1What FoxPlug reads from Intercom
These are the exact things it reads, and nothing else.
| What | The details it takes |
|---|---|
| Your conversations (tags only) | for each conversation: the names of its tags, and the time it was created; 50 per page, up to 3 pages |
| Your conversations (topics only) | the names of the topics on each conversation, counted the same way as tags |
| Counts per tag or topic | over the last 30 days; a name must be at least 3 characters and be used on at least 2 conversations; the top 20 are kept, each as a 'request' with as many votes as conversations |
| What is stored from the read | up to 30 of those tag names with their counts, how many matched something you shipped, and the time of the read; no message text, customer name or email |
| Your own recent updates, for matching | titles of the updates FoxPlug already holds from your other tools in the last 30 days (up to 80), compared word by word with the tag names |
2Moments it finds, and what each becomes
A moment is one thing that happened in Intercom worth a second look. Each one is scored, then it becomes a post, a changelog entry, a thing to fix or an idea to email, or it is skipped.
A tag or topic used on at least 3 conversations in the last 30 days matches the words of something you shipped in the last 30 days
The moment is titled like this: Looks like you shipped what 7 people asked for: csv export
Seven of your last conversations are tagged 'csv export', and an update from your other tools called 'Shipped CSV export' landed this month. FoxPlug writes the moment 'Looks like you shipped what 7 people asked for: csv export', saying the tag is on 7 conversations in 30 days. The brain shows it as a say card.
3How the brain uses it
The rules below are the ones that apply to Intercom. The same rules, with worked examples, are on the brain page.
- Intercom is read for tags and topics only, counted over 30 days. A tag used on at least 2 conversations counts as a request with that many votes. Message text, names and emails are never read. How the brain decides
- A request with at least 3 conversations (Intercom and Help Scout) whose words match something you shipped in the last 30 days becomes a 'looks like you shipped it' say line; matching is by words, so check it before you post. How the brain decides
- FoxPlug keeps titles and counts, not who asked, so it cannot email the people who asked; telling them is yours to do. How the brain decides
4Set up Intercom in a few steps
Access: access token from a private Intercom app, pasted by you. What to give it: access token with read conversations only.
- In Intercom, open the Developer Hub and make a new app named FoxPlug.
- Open Authentication and give the app only the permission to read conversations. Leave every write permission off.
- Copy the access token and paste it into the Intercom box in FoxPlug. Keep it private; it never leaves your FoxPlug account.
- Press Check for what's new.
5Limits worth knowing
Where it stops, so nothing surprises you.
- Reads at most 3 pages of 50 conversations, so at most the newest 150 the API returns.
- Only conversations created in the last 30 days are counted.
- A tag or topic needs at least 2 conversations to appear at all and at least 3 to produce a 'Looks like you shipped it' moment; at most the top 20 names are kept.
- Tags have no 'complete' state, so there is never a 'Shipped what N people asked for' moment from Intercom; only the matched 'Looks like' kind.
- At most 3 matched moments per read; matching is by words in the titles.
6What it never reads
Read only means read only, and the list below is what the code leaves alone.
- Message text
- Customer names or email addresses
- Anything that writes to Intercom: it replies to nobody and tags nothing
7How Intercom differs from the tools next to it
Near-identical to Help Scout in what FoxPlug does with it. Intercom: GET api.intercom.io/conversations with a private-app access token; reads tag names and topic names plus created time; up to 3 pages of 50. Help Scout: OAuth client credentials from an App ID and App secret, GET v2/conversations (status all, newest first); reads tags only, no topics. Unlike Canny and Featurebase, neither has votes or a completed state, so only 'Looks like you shipped it' moments can appear.
8Questions
Does FoxPlug read my customers' messages?
No. It counts the tags and topics on your conversations. Message text, customer names and emails are not read, and the token you create should have only the read-conversations permission.
What does FoxPlug do with the tag counts?
It compares each frequent tag with the titles of what you shipped in the last 30 days. If the words match, you get a 'Looks like you shipped what N people asked for' idea, to check and post. It cannot tell the customers, because it keeps no names.
When does it read Intercom?
Only when you press Check for what's new. Nothing is fetched on a timer for your project.
Has the Intercom connection been tested against a real account?
No. It is marked code-path-only: the code path exists and its offline checks pass, but no real Intercom workspace of ours has exercised it.
FoxPlug reads this tool only when you press Check for what's new, and only to read. Plans and limits are on the pricing page. Questions: support.