Reference · Tools

Help Scout Trigger

Starts workflow when Help Scout support events occur

Webhook trigger Communication v1

The Help Scout Trigger starts a workflow when something happens in your Help Scout mailbox — a conversation created, a customer replying, and other subscribed events — passing the full payload through. A typical build is escalating to Slack when a customer replies to a conversation that has been open too long.

Node type
Webhook trigger
Parameters
2
Outputs
Output
Credentials
Help Scout OAuth2

Help Scout Trigger

Trigger workflows on Help Scout support events

Overview

The Help Scout Trigger node starts a workflow when events occur in Help Scout. It listens for webhook notifications from Help Scout covering conversations, customers, and satisfaction ratings. Supported events include conversation creation, assignment, status changes, merges, moves, tag changes, agent replies, customer replies, notes, customer creation, and satisfaction rating receipt. Verifies webhook authenticity using HMAC-SHA1 signature verification against the x-helpscout-signature header. Outputs the full event payload from Help Scout.

Category: Communication
Tool Name: helpscout_trigger
Version: 1

Appearance: Icon: si-helpscout | Color: #1292ee

Node Type

Trigger — webhook (receives incoming HTTP callbacks)

Input / Output

DirectionPort(s)
InputNone (trigger node)
OutputOutput

Credentials

This tool requires Help Scout OAuth2 credentials. See the Credentials Guide for setup instructions.

Parameters

ParameterTypeRequiredDefaultDescription
Help Scout AccountcredentialNoConnect your Help Scout account via OAuth2.
EventsmultiOptionsYes[]Which Help Scout events to listen for.
Options: convo.assigned, convo.created, convo.deleted, convo.merged, convo.moved, convo.status, convo.tags, convo.agent.reply.created, convo.customer.reply.created, convo.note.created, customer.created, satisfaction.ratings

Output Data

Each accepted delivery produces one output item. The Help Scout event payload is placed directly on the item alongside three metadata fields:

{
  "id": 0,
  "type": "convo.created",
  "folderId": 0,
  "previousFolderId": 0,
  "number": 0,
  "status": "active",
  "subject": "",
  "mailbox": { "id": 0, "name": "" },
  "assignee": { "id": 0, "email": "", "first": "", "last": "" },
  "customer": { "id": 0, "email": "", "firstName": "", "lastName": "" },
  "tags": [],
  "threads": [],
  "_trigger": "helpscout_webhook",
  "_timestamp": "2026-01-01T00:00:00.000Z",
  "_webhookEvent": "convo.created"
}
  • _trigger — always helpscout_webhook.
  • _timestamp — ISO 8601 timestamp of when the delivery arrived.
  • _webhookEvent — the event name, copied from the payload’s type field, or unknown when it is absent.

The remaining fields come straight from Help Scout and vary by event: conversation events carry conversation fields such as id, number, status, subject, mailbox, assignee, customer, tags and threads; customer.created carries the customer record; satisfaction.ratings carries the rating. Reference them downstream by expression, for example {{ $json.customer.email }} or {{ $json.subject }}.

Deliveries whose HMAC-SHA1 signature does not match the registered secret are rejected with 401 and never start the workflow.

Usage Examples

  • Start a workflow when a new conversation is created in Help Scout
  • Notify a Slack channel when a customer replies to a conversation
  • Track satisfaction ratings by triggering a workflow on rating receipt
  • Auto-assign conversations when they are moved between mailboxes
  • Log agent replies to an external CRM system

Example Configuration

Fire on new conversations:

{
  "type": "helpscout_trigger",
  "parameters": {
    "events": ["convo.created"]
  }
}

Watch customer replies and notes:

{
  "type": "helpscout_trigger",
  "parameters": {
    "events": ["convo.customer.reply.created", "convo.note.created"]
  }
}

Track conversation routing and status changes:

{
  "type": "helpscout_trigger",
  "parameters": {
    "events": ["convo.assigned", "convo.moved", "convo.status", "convo.tags"]
  }
}

Collect satisfaction ratings and new customers:

{
  "type": "helpscout_trigger",
  "parameters": {
    "events": ["satisfaction.ratings", "customer.created"]
  }
}

Trigger Behavior

  • Activation: When the workflow is activated, a webhook endpoint is registered with the service.
  • Deactivation: The webhook is automatically unregistered when the workflow is deactivated.
  • Payload: The incoming webhook payload is parsed and output as workflow items.
  • Verification: Supports signature verification where applicable.

Tips

The Help Scout Trigger listens for events from your Help Scout account. Select which events to listen for (conversation created, customer reply, etc.). When a matching event occurs, the workflow starts with the full event payload. Help Scout signs each webhook delivery with HMAC-SHA1 using a shared secret, and this trigger verifies the signature automatically.

Frequently asked questions

Are incoming webhooks verified?

Yes, automatically. Help Scout signs each delivery with HMAC-SHA1 using a shared secret and the trigger checks that signature, so a forged POST cannot start your workflow.

Which events can it listen for?

You select them when configuring the trigger — conversation created, customer reply and the other Help Scout event types. Only the events you choose start a run.

What does the workflow receive?

The full event payload from Help Scout on the Output port, so conversation, customer and mailbox details are available without a follow-up API call.

Which credential does it need?

A Help Scout OAuth2 credential, the same one the HelpScout action node uses.

Build with the Help Scout Trigger node

Drop it into a workflow, wire it to an agent, or call it on a schedule. You'll need Help Scout OAuth2 credentials first.

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