How to Send Help Scout VIP Alerts to Slack with n8n

n8n Dashboard > + New Workflow

Create a new n8n workflow

Open your n8n instance and click the '+ New Workflow' button in the top right of the canvas. Give it a clear name like 'Help Scout VIP Ticket → Slack Alert' so it's identifiable in your workflow list. You'll land on an empty canvas with a grey 'Add first step' prompt. This is where you'll configure the webhook trigger in the next step.

1. 1Click '+ New Workflow' in the top right corner
2. 2Click the workflow name at the top and rename it to 'Help Scout VIP Ticket → Slack Alert'
3. 3Click 'Add first step' on the canvas

Canvas > Add first step > Search 'Webhook' > Webhook node

Add a Webhook trigger node

In the trigger selection panel, search for 'Webhook' and select it. n8n will generate a unique webhook URL — copy it immediately and keep it open in a tab. Set the HTTP Method to POST and leave the Response Mode as 'Last Node'. Help Scout will send ticket payloads to this URL, so you need it before configuring Help Scout in the next step.

1. 1Type 'Webhook' in the search box
2. 2Click the 'Webhook' trigger node
3. 3Set HTTP Method to 'POST'
4. 4Copy the 'Test URL' shown in the node panel — you'll use this in Help Scout

Help Scout > Your Profile > Settings > Integrations > Webhooks > Add Webhook

Register the webhook in Help Scout

In Help Scout, go to your account settings and find the Webhooks section under 'Integrations'. Click 'Add Webhook', paste the n8n test URL into the Callback URL field, and set the Secret Key to a random string — save that string because you'll need it to validate payloads later. Under Events, check 'Conversation Created' only. Save the webhook.

1. 1Navigate to Help Scout Settings > Integrations > Webhooks
2. 2Click 'Add Webhook'
3. 3Paste your n8n test webhook URL into the 'Callback URL' field
4. 4Enter a random string (e.g., 32-character random hex) in the 'Secret Key' field and copy it
5. 5Check only 'Conversation Created' under Events
6. 6Click 'Save'

n8n Canvas > Webhook Node > Listen for Test Event

Test the webhook with a real Help Scout ticket

Back in n8n, click 'Listen for Test Event' on the Webhook node. Then open Help Scout and create a test conversation from any customer. Within a few seconds, n8n should receive the payload and display it in the node output panel. Click through the JSON to locate the fields you'll use: customer name, email, tags, subject, and the conversation URL. This raw payload is the source of truth for every field mapping decision you make.

1. 1Click 'Listen for Test Event' in the Webhook node panel
2. 2Switch to Help Scout and create a new test conversation
3. 3Return to n8n and wait for the green 'Event received' banner
4. 4Click through the JSON output to find fields like body.customer.email, body.subject, and body._embedded.tags

Canvas > '+' after Webhook node > Search 'Code' > Code node

Add a Code node to check for VIP status

Click the '+' after the Webhook node and add a 'Code' node. This is where you define what makes a customer 'high priority'. The cleanest approach is to check two things: whether the conversation tags include a VIP-tier tag (like 'enterprise', 'priority', or 'vip'), and optionally whether the customer's email domain matches a list of key accounts. If neither condition is met, the workflow should return an empty array so downstream nodes don't fire. The full working code is in the Pro Tip section below.

1. 1Click the '+' connector after the Webhook node
2. 2Search for 'Code' and select the Code node
3. 3Set the Mode to 'Run Once for All Items'
4. 4Paste the VIP filter code from the Pro Tip section into the editor
5. 5Update the VIP_TAGS and VIP_DOMAINS arrays to match your actual customer data

Paste this into the Code node (Mode: Run Once for All Items). It handles VIP tag matching, VIP domain matching, null-safe tag access, and builds a pre-formatted Slack Block Kit payload so the Slack node just has to send it. Update VIP_TAGS and VIP_DOMAINS at the top with your actual values before activating.

// ============================================================
// Help Scout VIP Filter + Slack Block Builder
// n8n Code Node — Mode: Run Once for All Items

// ============================================================
// Help Scout VIP Filter + Slack Block Builder
// n8n Code Node — Mode: Run Once for All Items
// ============================================================

// --- CONFIG: Update these to match your actual customer data ---
const VIP_TAGS = ['enterprise', 'priority', 'vip', 'strategic'];
const VIP_DOMAINS = ['acmecorp.com', 'globalretail.io', 'bigclient.net'];

// --- Process each incoming webhook item ---
const results = [];

for (const item of $input.all()) {
  const body = item.json.body || item.json;

  // --- Safely extract tags (array may be missing entirely) ---
  const rawTags = body?._embedded?.tags || [];
  const tagNames = rawTags.map(t => (t.name || '').toLowerCase());

  // --- Extract customer details ---
  const customerEmail = (body?.customer?.email || '').toLowerCase();
  const customerDomain = customerEmail.split('@')[1] || '';
  const firstName = body?.customer?.firstName || '';
  const lastName = body?.customer?.lastName || '';
  const customerName = `${firstName} ${lastName}`.trim() || 'Unknown Customer';

  // --- Extract ticket details ---
  const subject = body?.subject || 'No subject';
  const conversationId = body?.id || '';
  const conversationUrl = body?._links?.web?.href || `https://secure.helpscout.net/conversations/${conversationId}`;
  const mailboxName = body?._embedded?.mailbox?.name || 'Unknown Mailbox';
  const createdAt = body?.createdAt ? new Date(body.createdAt).toLocaleString('en-US', {
    month: 'short', day: 'numeric', year: 'numeric',
    hour: 'numeric', minute: '2-digit', hour12: true
  }) : 'Unknown time';

  // --- VIP check: tag match OR domain match ---
  const matchedTag = tagNames.find(t => VIP_TAGS.includes(t));
  const matchedDomain = VIP_DOMAINS.includes(customerDomain);
  const isVip = Boolean(matchedTag || matchedDomain);

  if (!isVip) continue; // Drop non-VIP tickets here

  const vipReason = matchedTag ? `Tag: ${matchedTag}` : `Domain: ${customerDomain}`;

  // --- Build Slack Block Kit payload ---
  const slackBlocks = [
    {
      type: 'header',
      text: { type: 'plain_text', text: '🚨 VIP Support Ticket', emoji: true }
    },
    {
      type: 'section',
      fields: [
        { type: 'mrkdwn', text: `*Customer:*\n${customerName}` },
        { type: 'mrkdwn', text: `*Email:*\n${customerEmail}` },
        { type: 'mrkdwn', text: `*Mailbox:*\n${mailboxName}` },
        { type: 'mrkdwn', text: `*VIP Reason:*\n${vipReason}` }
      ]
    },
    {
      type: 'section',
      text: { type: 'mrkdwn', text: `*Subject:* ${subject}` }
    },
    {
      type: 'context',
      elements: [{ type: 'mrkdwn', text: `Opened: ${createdAt} | Conversation #${conversationId}` }]
    },
    {
      type: 'actions',
      elements: [{
        type: 'button',
        text: { type: 'plain_text', text: 'Open in Help Scout', emoji: true },
        url: conversationUrl,
        style: 'primary'
      }]
    }
  ];

  results.push({
    json: {
      isVip: true,
      customerName,
      customerEmail,
      subject,
      conversationUrl,
      vipReason,
      createdAt,
      slackBlocks: JSON.stringify(slackBlocks),
      slackFallbackText: `🚨 VIP Ticket from ${customerName} (${customerEmail}): ${subject}`
    }
  });
}

return results;

Canvas > '+' after Code node > Search 'IF' > IF node

Add an IF node to halt non-VIP tickets

After the Code node, add an 'IF' node. Set the condition to check whether the 'isVip' field from the Code node output equals true. The 'true' branch continues to the Slack node. The 'false' branch goes nowhere — just leave it unconnected. This is your safety gate. Without it, a bug in the Code node could let all tickets through.

1. 1Click '+' after the Code node
2. 2Search for 'IF' and select the IF node
3. 3Set Condition to: Value 1 = {{ $json.isVip }}, Operation = 'Equal', Value 2 = true
4. 4Leave the 'false' output branch unconnected

Canvas > IF node (true branch) > '+' > Slack node > Credentials > Create New

Connect your Slack account to n8n

Click '+' on the 'true' branch of the IF node and add a 'Slack' node. In the Credentials dropdown, click 'Create New Credential'. n8n will prompt you to choose between OAuth2 and a Bot Token — use the Bot Token method for simplicity. Paste your Slack bot token (starts with xoxb-) into the field. Your bot must already exist in the Slack API dashboard and be installed to your workspace before this step.

1. 1Click '+' on the true branch output of the IF node
2. 2Search for 'Slack' and select the Slack node
3. 3Click the Credentials dropdown and select 'Create New Credential'
4. 4Select 'Access Token' and paste your Slack bot token (xoxb-...)
5. 5Click 'Save' and confirm the credential name

Slack node > Resource: Message > Operation: Send

Configure the Slack message

In the Slack node, set the Resource to 'Message' and the Operation to 'Send'. Set the Channel field to your VIP support channel (e.g., #vip-support). For the Message Text field, build a message using n8n expressions to pull in ticket details. Use the Block Kit format for a structured, scannable alert — include customer name, email, ticket subject, priority tag, and a direct link to the Help Scout conversation.

1. 1Set Resource to 'Message'
2. 2Set Operation to 'Send'
3. 3Set Channel to your VIP support channel name or ID (e.g., #vip-support)
4. 4Toggle 'Blocks' on and paste the Block Kit JSON from the Pro Tip
5. 5Set 'Text' (fallback) to: 🚨 VIP Ticket: {{ $json.subject }}

n8n Canvas > Test Workflow button (top toolbar)

Test the full workflow end to end

Click 'Test Workflow' in the n8n toolbar. Then create a new Help Scout conversation that includes one of your VIP tags. Watch the n8n execution panel — each node should light up green in sequence: Webhook → Code → IF (true branch) → Slack. Check your Slack channel to confirm the alert message appeared with the correct customer name, email, subject, and link.

1. 1Click 'Test Workflow' in the top toolbar
2. 2Switch to Help Scout and create a conversation tagged with your VIP tag
3. 3Return to n8n and watch the execution panel for green node completions
4. 4Open Slack and confirm the alert appeared in your VIP support channel
5. 5Check that all dynamic fields (name, email, subject, link) are populated correctly

n8n Canvas > Active toggle (top right) | Help Scout > Settings > Integrations > Webhooks > Edit

Activate the workflow and switch to Production URL

Toggle the workflow to 'Active' using the switch in the top right of the n8n canvas. Once active, n8n stops listening on the Test URL and starts using the Production URL. Go back to Help Scout Settings > Integrations > Webhooks, edit your webhook, and replace the test URL with the Production URL from the Webhook node. Without this swap, Help Scout will keep hitting the dead test URL and your workflow will never fire in production.

1. 1Click the 'Inactive' toggle in the top right of the n8n canvas to activate the workflow
2. 2Open the Webhook node and copy the 'Production URL'
3. 3Go to Help Scout Settings > Integrations > Webhooks
4. 4Click Edit on your existing webhook
5. 5Replace the test URL with the Production URL and save

Slack node > Error Output (triangle icon) > '+' > Second Slack node or Email node

Add an error handler for failed Slack posts

Click the Slack node, then click the small error icon (triangle) on the node to open the Error Output settings. Connect the error output to a second Slack node that posts to a #n8n-errors channel or emails your dev team. This ensures that if the Slack API rate-limits or the channel is deleted, you're not silently dropping VIP alerts. Set the error message to include the workflow name and the failed ticket subject.

1. 1Hover over the Slack node and click the orange triangle (error output) icon
2. 2Click '+' on the error output connector
3. 3Add a second Slack node pointing to #n8n-errors or your admin channel
4. 4Set the message to: 'WORKFLOW ERROR: VIP alert failed for ticket {{ $json.subject }}. Check n8n logs.'
5. 5Save and re-test with an intentionally broken Slack token to confirm the error branch fires