Help Scout Search
MCP server for Help Scout - search conversations, threads, and inboxes with AI agents
What is Help Scout Search?
Help Scout Search is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that allows AI assistants like Claude, Cursor, and VS Code to mcp server for help scout - search conversations, threads, and inboxes with ai agents
MCP server for Help Scout - search conversations, threads, and inboxes with AI agents
This server falls under the Communication category on MCPgee, the world's largest MCP server directory with 33,000+ servers.
Features
- MCP server for Help Scout - search conversations, threads, a
Use Cases
Maintainer
Works with
Installation
Manual Installation
npx help-scoutConfiguration
Configuration Details
claude_desktop_config.json
Performance
Response Metrics
Resource Usage
How to Set Up and Use Help Scout Search
The Help Scout MCP Server connects AI assistants to your Help Scout customer support workspace, enabling natural language search and retrieval of conversations, threads, customers, and organizations through the Help Scout API v2. Instead of manually navigating the Help Scout dashboard, support teams and AI agents can instantly find tickets by keyword, customer email, tag, or inbox, look up conversation summaries, and browse organization support history. It is particularly useful for AI-driven support triage, building internal tooling that surfaces relevant customer context, and automating support reporting workflows.
Prerequisites
- A Help Scout account with API access enabled
- Help Scout OAuth App credentials: HELPSCOUT_APP_ID and HELPSCOUT_APP_SECRET (create at helpscout.com under Your Profile > My Apps)
- Node.js 18 or newer installed (for npx execution)
- Claude Desktop, Cursor, VS Code, or another MCP-compatible client
Create a Help Scout OAuth App
Log in to Help Scout, go to Your Profile > My Apps, and create a new app to obtain your App ID and App Secret. These credentials are required for API authentication.
Test the server connection
Run the server directly with npx to verify your credentials work before adding it to your MCP client config.
HELPSCOUT_APP_ID=your-app-id HELPSCOUT_APP_SECRET=your-app-secret npx help-scout-mcp-serverAdd the server to your MCP client config
Open your Claude Desktop configuration file (~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json on macOS) and add the Help Scout server with your credentials.
{
"mcpServers": {
"helpscout": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["help-scout-mcp-server"],
"env": {
"HELPSCOUT_APP_ID": "your-app-id",
"HELPSCOUT_APP_SECRET": "your-app-secret"
}
}
}
}Optionally restrict to a specific inbox
If you want the AI to search only within a particular inbox, set the HELPSCOUT_DEFAULT_INBOX_ID environment variable. Find your inbox ID in Help Scout under Manage > Inboxes.
{
"mcpServers": {
"helpscout": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["help-scout-mcp-server"],
"env": {
"HELPSCOUT_APP_ID": "your-app-id",
"HELPSCOUT_APP_SECRET": "your-app-secret",
"HELPSCOUT_DEFAULT_INBOX_ID": "12345"
}
}
}
}Restart your MCP client
Fully quit and reopen Claude Desktop to load the new server. You should now be able to search conversations and customers through natural language.
Help Scout Search Examples
Client configuration
Full Claude Desktop configuration block for the Help Scout MCP Server.
{
"mcpServers": {
"helpscout": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["help-scout-mcp-server"],
"env": {
"HELPSCOUT_APP_ID": "your-app-id",
"HELPSCOUT_APP_SECRET": "your-app-secret",
"REDACT_MESSAGE_CONTENT": "false",
"CACHE_TTL_SECONDS": "300"
}
}
}
}Prompts to try
Natural language prompts that leverage the Help Scout MCP Server's search and retrieval tools.
- "Show me all active support tickets from this week"
- "Find all conversations mentioning billing errors"
- "Look up the customer with email [email protected] and show their recent tickets"
- "Show me the full thread for conversation #42839"
- "List all conversations tagged urgent from @acme.com email addresses"
- "Give me a summary of the support history for organization 456"Troubleshooting Help Scout Search
Authentication fails with 401 Unauthorized errors
Double-check that HELPSCOUT_APP_ID and HELPSCOUT_APP_SECRET are correct. These are different from your Help Scout login credentials — they come from the OAuth app you created under Your Profile > My Apps. The server also accepts HELPSCOUT_CLIENT_ID / HELPSCOUT_CLIENT_SECRET as alternative variable names.
Search returns no results when conversations clearly exist
If HELPSCOUT_DEFAULT_INBOX_ID is set, searches are scoped to that inbox only. Remove the variable or verify the inbox ID is correct. Also check that your OAuth app has permission to read conversations in the target inbox.
npx command not found or server fails to download
Ensure Node.js 18 or newer is installed and npx is available in your PATH. Run 'node --version' and 'npx --version' to verify. If using nvm, make sure the correct version is active before starting Claude Desktop.
Frequently Asked Questions about Help Scout Search
What is Help Scout Search?
Help Scout Search is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that mcp server for help scout - search conversations, threads, and inboxes with ai agents It connects AI assistants to external tools and data sources through a standardized interface.
How do I install Help Scout Search?
Follow the installation instructions on the Help Scout Search GitHub repository. Clone the repo, install dependencies, and add the server config to your AI client.
Which AI clients work with Help Scout Search?
Help Scout Search works with all major MCP-compatible AI clients including Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor, VS Code (GitHub Copilot), Windsurf, and Cline.
Is Help Scout Search free to use?
Yes, Help Scout Search is open source and available under the MIT license. You can use it freely in both personal and commercial projects.
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