Set up Zendesk

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Zendesk uses separate credentials for tools and for indexing. You authorize tool access for your organization on the Connect step, and each user then connects their own Zendesk account. Indexing credentials apply to the whole connector, and search results appear after the first crawl.

• Who does it: A Glean administrator, working with a Zendesk admin who can approve OAuth access on behalf of the organization.
• What you get: Permission-aware search across your Zendesk articles, posts, and tickets, including comments, plus read and write tools.

How features become available after setup

Capability	When it becomes available
Read and write tools	Upon connecting Zendesk. Each user authorizes their own Zendesk account before they can use the tools.
Permission-aware search over Zendesk content	After the first crawl indexes your content. Results appear progressively as the crawl works through your articles, posts, and tickets.
Crawl scope changes	Any time after setup. Contact your Glean representative to configure inclusion or exclusion rules. See Content configuration.

Set up the connector

Before you begin

• Confirm that you have permission to create and manage connectors in Glean.
• Know your Zendesk subdomain. For example, if your Zendesk URL is https://acme.zendesk.com, enter acme as the Zendesk domain.
• Sign in as a Zendesk admin, or confirm that your Zendesk organization allows you to approve OAuth access.
• If your organization requires a customer-owned OAuth app, make sure you can create OAuth clients in Zendesk Admin Center.

Step 1: Open the Zendesk setup page

Sign in to Glean and go to Admin console > Platform > Connectors, select Add connector, then choose Zendesk.

Step 2: Connect Zendesk

The Connect step authorizes Glean to access Zendesk through OAuth. This enables Zendesk actions and the Glean-hosted Zendesk MCP server. It does not provide indexing credentials, which you configure separately in the next step.

In Glean:

1. Enter a connector Name. This is the name your organization members see for this connector.
2. Enter your Zendesk domain. Enter just the subdomain, such as acme.
3. Choose an authentication method for Zendesk tools, then follow the matching tab below.

Glean shows Central as the default and recommended method. To use your own OAuth app instead, select Set up a custom app instead under the authentication method. Glean then shows both Central and Custom options so you can switch between them.

Central (Recommended)

Central authentication uses Glean's managed OAuth app. Most organizations should use this method, because it requires no OAuth client setup in Zendesk.

In Glean:

1. Under Select an authentication method for Zendesk tools, keep Central selected.
2. Select Connect.
3. Sign in to Zendesk when prompted and approve the requested permissions.

When the connection succeeds, Glean shows Connected next to the Connect button.

Custom OAuth app

Use a custom OAuth app when your organization requires a customer-owned OAuth client instead of Glean's managed app. This method moves between Glean and Zendesk Admin Center, so each step below names where you do the work.

Glean shows the Callback URL as soon as you select Custom, so you can copy it before you create the OAuth client in Zendesk.

In Glean:

1. Under Select an authentication method for Zendesk tools, select Set up a custom app instead, then select Custom.
2. Copy the Callback URL that Glean displays.

In Zendesk Admin Center:

3. Go to Apps and integrations > APIs > OAuth clients.
4. Select Add OAuth client.
5. Enter a Client name, such as Glean.
6. Under Redirect URLs, paste the Callback URL you copied from Glean.
7. Save the OAuth client, then copy the Unique identifier (Client ID) and Secret.

Back in Glean:

8. Paste the values into Client ID and Client secret.
9. Select Connect, then approve the requested permissions on Zendesk's consent screen.

Glean displays the scopes it requests during authorization. Zendesk does not let you preconfigure those scopes on the OAuth client itself.

Redirect URL mismatch

The redirect URL saved in Zendesk must match the Callback URL shown on the Glean setup page exactly. Do not copy a callback URL from another deployment or environment.

Step 3: Set up indexing

The Set up indexing step configures the credentials Glean uses to crawl Zendesk, which content it indexes, and how quickly it sends API requests. Authorizing Zendesk on the Connect step covers tools only, so it does not provide indexing credentials.

The credential fields depend on your deployment. Glean either shows an Authorize button or asks for an API token and email. Follow the tab that matches what Glean shows.

For the OAuth path, Glean uses central OAuth with Glean-managed credentials. You don't enter an API token, token-owner email, or customer-managed OAuth client credentials.

Authorize

In Glean:

1. Enter the Zendesk domain. Enter just the subdomain, such as acme.
2. Confirm the content types to crawl. Glean selects all three by default, so clear any type you do not want to index:
   • Crawl articles
   • Crawl posts
   • Crawl tickets
3. Set Queries per second allowed (for API calls). The minimum QPS is 1.2 so all queues can function properly.
4. Select Authorize and approve Glean's access to your Zendesk instance.

API token

This path needs a Zendesk API token, so it moves between Zendesk Admin Center and Glean.

In Zendesk Admin Center:

1. Go to Admin center > Apps and integrations > APIs > API configuration, then enable Token Access by selecting Allow API token access.
2. Go to Admin center > Apps and integrations > APIs > API tokens, then select Add API token.
3. Set the description to Glean Access Token, then copy the token. Zendesk shows the token only once.

In Glean:

4. Enter the token in API Token.
5. Enter the Email of the account that created the token. Use a dedicated service account so indexing does not stop when an individual employee's account is deactivated.
6. Confirm the content types to crawl. Glean selects all three by default, so clear any type you do not want to index:
   • Crawl articles
   • Crawl posts
   • Crawl tickets
7. Set Queries per second allowed (for API calls). The minimum QPS is 1.2 so all queues can function properly.
8. Select Save.

You entered the Zendesk domain on the Connect step, so this path does not ask for it again.

Ticket crawling creates webhooks in Zendesk

When Crawl tickets is selected, Glean programmatically creates webhooks and triggers in your Zendesk instance to synchronize ticket data faster. To opt out of creating webhooks, contact Glean Support before crawls start.

Step 4: Review setup

Review the connector name, Zendesk domain, crawl selections, and queue rate. The review screen also explains that:

• Team members can search Zendesk content and take action through Glean after they authenticate.
• Glean continuously indexes, stores, and keeps Zendesk content up to date.
• Glean uses Zendesk data to power search and provide relevant information.

Under User access, choose who can use the connector:

• All users: Anyone in your organization can access Zendesk content and tools in Glean.
• Test group only: Only users in your test group can access Zendesk content and tools in Glean. Use this option to pilot the connector before opening it to everyone.
• None: No one can access Zendesk content or tools in Glean. Choose this option to finish indexing before you grant access, then change it later from the connector's Tools tab.

You can refine access further after setup with visibility scoping and role-based tool access.

Select Begin indexing to start the initial indexing run. Select Skip for now if you are not ready to start indexing.

Glean must crawl, process, and index Zendesk content before it appears in search. The initial crawl time depends on the size of your Zendesk corpus and the configured rate.

Manage Zendesk tools

Tools require no separate enablement step. Connecting Zendesk makes them available, and you configure them on the Tools tab of the Zendesk connector page in the Admin console. Glean enables new tools by default as it adds them.

Glean groups the tools into read tools and write tools, and shows how many of each your deployment has. Which tools appear depends on your deployment, because some Zendesk tools are generally available and others are still in beta.

Zendesk tools come from two places

Connecting Zendesk through this setup creates the connector's own tool pack, which is what the Tools tab shows. The standalone Zendesk Tools reference documents the separate tool pack you add in Agent Builder, and it covers a smaller set of tools. Use the Tools tab for what your deployment actually has.

Read tools

Read tools only retrieve. Every call runs as the person asking, scoped to their own Zendesk permissions, so a read tool cannot surface content that person could not already open in Zendesk. Examples include the following:

Tool	What it does
Search Zendesk	Searches tickets and help-center content using Zendesk Query Language (ZQL)
Zendesk Schema Reader	Resolves ticket forms, field metadata, and create or update requirements

Write tools

Write tools change Zendesk content. They also run as the person asking, so a write tool can never do something that person could not do themselves. Examples include the following:

Tool	What it does
Create zendesk ticket	Creates a ticket with support for all ticket fields
Reply to zendesk ticket	Replies to a ticket by adding a comment
Update zendesk ticket tags	Adds, replaces, or manages tags on an existing ticket

Availability varies by deployment, and Glean adds Zendesk tools over time. For the standalone tool pack and its per-user authentication, see Zendesk Tools.

Tool settings you can change afterwards

• Which tools are on. Turn individual read and write tools on or off. Leave write tools off until you are ready for Glean to act on Zendesk content on a user's behalf.
• Where the tools appear. Select Advanced settings to enable tools per surface, across Chat, Agents, and Glean MCP Server. Changes there apply immediately.
• Who can invoke them. Set department access per surface, so that only the teams that need Zendesk tools get them. Use visibility scoping to limit tools to all teammates, specific departments, or specific teammates.
• Who can configure them. Use role-based tool access to control which admins and agent builders can change tool settings.

For the full guide, see Tools overview.

After setup

• Watch the first crawl. Coverage builds up over hours rather than minutes. Search for content you know is in Zendesk to confirm results are appearing and that permissions look right.
• Check what is being crawled. If some content should stay out of Glean, ask your Glean representative about inclusion and exclusion rules before the crawl completes.
• Look up any errors. If setup or crawling reports a problem, see error codes for what each one means and how to resolve it.

See also

• Choose your Zendesk setup: How this setup differs from the previous one, and which applies to your deployment.
• Previous setup: The combined connector form used by earlier deployments.
• Zendesk overview: What the Zendesk connector indexes, how it crawls, and how it enforces permissions.
• Troubleshooting and FAQs: Fixes for connection, indexing, permission, and tools issues.
• Zendesk Tools: The standalone Zendesk tool pack you add in Agent Builder, and how users authenticate for it.