How to Connect External Webhooks to Claude Code Using Channels and Hookdeck CLI

Anthropic's new Claude Code Channels feature enables pushing external events directly into a running Claude Code session, allowing the system to react to real-time occurrences such as CI failures or GitHub notifications without user intervention. This research preview feature is particularly practical for webhook integration, although it requires a public URL, which is addressed by using the Hookdeck CLI to bridge local Claude Code sessions with external webhook providers like GitHub. A detailed walkthrough guides users through setting up a webhook channel server, using Hookdeck CLI to provide a stable public URL, and configuring Claude Code to respond to webhook events. This involves creating a simple server with Bun to receive webhooks and send notifications to Claude Code, using Hookdeck's stable URLs and event replay capabilities for efficient iteration, and customizing Claude's responses through a CLAUDE.md file. The potential for developing a more integrated Hookdeck plugin for Claude Code is also highlighted, promising further simplification and automation of the setup process.