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Help Scout Data Source

The Help Scout connector enables you to ingest customer support data from your Help Scout account into Nexla data flows, including conversations, customers, mailboxes, threads, tags, and reporting data. Follow the instructions below to create a new data flow that ingests data from a Help Scout source in Nexla.
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Help Scout

Create a New Data Flow​

  1. To create a new data flow, navigate to the Integrate section, and click the New Data Flow button. Then, select the desired flow type from the list, and click the Create button.

  2. Select the Help Scout connector tile from the list of available connectors. Then, select the credential that will be used to connect to the Help Scout account, and click Next; or, create a new Help Scout credential for use in this flow.

  3. In Nexla, Help Scout data sources can be created using pre-built endpoint templates, which expedite source setup for common Help Scout endpoints. Each template is designed specifically for the corresponding Help Scout endpoint, making data source setup easy and efficient.
    • To configure this source using a template, follow the instructions in Configure Using a Template.

    Help Scout sources can also be configured manually, allowing you to ingest data from Help Scout endpoints not included in the pre-built templates or apply further customizations to exactly suit your needs.
    • To configure this source manually, follow the instructions in Configure Manually.

Configure Using a Template​

Nexla provides pre-built templates that can be used to rapidly configure data sources to ingest data from common Help Scout endpoints. Each template is designed specifically for the corresponding Help Scout endpoint, making data source setup easy and efficient.

Endpoint Settings​

  • Select the endpoint from which this source will fetch data from the Endpoint pulldown menu. Available endpoint templates are listed in the expandable boxes below. Click on an endpoint to see more information about it and how to configure your data source for this endpoint.

    List Conversation Threads

    Returns a paginated list of threads for a specific conversation, including replies, notes, and line items. Use this endpoint to retrieve the full thread history for a known conversation ID.

    Conversation IDs can be obtained from the List all conversations endpoint. Use a lookup macro to pass conversation IDs dynamically when chaining API calls.

    List Inbox Custom Fields

    Returns a paginated list of custom fields configured for a specific inbox (mailbox). Use this endpoint to retrieve the custom field schema for a mailbox, which is needed to map custom field values in conversation exports.

    Mailbox IDs can be obtained from the List all mailboxes endpoint.

    List Inbox Folders

    Returns a paginated list of folders within a specific inbox. Use this endpoint to retrieve folder names and IDs for a mailbox, which can be used to filter conversation listings by folder.

    Folder IDs returned here can be used as the Folder filter parameter in the List all conversations endpoint.

    List Team Members

    Returns a list of team members in a specific Help Scout team. Use this endpoint to retrieve agent rosters for a team for reporting or to audit team membership.

    Team IDs can be found in the Help Scout admin interface or retrieved via the Help Scout API. Refer to the Help Scout API documentation for details.

    List all conversations, with optional filtering by mailbox, status, folder, tag, assignee, and full-text query.

    Retrieves a paginated list of all conversations with optional filtering by mailbox, status, folder, tag, assignee, modification date, and full-text query. This is the primary endpoint for bulk conversation ingestion from Help Scout.

    • Sends a GET request to https://api.helpscout.net/v2/conversations with optional query parameters for Mailbox, Folder, Status, Tag, Assigned To, Modified Since, Number, Sort Field, Sort Order, Query, Custom Fields By IDs, Page, and Embed.
    • Response data is extracted from $._embedded.conversations[*], returning each conversation as an individual record.

    Use the Modified Since parameter with a date/time macro to perform incremental ingestion — retrieving only conversations modified since the last run.

    List customers with optional filters; sorted by createdAt descending by default.

    Retrieves a paginated list of customers from Help Scout with optional filtering by first name, last name, email, and mailbox. Use this endpoint for customer directory exports or CRM synchronization workflows.

    • Sends a GET request to https://api.helpscout.net/v2/customers with optional query parameters for Firstname, Lastname, Email, Mailbox, Page, Sortfield, and Sortorder.
    • Response data is extracted from $._embedded.customers[*], returning each customer as an individual record.

    Results are sorted by createdAt in descending order by default. Use the Sortfield and Sortorder parameters to adjust ordering for your use case.

    List all mailboxes (inboxes) accessible to the authenticated account.

    Retrieves a list of all mailboxes (inboxes) accessible to the authenticated Help Scout account. Use this endpoint to discover mailbox IDs needed for filtering conversations, folders, and custom fields.

    Mailbox IDs returned by this endpoint are required for the List Inbox Folders, List Inbox Custom Fields, List Saved Replies, and conversation filtering endpoints.

    List all workflows for the account, including manual and automatic types.

    Retrieves all workflows for the Help Scout account, including both manual and automatic workflow types. Use this endpoint to audit automation rules or export workflow configurations.

    • Sends a GET request to https://api.helpscout.net/v2/workflows with optional Mailbox, Status, and Page parameters.
    • Response data is extracted from $._embedded.workflows[*], returning each workflow as an individual record.
    • Configure the following parameters: Mailbox — filter workflows by mailbox ID. Status — filter by workflow status (active or inactive).

    Use the Status filter to retrieve only active workflows, which reduces response size and simplifies auditing.

    Get Conversation

    Retrieves a single conversation by ID, including metadata, tags, assignee, and optionally pre-loaded threads. Use this endpoint to fetch the complete details of a specific conversation.

    • Sends a GET request to https://api.helpscout.net/v2/conversations/{id} with an optional Embed parameter to include related data such as threads.
    • Response data is extracted from $, returning the full conversation object as a single record.
    • Configure the following parameters: Id — the unique identifier of the conversation to retrieve. Embed — optional comma-separated list of related resources to embed (e.g., threads).

    Conversation IDs can be obtained from the List all conversations endpoint. Use a lookup macro to pass IDs dynamically when chaining API calls.

    List Threads

    Returns a paginated list of all threads (messages, notes, line items) belonging to a specific conversation. Use this endpoint to extract the full message history for a conversation for archiving or analytics.

    This endpoint is functionally equivalent to List Conversation Threads. Use either endpoint to retrieve threads for a specific conversation.

    Get Customer

    Retrieves a single customer by ID, including all embedded contact entries such as emails, phone numbers, and social profiles. Use this endpoint to fetch complete customer profile data for a known customer.

    Customer IDs can be obtained from the List customers endpoint. Use a lookup macro to pass customer IDs dynamically when chaining API calls.

    Get Inbox

    Retrieves a single mailbox by its unique ID, including its name, email address, and configuration settings. Use this endpoint to fetch full mailbox details for a specific inbox.

    Mailbox IDs can be obtained from the List all mailboxes endpoint.

    List Saved Replies

    Returns a paginated list of all saved replies for a specific mailbox, with an option to include chat replies. Use this endpoint to export saved reply content for analysis, backup, or migration.

    • Sends a GET request to https://api.helpscout.net/v2/mailboxes/{mailboxId}/saved-replies with an optional Include Chat Replies parameter.
    • Response data is extracted from $._embedded.savedReplies[*], returning each saved reply as an individual record.
    • Configure the following parameters: Mailbox Id — the unique identifier of the inbox whose saved replies should be listed. Include Chat Replies — whether to include chat-type saved replies in results.

    Mailbox IDs can be obtained from the List all mailboxes endpoint.

    Get Saved Reply

    Retrieves a single saved reply by ID from a specific mailbox. Use this endpoint to fetch the full content of a specific saved reply when the saved reply ID is already known.

    Saved reply IDs can be obtained from the List Saved Replies endpoint.

    Get User

    Retrieves a single Help Scout user (agent) by their unique ID. Use this endpoint to fetch full profile details for a specific agent, including their email, role, and avatar.

    • Sends a GET request to https://api.helpscout.net/v2/users/{id}.
    • Response data is extracted from $, returning the full user object as a single record.
    • Configure the following parameters: Id — the unique identifier of the user to retrieve.

    User IDs can be obtained from conversation assignee fields or from the Help Scout admin interface. Use a lookup macro to pass user IDs dynamically.

    List Webhooks

    Lists all webhook subscriptions configured for the Help Scout account. Use this endpoint to audit existing webhook configurations or to retrieve webhook IDs for update or deletion operations.

    Admin-level permissions are required to list and manage webhook configurations.

    Get Satisfaction Rating

    Retrieves a single customer satisfaction rating by ID, including customer, user, and conversation references. Use this endpoint to pull individual CSAT survey responses for analysis or reporting.

    • Sends a GET request to https://api.helpscout.net/v2/ratings/{id}.
    • Response data is extracted from $, returning the full satisfaction rating object as a single record.
    • Configure the following parameters: Id — the unique identifier of the satisfaction rating to retrieve.

    Satisfaction rating IDs are typically referenced from conversation metadata. Refer to the Help Scout API documentation for details on retrieving rating IDs.

    Get Conversations Overall Report

    Retrieves the overall conversations report, including volume, customer counts, and tag breakdowns for a specified date range. Use this endpoint to power support performance dashboards or to export historical reporting data.

    • Sends a GET request to https://api.helpscout.net/v2/reports/conversations with required Start Date and End Date parameters and optional filters for Previous Start Date, Previous End Date, Mailboxes, Tags, Conversation Types, and Folders.
    • Response data is extracted from $, returning the full report as a single record.
    • Configure the following parameters: Start Date — report period start date. End Date — report period end date. Mailboxes — optionally filter by specific mailbox IDs. Tags — optionally filter by tags.

    Use date/time macros for Start Date and End Date to automate recurring report ingestion for the prior day, week, or month.

Endpoint Testing​

Once the selected endpoint template has been configured, Nexla can retrieve a sample of the data that will be fetched according to the current settings. This allows users to verify that the source is configured correctly before saving.

  • To test the current endpoint configuration, click the Test button to the right of the endpoint selection menu. Sample data will be fetched & displayed in the Endpoint Test Result panel on the right.

  • If the sample data is not as expected, review the selected endpoint and associated settings, and make any necessary adjustments. Then, click the Test button again, and check the sample data to ensure that the correct information is displayed.

Configure Manually​

Help Scout sources can be configured to ingest data from any valid Help Scout Inbox API 2.0 endpoint. Configuration options allow them to be fully customized to suit any use case — including using chained API calls to fetch data from multiple endpoints or applying custom request parameters.

First, select the method that will be used for calls to the Help Scout API from the Method pulldown menu. The most common methods are:

  • GET: For retrieving data such as conversations, customers, mailboxes, and reports
  • POST: For creating resources or triggering searches via the API

API Endpoint URL​

  1. Enter the URL of the Help Scout API endpoint from which this source will fetch data in the Set API URL field. The Help Scout Inbox API 2.0 base URL is https://api.helpscout.net/v2/. The full URL should include the protocol and any required path segments.

    Common Help Scout Inbox API endpoint URL patterns include:

    • List Conversations: https://api.helpscout.net/v2/conversations
    • Get a Specific Conversation: https://api.helpscout.net/v2/conversations/{'{conversationId}'}
    • List Customers: https://api.helpscout.net/v2/customers
    • Get a Specific Customer: https://api.helpscout.net/v2/customers/{'{customerId}'}
    • List Mailboxes: https://api.helpscout.net/v2/mailboxes
    • List Threads for a Conversation: https://api.helpscout.net/v2/conversations/{'{conversationId}'}/threads
    • List Tags: https://api.helpscout.net/v2/tags
    • List Users: https://api.helpscout.net/v2/users

    The Help Scout API supports filtering and sorting via query parameters. For example, to retrieve only open conversations for a specific mailbox, append query parameters to the URL: https://api.helpscout.net/v2/conversations?status=open&mailboxId={'{mailboxId}'}. Refer to the Help Scout Inbox API 2.0 documentation for the full list of available query parameters for each endpoint.

Date/Time Macros (API URL)​

Optional

Optionally, the API URL can be customized using macros — all macros added to the API URL will be converted into values when Nexla executes the API call. Macros are dynamic placeholders that allow you to create flexible API endpoints that can adapt to different time periods or data requirements.

Date/time macros are particularly useful when querying Help Scout conversations or reports that were created or updated within a specific time window. For example, you can use macros to filter conversations modified after a certain date to perform incremental data ingestion.

  1. To add a macro, type { at the appropriate position in the API URL (within the Set API URL field), and select the desired macro from the dropdown list.

    • {now} – The current datetime
    • {now-1} – The datetime one time unit before the current datetime
    • {now+1} – The datetime one time unit after the current datetime
    • custom – Datetime macros can reference any number of time units before or after the current datetime — for example, enter (now-4) to indicate the datetime four time units before the current datetime

  2. Select the format that will be applied to datetime macros from the Date Format for Date/Time Macro pulldown menu. This format will be applied to the base datetime value of the macro — i.e., the value of {now} in {now-1}.

  3. Select the datetime unit that will be used to perform mathematical operations in the included macro(s) from the Time Unit for Operations pulldown menu — for example, for the macro {now-1}, when Day is selected, {now-1} will be converted to the datetime one day before the current datetime.

Lookup-Based Macros (API URL)​

Optional

Column values from existing lookups can also be included as macros in the API URL. Lookup-based macros allow you to reference data from previously configured data sources or lookups, enabling dynamic API endpoints that can adapt based on existing data.

Lookup-based macros are useful when building Help Scout data flows that reference conversation IDs, customer IDs, or mailbox IDs retrieved from a prior Nexla data source or lookup table.

  1. To include a lookup column value macro, select the relevant lookup from the Add Lookups to Supported Macros pulldown menu.

  2. Type { at the appropriate position in the API URL, and select the lookup column-based macro from the dropdown list. Lookup-based macros are automatically populated into the macro list when a lookup is selected in the Add Lookups to Supported Macros pulldown menu.

Path to Data​

Optional

If only a subset of the data returned by the API endpoint is needed, you can designate the part of the response that should be included in the Nexset(s) produced from this source by specifying the path to the relevant data within the response. This is particularly useful when API responses contain metadata, pagination tokens, or other context that is not required for downstream processing.

For example, the Help Scout List Conversations endpoint returns an object with a top-level _embedded key containing a conversations array alongside pagination metadata. By entering the path to the conversations array, you can configure Nexla to treat each conversation object as a separate record.

Path to Data is essential when working with Help Scout API responses, which use HAL+JSON format with _embedded and _links fields for pagination. Without specifying the correct path, Nexla may not be able to properly parse and organize your data into usable records.

  • To specify which data should be treated as relevant in responses from this source, enter the path to the relevant data in the Set Path to Data in Response field.

    • For responses in JSON format, enter the JSON path that points to the object or array that should be treated as relevant data. JSON paths use dot notation (e.g., $._embedded.conversations[*] to access the conversations array within the _embedded object).
    Path to Data Examples for Help Scout:
    • Conversations list: $._embedded.conversations[*]
    • Customers list: $._embedded.customers[*]
    • Threads list: $._embedded.threads[*]
    • Mailboxes list: $._embedded.mailboxes[*]
Autogenerate Path Suggestions​

Nexla can also autogenerate data path suggestions based on the response from the API endpoint. These suggested paths can be used as-is or modified to exactly suit your needs.

  • To use this feature, click the Test button next to the Set API URL field to fetch a sample response from the API endpoint. Suggested data paths generated based on the content and format of the response will be displayed in the Suggestions box below the Set Path to Data in Response field.

  • Click on a suggestion to automatically populate the Set Path to Data in Response field with the corresponding path. The populated path can be modified directly within the field if further customization is needed.

    PathSuggestions.png

Metadata​

If metadata is included in the response but is located outside of the defined path to relevant data, you can configure Nexla to include this data as common metadata in each record. This is useful when you want to preserve pagination context or summary statistics that apply to all records in the response.

For example, Help Scout list responses include a page object at the top level containing pagination details such as totalPages, totalElements, and pageSize. If you have defined a path to the _embedded.conversations array, you can specify a separate path to the page object to include pagination context with each conversation record.

Metadata paths are particularly useful when you need to preserve Help Scout pagination information alongside each record for downstream processing or auditing purposes.

  • To specify the location of metadata that should be included with each record, enter the path to the relevant metadata in the Path to Metadata in Response field.

    • For responses in JSON format, enter the JSON path to the object or array that contains the metadata — for example, $.page to include Help Scout pagination details.

Request Headers​

Optional

  • If Nexla should include any additional request headers in API calls to this source, enter the headers and corresponding values as comma-separated pairs in the Request Headers field (e.g., header1:value1,header2:value2). Additional headers may be useful for specifying API versioning preferences or content negotiation.

    You do not need to include the Authorization header in the Request Headers field — Nexla automatically adds the Bearer token from your Help Scout credential to every API request. Common headers like Content-Type and Accept are also handled automatically.

Endpoint Testing​

After configuring all settings for the selected endpoint, Nexla can retrieve a sample of the data that will be fetched according to the current configuration. This allows users to verify that the source is configured correctly before saving.

  • To test the current endpoint configuration, click the Test button to the right of the endpoint selection menu. Sample data will be fetched and displayed in the Endpoint Test Result panel on the right.

  • If the sample data is not as expected, review the selected endpoint and associated settings, and make any necessary adjustments. Then, click the Test button again, and check the sample data to ensure that the correct information is displayed.

Save & Activate the Source​

  1. Once all of the relevant steps in the above sections have been completed, click the Create button in the upper right corner of the screen to save and create the new Help Scout data source. Nexla will now begin ingesting data from the configured endpoint and will organize any data that it finds into one or more Nexsets.