Web Action URL APIs

 web action URL APIs  (AKA web action handlers ) are URLs that act as APIs to handle web actions from another site.

Web-based actions are invariably  URLs, whereas native actions (well-known and custom) often utilise other URI schemes. These vary from the well known (e.g. ) to custom schemes, e.g.

On sending a GET request to an Action endpoint, the typical result is to display an interface for carrying out the relevant action, optionally preloaded with text provided in query string parameters.

A list of web (and native) services currently providing URLs which could be made the basis of a Web Actions implementation.

Aaron Parecki
has a URL endpoint for posting new notes/replies which he forces twitter to use for him as demonstrated here.
 * A particularly interesting aspect of this implementation is that the only query string parameter is in_reply_to URL, and it looks like he's parsing twitter usernames out of that server side

Barnaby Walters
Barnaby Walters has a URL API for creating new notes, which accepts several query string params,,   and
 * I have plans to add more, and more dynamic functionality (e.g. loading text from h-entry markup of an inReplyTo URL so I can quote it really easily) --Waterpigs.co.uk 11:30, 2 March 2013 (PST)

Jeremy Keith
has a bookmarklet-invoked URL API for adding links to his link blog

any WordPress user
Anyone using WordPress since 2.7 (?) can use the Press This endpoint and u/t/s/i query params to pre-fill a “new post” form

tt-rss
tt-rss installs have a URL API for subscribing to a new feed:

Twitter
Twitter's Web Intents are URLs which link to an interface for Twitter's Activities:
 * Tweet Activities
 * Tweet
 * Retweet
 * Favorite
 * User Activities
 * Follow

Readability
Readability want you to use their embed thing but they provide an excellent URL API

Endpoints:
 * Read Article:
 * Read Later:  (handles auth really well)
 * Print doesn't look like it's supported through a GET-only URL API

Kindle
Can someone with a kindle see if the send to kindle action can be used via a URL API?

Facebook
Facebook provides little-documented (and therefore potentially unstable) URL APIs. They generally need a key in order to be used.

Endpoints:
 * Share: this one requires no key and can be used to post to your timeline, someone else's or send someone a recommendation:
 * Post to your Wall: the best to use if you require a redirect after posting
 * Like: Looking at the source for the like button it seems to be a POST request to  --Waterpigs.co.uk 02:45, 20 September 2012 (PDT)

Open Source Implementations

 * Storytlr provides a URL API on it’s posting UI. The post Title, Body and URL to use can be set using the,   and   query parameters.

URL APIs To Review

 * … add here

Mac OS
Mac apps can register with the OS to handle custom URL schemes (e.g. twitter://), which activate the app, optionally in a certain context (e.g. new tweet with text)


 * Twitter's Mac app registers the  URI scheme and exposes the following endpoints:

iOS
iOS is an interesting case, as not only can apps register custom URL schemes (as on Mac OS), there are several built in handlers for fully-qualified URLs, e.g. youtube URLs and Google Maps URLs.
 * These apps no longer exist on iOS 6, do the URLs still work? --Waterpigs.co.uk 02:01, 20 September 2012 (PDT)


 * A great many are documented here:
 * As on Mac, Twitter's iOS app registers the  URI scheme and exposes the following endpoints:
 * Apparently most of the old Tweetie endpoints also work
 * Most Twitter clients offer similar endpoints, but Tweetbot have done a particularly good job of documenting theirs - note the callback URL parameter!
 * Apparently most of the old Tweetie endpoints also work
 * Most Twitter clients offer similar endpoints, but Tweetbot have done a particularly good job of documenting theirs - note the callback URL parameter!