All integrations

Helpwise

BUSINESS · EMAIL

Shared-inbox conversations and the SMS and WhatsApp messages sent from them.

Connecting Helpwise in practice

Helpwise authenticates with a key and a secret sent as HTTP Basic base64(API_KEY:API_SECRET), so the credential is a pair rather than a bearer token, and the limit is a flat 100 requests per minute per API key. Plan-dependent usage limits sit on top of that rate limit and share the same 429, so a rejected request may be over volume rather than over rate.

Scopes that draw scrutiny

  • API_KEY and API_SECRET (Basic base64(API_KEY:API_SECRET)) Both halves come from the Helpwise settings page and there is no scope system, so a single credential covers conversations, contacts and outbound SMS and WhatsApp sends.

Rate limits

  • 100 requests per minute per API key.
  • Plan-dependent usage limits apply on top; exceeding either returns HTTP 429 Too Many Requests.
  • X-RateLimit-Limit, X-RateLimit-Remaining and X-RateLimit-Reset (UTC epoch seconds) on every response.
  • HTTP 503 signals an unexpected spike in API traffic rather than a client fault; Helpwise says the server is usually operational within five minutes.

Worth knowing

  • A 429 does not distinguish the per-minute rate limit from the plan usage limit, so waiting a minute fixes only one of the two causes and looks like a flaky API for the other.
  • Requests sent over plain http:// are answered with a 301 to the HTTPS resource — which means the Basic credential has already left the client unencrypted, so the base URL has to be https from the first call.
  • Sending a message is channel-specific: SMS, WhatsApp and a scheduled variant of each are separate endpoints rather than one call with a channel parameter.
  • A missing, malformed or invalid key all return the same 401, so there is no way to tell a rotated key from a wrong one without checking the dashboard.

Checked against Helpwise API documentation (2026-09-29), Helpwise developers (2026-09-29)

Acts as the person, not as itself

Each user connects their own account. Every call carries both identities — the agent and the person it is acting for — so the agent can never reach past what that individual can already do.

Credentials never touch the agent

Tokens live in the vault and attach server-side at call time. The agent holds a session, not a secret, and revoking access does not mean rotating a key.

Every call on the record

Who asked, which agent acted, which action ran, and the verdict that let it through — one audit trail across every integration, not one per vendor.

What an agent can do

Each action is granted on its own. An agent allowed to read is not thereby allowed to write, and the scope beside each row is what the acting user must have connected for it to run at all.

helpwise_delete_customfields_by_customfieldidWRITE

Delete a custom field by id. (DELETE /customFields/{customFieldId})

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helpwise_get_contactsREAD

List contacts with limit/offset paging. (GET /contacts)

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helpwise_get_contacts_by_contactidREAD

Get one contact by id, with its recent conversations. (GET /contacts/{contactId})

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helpwise_get_contacts_searchREAD

Search contacts by a text term, with limit/offset paging. (GET /contacts/search)

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helpwise_get_conversationsREAD

List conversations of one or more inboxes, by folder, with pageToken pagination. (GET /conversations)

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helpwise_get_customfieldsREAD

List every custom field of the Helpwise account. (GET /customFields)

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helpwise_get_customfields_by_customfieldidREAD

Get one custom field by id. (GET /customFields/{customFieldId})

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helpwise_get_customfields_inbox_by_inboxidREAD

List the custom fields of an inbox, with whether each is hidden there. (GET /customFields/inbox/{inboxId})

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helpwise_get_inboxes_by_inboxid_conversations_by_conversationidREAD

Get one conversation and its messages, with pageToken pagination over the messages. (GET /inboxes/{inboxId}/conversations/{conversationId})

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helpwise_get_inboxes_by_inboxid_reports_tagsREAD

Per-tag report for one inbox and date window: conversations, response, first-response and resolution times. (GET /inboxes/{inboxId}/reports/tags)

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helpwise_get_reportsREAD

Overall and team-performance report for a date window: new, closed and assigned conversations, emails per day and hour, busiest hour and day, response and resolution times, CSAT and per-agent performance. (GET /reports)

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helpwise_get_tagsREAD

List the account's tags (an empty account answers null). (GET /tags)

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helpwise_get_tags_by_tagidREAD

Get one tag by id. (GET /tags/{tagId})

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helpwise_post_contactsWRITE

Create a contact with name, company, job title, emails, phones and custom field values. (POST /contacts)

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helpwise_post_customfieldsWRITE

Create a custom field. (POST /customFields)

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helpwise_post_smswhatsapp_sendmsgWRITE

Send (or schedule) an SMS or WhatsApp message from an SMS/WhatsApp inbox, optionally as a WhatsApp template. (POST /smsWhatsApp/sendMsg)

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helpwise_post_tags_applyWRITE

Apply tags to conversations. (POST /tags/apply)

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helpwise_post_tags_removeWRITE

Remove tags from conversations. (POST /tags/remove)

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helpwise_put_contacts_by_contactidWRITE

Update a contact's name, company, job title, emails, phones and custom field values. (PUT /contacts/{contactId})

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helpwise_put_conversations_action_closeWRITE

Close Helpwise conversations by id (fewer than 100 per call). (PUT /conversations/action/close)

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helpwise_put_conversations_action_deleteWRITE

Delete Helpwise conversations by id (fewer than 100 per call). (PUT /conversations/action/delete)

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helpwise_put_conversations_action_movetoinboxWRITE

Move Helpwise conversations back to the inbox by id (fewer than 100 per call). (PUT /conversations/action/moveToInbox)

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helpwise_put_conversations_action_spamWRITE

Mark Helpwise conversations as spam by id (fewer than 100 per call). (PUT /conversations/action/spam)

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helpwise_put_conversations_action_trashWRITE

Move Helpwise conversations to trash by id (fewer than 100 per call). (PUT /conversations/action/trash)

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helpwise_put_customfields_by_customfieldidWRITE

Rename or re-describe an existing custom field. (PUT /customFields/{customFieldId})

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helpwise_put_customfields_inbox_by_inboxidWRITE

Hide or unhide custom fields in one inbox. (PUT /customFields/inbox/{inboxId})

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Put Helpwise behind one governed endpoint.

Same permissions, same audit trail, whatever else you connect next.