JMESPath
A query language for JSON that lets you extract and transform data within automation workflows. Example: `contacts[?status == 'active'].email` extract email addresses of all active contacts from a nested JSON array.
Expert insight
JMESPath (a query language for filtering and reshaping JSON) is genuinely useful for extracting a specific nested value from a complex API response without writing custom code, but its syntax is unforgiving and errors fail silently by returning null rather than throwing a clear error, worth testing a JMESPath expression against real sample data before trusting it in production.
In a real workflow
A JMESPath expression extracts the email of the first contact from a nested API response.
Common mistakes
- Expressions that fail silently on missing data.
- Overly complex expressions nobody can read.
Complexity level
Technical term used in production automation systems.
Related terms
JSON (JavaScript Object Notation)
The universal data format for APIs and webhooks. When Stripe sends a payment eve…
Data transformation
Modifying data as it flows through an automation reformatting dates, concatenati…
n8n
An open-source, self-hostable automation platform. More powerful than Zapier and…
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