{
 "categories": [
  "customer-support",
  "helpdesk"
 ],
 "deployment": "saas",
 "evidence": [
  {
   "date": "2026-09-20",
   "fact": "homepage",
   "note": "Help Scout presents a commercial customer-support platform with shared inbox, Docs, AI, and 100+ integrations.",
   "source": "https://www.helpscout.com/",
   "tier": "declared"
  },
  {
   "date": "2026-09-20",
   "fact": "license",
   "note": "Pricing publishes a Free plan with 5 users, 1 Inbox, and 1 Docs site, plus paid Standard, Plus, and Pro seats.",
   "source": "https://www.helpscout.com/pricing/",
   "tier": "declared"
  },
  {
   "date": "2026-09-20",
   "fact": "modalities.api.exists",
   "note": "Help Scout documents Inbox API 2.0 as an HTTPS-only JSON API at https://api.helpscout.net/v2.",
   "source": "https://developer.helpscout.com/mailbox-api/",
   "tier": "declared"
  },
  {
   "date": "2026-09-20",
   "fact": "modalities.api.kinds[0]",
   "note": "The opened hub describes a JSON REST API with OAuth 2 authentication.",
   "source": "https://developer.helpscout.com/mailbox-api/",
   "tier": "declared"
  },
  {
   "date": "2026-09-20",
   "fact": "modalities.api.auth[0]",
   "note": "OAuth 2.0 Authorization Code is documented for integrations used by other Help Scout users. Tokens come from POST /v2/oauth2/token.",
   "source": "https://developer.helpscout.com/mailbox-api/overview/authentication/",
   "tier": "declared"
  },
  {
   "date": "2026-09-20",
   "fact": "modalities.api.auth[1]",
   "note": "OAuth 2.0 Client Credentials is documented for internal integrations using client_id and client_secret.",
   "source": "https://developer.helpscout.com/mailbox-api/overview/authentication/",
   "tier": "declared"
  },
  {
   "date": "2026-09-20",
   "fact": "modalities.api.auth[2]",
   "note": "Docs API v1 authenticates with a per-user API key via HTTP Basic in the username field and a dummy password.",
   "source": "https://developer.helpscout.com/docs-api/",
   "tier": "declared"
  },
  {
   "date": "2026-09-20",
   "fact": "modalities.api.coverage",
   "note": "Inbox API 2.0 covers the shared inbox over JSON. Reports and some plan features are edition-gated on pricing. Docs is a separate v1 API. Coverage is partial.",
   "source": "https://developer.helpscout.com/mailbox-api/",
   "tier": "declared"
  },
  {
   "date": "2026-09-20",
   "fact": "modalities.api.docs",
   "note": "Opened as the current Inbox API 2.0 hub.",
   "source": "https://developer.helpscout.com/mailbox-api/",
   "tier": "declared"
  },
  {
   "date": "2026-09-20",
   "fact": "modalities.sdk.exists",
   "note": "Help Scout states version 2.0 of its PHP SDK client supports Inbox API 2.0, plus a Laravel/Lumen adapter.",
   "source": "https://developer.helpscout.com/mailbox-api/",
   "tier": "declared"
  },
  {
   "date": "2026-09-20",
   "fact": "modalities.sdk.languages[0]",
   "note": "The only official client named on the opened hub is PHP.",
   "source": "https://developer.helpscout.com/mailbox-api/",
   "tier": "declared"
  },
  {
   "date": "2026-09-20",
   "fact": "modalities.sdk.official",
   "note": "The PHP SDK is declared on first-party Inbox API documentation.",
   "source": "https://developer.helpscout.com/mailbox-api/",
   "tier": "declared"
  },
  {
   "date": "2026-09-20",
   "fact": "modalities.mcp.first_party",
   "note": "Help Scout hosts a remote MCP at https://mcp.helpscout.net/mcp. Auth is Help Scout OAuth. The article was updated September 2, 2026.",
   "source": "https://docs.helpscout.com/article/1779-connect-your-ai-agent-with-help-scout-to-search-conversations-and-pull-reports",
   "tier": "declared"
  },
  {
   "date": "2026-09-20",
   "fact": "modalities.mcp.verdict",
   "note": "Official MCP is available on Standard, Plus, and Pro. New connections are read-only. Writes are on the roadmap with no date. Report tools need Plus or Pro.",
   "source": "https://docs.helpscout.com/article/1779-connect-your-ai-agent-with-help-scout-to-search-conversations-and-pull-reports",
   "tier": "declared"
  },
  {
   "date": "2026-09-20",
   "fact": "modalities.extensibility.webhooks",
   "note": "The opened pricing comparison lists Webhooks and OAuth apps among paid-plan integration features.",
   "source": "https://www.helpscout.com/pricing/",
   "tier": "declared"
  },
  {
   "date": "2026-09-20",
   "fact": "modalities.data_access.export[0]",
   "note": "Pricing states teams can export reporting data to a CSV or Excel file.",
   "source": "https://www.helpscout.com/pricing/",
   "tier": "declared"
  },
  {
   "date": "2026-09-20",
   "fact": "modalities.data_access.export[1]",
   "note": "The same export row names Excel alongside CSV.",
   "source": "https://www.helpscout.com/pricing/",
   "tier": "declared"
  },
  {
   "date": "2026-09-20",
   "fact": "modalities.agent_docs.llms_txt",
   "note": "Opened a first-party Help Scout Developer APIs index covering Inbox API 2.0 and OAuth.",
   "source": "https://developer.helpscout.com/llms.txt",
   "tier": "declared"
  },
  {
   "date": "2026-09-20",
   "fact": "verdict.scores.api",
   "note": "Inbox API v2 is a documented production REST surface with OAuth 2.0 and an official PHP SDK. Plan rate limits and a separate Docs API keep the score at 8.",
   "source": "https://developer.helpscout.com/mailbox-api/overview/authentication/",
   "tier": "declared"
  },
  {
   "date": "2026-09-20",
   "fact": "verdict.scores.mcp",
   "note": "Official GA MCP with useful conversation, customer, and Docs reads. New connections cannot create, send, edit, or delete. Score 6.",
   "source": "https://docs.helpscout.com/article/1779-connect-your-ai-agent-with-help-scout-to-search-conversations-and-pull-reports",
   "tier": "declared"
  },
  {
   "date": "2026-09-20",
   "fact": "freshness.watch[0].url",
   "note": "Opened and verified as the current Inbox API OAuth page.",
   "source": "https://developer.helpscout.com/mailbox-api/overview/authentication/",
   "tier": "declared"
  },
  {
   "date": "2026-09-20",
   "fact": "freshness.watch[1].url",
   "note": "Opened and verified as the current MCP setup article, including the hosted URL, read-only GA, and plan gates.",
   "source": "https://docs.helpscout.com/article/1779-connect-your-ai-agent-with-help-scout-to-search-conversations-and-pull-reports",
   "tier": "declared"
  },
  {
   "date": "2026-09-20",
   "fact": "freshness.watch[2].url",
   "note": "Opened and verified as the current Docs API authentication page.",
   "source": "https://developer.helpscout.com/docs-api/",
   "tier": "declared"
  },
  {
   "date": "2026-09-20",
   "fact": "freshness.watch[3].url",
   "note": "Opened and verified as the current pricing page, including Free versus paid API rates.",
   "source": "https://www.helpscout.com/pricing/",
   "tier": "declared"
  }
 ],
 "freshness": {
  "last_verified": "2026-09-20",
  "volatility": "high",
  "watch": [
   {
    "type": "docs",
    "url": "https://developer.helpscout.com/mailbox-api/overview/authentication/"
   },
   {
    "type": "mcp",
    "url": "https://docs.helpscout.com/article/1779-connect-your-ai-agent-with-help-scout-to-search-conversations-and-pull-reports"
   },
   {
    "type": "docs",
    "url": "https://developer.helpscout.com/docs-api/"
   },
   {
    "type": "docs",
    "url": "https://www.helpscout.com/pricing/"
   }
  ]
 },
 "homepage": "https://www.helpscout.com/",
 "id": "help-scout",
 "license": "freemium",
 "modalities": {
  "agent_docs": {
   "llms_txt": true
  },
  "api": {
   "auth": [
    "oauth2-authorization-code",
    "oauth2-client-credentials",
    "docs-api-key"
   ],
   "coverage": "partial",
   "docs": "https://developer.helpscout.com/mailbox-api/",
   "exists": true,
   "kinds": [
    "rest"
   ]
  },
  "cli": {
   "exists": "unknown"
  },
  "computer_use": {
   "issues": [],
   "viability": "unknown"
  },
  "data_access": {
   "export": [
    "csv",
    "xlsx"
   ],
   "import": []
  },
  "extensibility": {
   "scripting": [],
   "webhooks": true
  },
  "integrations": {
   "make": "unknown",
   "n8n": "unknown",
   "power_automate": "unknown",
   "zapier": "unknown"
  },
  "mcp": {
   "first_party": true,
   "third_party": [],
   "verdict": "official"
  },
  "rpa": {
   "drivability": "unknown",
   "notes": "No repeatable UI probe was run. Help Scout's Inbox API v2, Docs API v1, webhooks, and read-only hosted MCP cover conversations and knowledge base reads without browser control.\n",
   "ui_stack": [
    "web-dom"
   ],
   "vendor_support": []
  },
  "sdk": {
   "exists": true,
   "languages": [
    "php"
   ],
   "official": true
  }
 },
 "name": "Help Scout",
 "platforms": [
  "web"
 ],
 "related": {
  "alternatives": [
   "zendesk",
   "freshdesk",
   "intercom",
   "front"
  ],
  "our_products": []
 },
 "schema_version": 1,
 "score_version": 1,
 "status": "active",
 "vendor": "Help Scout",
 "verdict": {
  "best_path": "api",
  "scores": {
   "api": 8,
   "cli": null,
   "computer_use": null,
   "integrations": null,
   "mcp": 6,
   "overall": 8,
   "rpa": null
  },
  "summary": "Help Scout is automatable today through its Inbox API. This record is the Help Scout shared inbox and Docs knowledge base (conversations, customers, mailboxes, workflows, reports, and Docs articles), including the first-party remote MCP at https://mcp.helpscout.net/mcp. It is not Zendesk, Freshdesk, Intercom, or Front. Inbox API 2.0 lives at https://api.helpscout.net/v2 and uses OAuth 2.0 Authorization Code or Client Credentials. Requests send Authorization Bearer. Access tokens expire after 172800 seconds (two days). Official PHP SDK v2 supports Inbox API 2.0. Docs API v1 at https://docsapi.helpscout.net/ uses an API key as HTTP Basic username with a dummy password. MCP is generally available on Standard, Plus, and Pro \u2014 any plan that includes API access. New MCP connections are read-only. Write actions for all accounts are on the roadmap with no date. Report tools need Plus or Pro. Docs MCP tools need a Docs API key on the authorization page. Pricing includes a Free plan with 5 users, 1 Inbox, and 1 Docs site, and paid Standard, Plus, and Pro seats. API rate limits on the pricing table are 200, 400, and 800 calls per minute on those paid plans. Reporting exports are CSV or Excel. A product CLI was not established. Computer-use viability is unassessed. API scores 8 and is the best path because it can create conversations and replies; MCP scores 6 because GA connections are read-only.\n"
 }
}