> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.usecobalt.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Overview

> Wait for the result of asynchronous operations without setting up webhooks.

Many Cobalt API operations are asynchronous. When you create an appointment, patient, or other record via the API, Cobalt returns immediately with a `job_id` and processes the request in the background. Normally, you'd set up [webhooks](/docs/webhooks/overview) to receive the result.

**Awaiting results** is an alternative pattern that lets you poll for the outcome directly, giving you a synchronous-style workflow without needing a webhook endpoint. This is useful for:

* Getting started quickly without configuring webhook infrastructure
* Simple scripts or one-off integrations
* Environments where receiving inbound HTTP requests is difficult
* Prototyping and testing

<Note>
  This pattern uses the [Get Webhook Events](/api-reference/webhook-events/get) endpoint to poll for results by `job_id`. Every asynchronous operation returns a `job_id` that you can use to track its outcome.
</Note>

## How It Works

1. **Make the API call** - Create an appointment, patient, or other record. The response includes a `job_id`.
2. **Poll for the result** - Call `GET /v1/webhook-events?job_id={job_id}` on an interval until a matching event appears.
3. **Handle the outcome** - The event tells you whether the operation succeeded or failed, with full details.

```
POST /v1/appointments ──► { job_id: "12345" }
          │
          ▼
GET /v1/webhook-events?job_id=12345  ──► (empty, not ready)
          │  wait 1 second
          ▼
GET /v1/webhook-events?job_id=12345  ──► (empty, not ready)
          │  wait 1 second
          ▼
GET /v1/webhook-events?job_id=12345  ──► { type: "appointment.created", data: {...} }
```