setup-zoom-websockets

This is a background reference skill for consuming Zoom events over persistent WebSocket connections instead of HTTP webhooks. It solves the problem of low-latency, secure event delivery for cases where opening a public webhook endpoint is undesirable, and it helps developers decide between WebSockets and webhooks with an explicit trade-off comparison across connection model, latency, security, state, and setup complexity.

The skill walks through creating a Server-to-Server OAuth app in the Zoom Marketplace, enabling a WebSocket event subscription, and connecting from Node.js. Its quick-start code obtains an access token via the account_credentials grant using Basic auth with Client ID and Client Secret, then opens a wss connection to Zoom keyed by subscription ID and access token, handling open, message, close, and error events and noting the need for reconnection logic. It documents the shared event envelope (event, event_ts, payload) and catalogs meeting, recording, and user event types with example payloads. Supporting files cover connection details, environment variables, event references, a five-minute troubleshooting runbook, and common issues.

It targets backend developers and integrators in latency-sensitive or security-sensitive domains such as banking, healthcare, and finance who prefer a pull-based, endpoint-free event stream. It explicitly defers full OAuth flows to a companion zoom-oauth skill and recommends WebSockets when real-time updates, security, or bidirectional communication matter, and webhooks when setup simplicity is preferred.