How to Send Help Scout Ticket Updates to Slack with n8n

n8n Dashboard > Workflows > + New Workflow

Create a new n8n workflow

Open your n8n instance and click the '+ New Workflow' button in the top-right corner of the Workflows dashboard. Give it a name like 'Help Scout → Slack: Ticket Status Updates' so it's easy to find later. You'll land on a blank canvas with a single 'Add first step' prompt in the center. This is where you'll add the webhook trigger node.

1. 1Click '+ New Workflow' in the top-right corner
2. 2Click the pencil icon next to 'My workflow' and rename it to 'Help Scout → Slack: Ticket Status Updates'
3. 3Click the '+ Add first step' node in the canvas center

Canvas > Add Node > Webhook

Add and configure the Webhook trigger node

Search for 'Webhook' in the node panel and select it. Set the HTTP Method to POST and the Path to something memorable like 'helpscout-status'. n8n will generate a full webhook URL — copy it now, you'll paste it into Help Scout in the next step. Leave Authentication set to 'None' for now; you can add a secret header later. Click 'Listen for Test Event' to keep n8n waiting for the first payload.

1. 1Type 'Webhook' in the node search panel and click the Webhook node
2. 2Set HTTP Method to 'POST'
3. 3Set Path to 'helpscout-status'
4. 4Copy the displayed Test URL (starts with your n8n domain + /webhook-test/)
5. 5Click 'Listen for Test Event'

Help Scout > Your Profile > Your Apps > Webhooks > New Webhook

Register the webhook in Help Scout

Log into Help Scout, go to Your Profile > Your Apps > Webhooks, and click 'New Webhook'. Paste the n8n Test URL into the Endpoint URL field. Under Events, check 'conversation.status.changed', 'conversation.assigned', and 'conversation.unassigned' — these cover closed, reopened, and reassignment scenarios. Set a Secret Key (any random string works; store it somewhere — you'll validate it later if needed). Save the webhook.

1. 1In Help Scout, click your avatar in the top-right corner
2. 2Go to 'Your Apps' then select 'Webhooks'
3. 3Click 'New Webhook'
4. 4Paste the n8n Test URL into 'Endpoint URL'
5. 5Check 'conversation.status.changed', 'conversation.assigned', and 'conversation.unassigned'
6. 6Enter a Secret Key, save it, and click 'Save'

Help Scout > Any Conversation > Change Status

Trigger a test event from Help Scout

Go to any Help Scout conversation and change its status — close it, reopen it, or assign it to someone. Within a few seconds, n8n should receive the webhook payload. Switch back to n8n and look for the green 'Webhook called' message on the Webhook node. Click the node to inspect the incoming data — you should see fields like item.status, item.subject, item.assignee, and item.number in the JSON output.

1. 1Open any Help Scout conversation
2. 2Click 'Close' or change the assignee
3. 3Switch back to n8n and watch the Webhook node
4. 4Click the Webhook node to open the Output panel and inspect the JSON payload

Canvas > + Add Node > IF

Add an IF node to filter by status event type

Not every webhook event needs the same Slack message. Add an IF node after the Webhook node to branch logic based on item.status. Connect the Webhook node's output to the IF node. Set Condition 1 to: Value 1 = {{ $json.item.status }}, Operation = 'is not empty'. This ensures only meaningful status events proceed. You can extend this later with additional branches for 'closed', 'active', or 'pending' using a Switch node.

1. 1Click the '+' connector on the right side of the Webhook node
2. 2Search for 'IF' and select the IF node
3. 3Set Value 1 to '{{ $json.item.status }}' using the expression editor
4. 4Set Operation to 'Is Not Empty'
5. 5Click 'Save'

Canvas > + Add Node > Code

Add a Function node to build the Slack message

Add a Code node (JavaScript) after the IF node's 'true' branch. This is where you format the Help Scout data into a clean Slack message. You'll extract the ticket number, subject, new status, assignee name, and a direct link. The Code node runs once per webhook event, so no batching is needed. Paste the code from the pro tip section below into the Code node's editor.

1. 1Click '+' on the IF node's 'true' output
2. 2Search for 'Code' and select the Code node
3. 3Set Language to 'JavaScript'
4. 4Paste the pro tip code into the editor
5. 5Click 'Test Step' to preview the output

Canvas > + Add Node > Slack > Credentials > + Create New

Connect your Slack account

Add a Slack node after the Code node. In the node panel, click 'Credential for Slack API' and then '+ Create New Credential'. You'll be prompted to connect via OAuth2. Click 'Connect my account', sign into Slack, and grant n8n the chat:write and channels:read scopes. Select the workspace you want to post to. The credential will appear as your Slack workspace name once connected.

1. 1Click '+' after the Code node and search for 'Slack'
2. 2Select the Slack node and choose 'Send a Message' as the operation
3. 3Click 'Credential for Slack API' dropdown and select '+ Create New Credential'
4. 4Click 'Connect my account' and complete the OAuth flow in the popup
5. 5Confirm the green 'Account connected' badge appears

Slack Node > Parameters > Message

Configure the Slack message fields

Inside the Slack node, set the Resource to 'Message' and Operation to 'Send'. Set Channel to the Slack channel ID or name (e.g. #support-ops). Set the Message Text field to {{ $json.slackText }} — this pulls the formatted message from the Code node. Enable 'Include Link Preview' if you want the ticket URL to unfurl. Leave 'As User' unchecked unless you've set up a custom bot name.

1. 1Set Resource to 'Message' and Operation to 'Send'
2. 2In the Channel field, type your channel name (e.g. #support-ops) or paste the channel ID
3. 3Click the expression toggle on the Text field and enter '{{ $json.slackText }}'
4. 4Optionally toggle 'Include Link Preview' to on
5. 5Click 'Test Step' to send a test message

n8n Canvas > Execute Workflow (test mode)

Test the full workflow end to end

With n8n still in test mode, trigger another status change in Help Scout. Watch each node light up green as the event flows through: Webhook → IF → Code → Slack. Click each node to verify the data at that stage looks correct. Pay particular attention to the Code node output — confirm slackText is populated and contains the ticket number and status. If anything is empty, check the expression syntax in the Code node.

1. 1In Help Scout, reopen or close a conversation
2. 2Watch the n8n canvas — each node should highlight green as it executes
3. 3Click the Slack node output to confirm the message payload
4. 4Check your Slack channel to confirm the message arrived

n8n Webhook Node > Production URL | Help Scout > Webhooks > Edit

Swap to the Production webhook URL

Now that the test works, you need to update Help Scout to use the Production webhook URL — not the test one. In n8n, click the Webhook node and copy the Production URL (it uses /webhook/ instead of /webhook-test/). Go back to Help Scout's webhook settings, edit the webhook you created, and replace the URL. Save it in Help Scout.

1. 1In n8n, click the Webhook node to open its settings
2. 2Copy the Production URL shown below the Test URL
3. 3In Help Scout, navigate to Your Apps > Webhooks and click Edit on your webhook
4. 4Replace the Test URL with the Production URL
5. 5Save the webhook in Help Scout

n8n Workflow Editor > Active Toggle (top right)

Activate the workflow

In n8n, click the toggle in the top-right of the workflow editor to set it from Inactive to Active. The toggle turns blue when active. Trigger one final status change in Help Scout to confirm the Production URL is receiving events correctly. Check your n8n Executions log (left sidebar > Executions) to see the run logged with a green Success status.

1. 1Click the grey 'Inactive' toggle in the top-right of the workflow editor
2. 2Confirm it turns blue and reads 'Active'
3. 3Change a Help Scout ticket status
4. 4Go to the Executions log in the left sidebar and confirm a new entry appears with a green checkmark

This Code node runs after the Webhook node and before the Slack node. It normalizes the Help Scout payload into a clean Slack message string, picks the right emoji per status, builds the ticket URL from the number (not the UUID), and handles missing assignee data gracefully. Paste it into the Code node's JavaScript editor and click 'Test Step' with a real webhook payload loaded.

// n8n Code node: Help Scout → Slack message formatter
// Runs once per webhook event. Input: Help Scout webhook payload.
// Output: formatted fields ready for the Slack node.

// n8n Code node: Help Scout → Slack message formatter
// Runs once per webhook event. Input: Help Scout webhook payload.
// Output: formatted fields ready for the Slack node.

const item = $input.first().json;

// Extract core fields with safe fallbacks
const eventType = item.eventType || '';
const ticketNumber = item.item?.number || 'N/A';
const subject = item.item?.subject || '(No subject)';
const status = item.item?.status || 'unknown';
const mailboxName = item.item?.mailbox?.name || 'Support';
const customerEmail = item.item?.customer?.email || '';

// Build assignee display name
const firstName = item.item?.assignee?.first || '';
const lastName = item.item?.assignee?.last || '';
const assigneeName = (firstName || lastName)
  ? `${firstName} ${lastName}`.trim()
  : 'Unassigned';

// Map status to emoji and human label
const statusMap = {
  closed: { emoji: '✅', label: 'closed' },
  active: { emoji: '🔄', label: 'reopened' },
  pending: { emoji: '⏳', label: 'set to pending' },
  spam: { emoji: '🚫', label: 'marked as spam' },
};
const statusInfo = statusMap[status] || { emoji: '📋', label: status };

// Pick action verb based on event type
let actionLine;
if (eventType === 'conversation.assigned') {
  actionLine = `👤 Ticket #${ticketNumber} assigned to ${assigneeName}`;
} else if (eventType === 'conversation.unassigned') {
  actionLine = `👤 Ticket #${ticketNumber} unassigned (was: ${assigneeName})`;
} else {
  actionLine = `${statusInfo.emoji} Ticket #${ticketNumber} ${statusInfo.label} by ${assigneeName}`;
}

// Build direct URL using ticket number (not UUID)
const ticketUrl = `https://secure.helpscout.net/conversation/${ticketNumber}`;

// Compose final Slack message
const slackText = [
  actionLine,
  `*${subject}*`,
  customerEmail ? `Customer: ${customerEmail}` : null,
  `Mailbox: ${mailboxName}`,
  `🔗 ${ticketUrl}`,
].filter(Boolean).join('\n');

return [{
  json: {
    slackText,
    ticketUrl,
    ticketNumber,
    ticketSubject: subject,
    statusLabel: statusInfo.label,
    assigneeName,
    eventType,
    mailboxName,
  }
}];