. In the body, construct an Adaptive Card JSON payload using the Teams Adaptive Card schema. The card body is set as an attachment in the message body. Reference data from previous Workflow blocks using the expression {{ blocks.queryName.data }}. Add a JavaScript block before the API call to format your database query results into the Adaptive Card JSON structure. For error handling, add a Global Error Handler block in the Workflow that posts a simple plain-text notification to an alerts channel if any block fails. Publish the Workflow when ready. For complex Retool Workflow automations involving Microsoft Teams, multiple data sources, and conditional routing logic, RapidDev's team can help architect and build your Retool solution.

1// JavaScript block in Retool Workflow to build Adaptive Card payload
2// Input: blocks.getOrderData.data (array of order objects)
3const orders = blocks.getOrderData.data || [];
4const totalValue = orders.reduce((sum, o) => sum + o.total_amount, 0);
5
6const adaptiveCard = {
7  type: 'message',
8  attachments: [{
9    contentType: 'application/vnd.microsoft.card.adaptive',
10    contentUrl: null,
11    content: {
12      '$schema': 'http://adaptivecards.io/schemas/adaptive-card.json',
13      type: 'AdaptiveCard',
14      version: '1.4',
15      body: [
16        {
17          type: 'TextBlock',
18          size: 'Large',
19          weight: 'Bolder',
20          text: 'Daily Orders Summary'
21        },
22        {
23          type: 'FactSet',
24          facts: [
25            { title: 'Total Orders', value: String(orders.length) },
26            { title: 'Total Value', value: `$${totalValue.toFixed(2)}` },
27            { title: 'Date', value: new Date().toLocaleDateString() }
28          ]
29        },
30        {
31          type: 'ActionSet',
32          actions: [{
33            type: 'Action.OpenUrl',
34            title: 'View in Retool',
35            url: 'https://retool.yourcompany.com/apps/orders-dashboard'
36          }]
37        }
38      ]
39    }
40  }]
41};
42
43return adaptiveCard;