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Connect a Help Scout mailbox to AGO so an agent reads each new customer email and posts a reply directly back in the same conversation.

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Overview

When a customer replies in Help Scout, AGO:
  1. Receives the webhook from Help Scout
  2. Selects your workspace from the webhook URL’s hostname, then looks up the connected mailbox there
  3. Runs the agent you assigned to that mailbox
  4. Posts the agent’s response as a reply on the conversation, signed by the Help Scout user you authenticated with
The integration only acts on customer messages. Replies posted by your own team in Help Scout never trigger another auto-reply, which prevents loops.

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Prerequisites

  • A Help Scout account with at least one mailbox
  • Admin access to that mailbox
  • An AGO agent ready to handle support replies
  • A Help Scout app registered under Your Profile > My Apps in Help Scout, configured with:
    • Redirect URI: https://<your-subdomain>.api.useago.com/public/helpscout/oauth/callback
    • Webhook URL: https://<your-subdomain>.api.useago.com/public/helpscout/webhook
    • Webhook events: Conversation created and Customer replied

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Setup Guide

1

Save Your App Credentials in AGO

  1. In AGO, open Channels > Help Scout
  2. Paste your Help Scout App ID, App Secret, and (optionally) Webhook Secret
  3. Save — these are stored encrypted in your AGO workspace
2

Authorize Help Scout

  1. Click Connect Help Scout
  2. You will be redirected to Help Scout to approve access
  3. After approval, Help Scout sends you back to AGO with the list of mailboxes available on your account
3

Pick a Mailbox and Agent

  1. In the AGO Help Scout settings, select the mailbox you want to connect
  2. Choose the agent that should reply to customer messages from this mailbox
  3. Enable Automation enabled and set Response mode to Prepare draft to test without sending replies to customers
  4. Click Connect mailbox
4

Test in Help Scout

  1. From a personal email address, send a test message to the mailbox you just connected
  2. In Help Scout, wait for AGO to add a draft to the conversation
  3. Review the draft for tone and accuracy before switching to automatic replies
5

Turn On Auto-Reply

  1. Once you are happy with the test reply, go back to Channels > Help Scout
  2. Keep Automation enabled on, change Response mode to Reply to user; the selection saves automatically
  3. New customer messages will now receive an AGO reply automatically

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What Triggers a Reply

AGO replies to:
  • A customer’s first message that creates a new Help Scout conversation
  • A customer’s follow-up reply on an existing conversation
AGO ignores:
  • Replies posted by you or another teammate inside Help Scout
  • Private notes
  • Conversations created by a Help Scout user rather than a customer

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Safety Controls

  • Automation enabled: Each mailbox has its own switch. Turn it off to receive webhooks without creating a reply or draft.
  • Internal note on failure: If the agent errors out, AGO posts a private internal note on the conversation describing the failure so a human can take over.
  • Loop prevention: AGO never responds to messages authored by Help Scout users, including its own replies.
  • Encrypted tokens: Help Scout OAuth tokens are encrypted at rest and refreshed automatically when they expire.

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Troubleshooting

  • Check that Automation enabled is on and Response mode is set to Reply to user on the mailbox in AGO settings
  • Confirm an agent is assigned to the mailbox
  • Look for a private internal note on the Help Scout conversation — it will name the error if the agent ran but could not post the reply
The reply is signed by the Help Scout user who authorized the OAuth connection. To change the author, disconnect the mailbox and reconnect it while signed in as the correct user.
AGO refreshes Help Scout tokens automatically. If a refresh fails (for example, the OAuth app was deleted in Help Scout), reconnect the mailbox from the AGO settings.