# Help Scout setup for PopMCP You paste the App ID and App Secret of a Help Scout My App (the OAuth2 client_id and client_secret) into PopMCP, plus an optional Docs API key if you want the knowledge-base tools. - Auth: API credentials - Setup time: 5 min - API base URL: https://api.helpscout.net/v2 - Credentials screen: https://secure.helpscout.net/apps/ - Provider docs: https://developer.helpscout.com/mailbox-api/overview/authentication/ ## Approval required before this works Help Scout excludes API and integration access from its Free plan, so the account must be on a paid Standard plan or higher before any credentials return data - no human review is involved. - Typical wait: Immediate once the account is on a paid plan - Cost: Standard plan is USD 25 per user per month as listed on Help Scout's pricing page (Plus USD 45, Pro USD 75); higher tiers raise API rate limits and unlock the reporting endpoints - Blocked until approved: On the Free plan the Mailbox API 2.0 and integrations are not available at all (Help Scout's own docs state the Free plan does not include access to the API or integrations), so OAuth tokens cannot read or write conversations, customers, or mailboxes. On Standard the API works at up to 200 calls/minute but the reporting endpoints return nothing - those need Plus (400/min) or Pro (800/min). - Works meanwhile: You can read the docs and write the integration against the documented schema, and on a paid plan the OAuth2 app itself is created instantly with no review. ## Before you begin - A Help Scout account on a paid plan. The free plan has no API access. Standard allows 200 calls per minute, Plus 400, Pro 800. - An active, invited Help Scout user. Credentials must belong to one or the token endpoint returns 401. - For the optional Docs key only, access to the Docs API Keys tab on your Authentication page. ## Get your credentials ### 1. Open Your Profile, then My Apps Sign in at secure.helpscout.net, click your avatar in the top right and choose Your Profile. Click My Apps in the left menu. Screen: https://secure.helpscout.net/apps/ ### 2. Create the app Click Create My App, name it PopMCP, and put any URL into Redirection URL. Click Create. Screen: https://secure.helpscout.net/apps/ ### 3. Copy the App ID and App Secret Open the new app and copy the App ID and the App Secret. These are the OAuth2 `client_id` and `client_secret`. Screen: https://secure.helpscout.net/apps/ ### 4. Optional: copy a Docs API key Only needed for the knowledge-base tools. Open Your Profile, click Authentication in the left menu, select the Docs API Keys tab and copy a key. Screen: https://secure.helpscout.net/users/ ### 5. Paste the values into PopMCP Enter the App ID, the App Secret and, if you have one, the Docs API Key in PopMCP's Help Scout form, then save. ## Fields PopMCP asks for - App ID (appId) [required]: In Help Scout go to Your Profile → My Apps → Create My App (App Type: any; for a redirect URL you can use a placeholder like https://www.google.com; it isn't used). Copy the App ID. It's the OAuth2 client_id. - App Secret (appSecret) [required]: From the same My Apps screen, copy the App Secret (the OAuth2 client_secret). Stored encrypted and used server-side only to mint a short-lived access token. - Docs API Key (optional) (docsApiKey): Optional. Only needed for the knowledge-base (Docs) tools. In Help Scout go to Your Profile → Authentication → API Keys and copy a Docs API key. Leave blank if you don't use Help Scout Docs. ## Verify PopMCP shows Help Scout as Connected and a first tool call returns your inboxes. If you supplied a Docs key, the knowledge-base tools list your Docs collections too. ## Troubleshooting ### 401 Unauthorized on every call Cause: App ID and App Secret do not match, the app was deleted, or the user who owns it is no longer active on the account. Fix: Re-open Your Profile, My Apps, confirm the app still exists, and re-copy both values into PopMCP. ### invalid_client from the token endpoint Cause: A space or newline was pasted with the App Secret. Fix: Re-copy the secret with the copy button instead of selecting the text by hand. ### 403 on Inbox API endpoints Cause: The account is on the free plan, which has no API access. Fix: Move to Standard or above, or connect a different Help Scout account. ### Reporting endpoints return 403 while everything else works Cause: Reporting endpoints are excluded on the Standard plan. Fix: Upgrade to Plus or Pro. ### Docs tools fail while everything else works Cause: Missing or wrong Docs API key. It is a different credential from the App ID and App Secret. Fix: Copy a key from Your Profile, Authentication, Docs API Keys and paste it into the optional field. ### 429 Too Many Requests Cause: The plan rate limit was reached. Write requests count as two calls. Fix: Wait the number of seconds in X-RateLimit-Retry-After, or move to a higher Help Scout plan. --- Source: https://www.docs.popmcp.com/docs/integrations/help-scout/