> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.release0.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# How to integrate your Agent with Zendesk

> Integrate Zendesk live chat functionality into your chatbot for real-time support and authenticated user interactions.

The **Zendesk element** lets you integrate live chat functionality into your website or mobile app, enabling real-time support for your users.

## Prerequisites

* Admin access to your Zendesk account.
* Familiarity with embedding JavaScript snippets in your website or configuring SDKs in mobile apps.

## 1. Obtaining the Zendesk Signing Key (Key ID and Secret Key)

### What is a Signing Key?

A **signing key** is required for visitor authentication when using the Web Widget or mobile SDK. It consists of:

* **App ID (kid)**: Unique identifier for the signing key.
* **Secret Key**: A shared secret used to generate JSON Web Tokens (JWTs).

### Steps to Obtain the Signing Key

1. Log in to your Zendesk Admin Center.
2. Navigate to **Account > Security > End user authentication**.
3. Under the **Messaging** tab:
   * View existing signing keys or create a new one by clicking **Create key**.
   * If creating a new key, ensure you copy the **Secret Key** immediately, as it will not be fully visible later.
4. Save both the **App ID** and **Secret Key** securely.

> **Note**: Refer to the [Zendesk documentation](https://developer.zendesk.com/documentation/zendesk-web-widget-sdks/sdks/web/enabling_auth_visitors/#generating-a-signing-key) for more details.

## 2. Finding the Web Widget Key

The **Web Widget Key** is needed to configure the Web Widget for your website. It identifies the specific widget instance.

### Steps to Locate the Web Widget Key

1. In the Admin Center sidebar, go to **Channels > Messaging**.
2. Click on the Web Widget you want to configure.
3. Scroll down to the **Installation** section.
4. In the provided JavaScript snippet, locate the `key` parameter:
   ```html theme={null}
   <script id="ze-snippet"
           src="https://static.zdassets.com/ekr/snippet.js?key=k833c615-1ccb-..."></script>
   ```
5. Copy the **key** value (`k338c615-1ccb-...` in this example).

## 3. Embedding the Web Widget

### Web Widget Installation

1. Copy the JavaScript snippet provided in the **Installation** section:
   ```html theme={null}
   <!-- Start of Zendesk Widget script -->
   <script id="ze-snippet"
           src="https://static.zdassets.com/ekr/snippet.js?key=YOUR_WEB_WIDGET_KEY"></script>
   <!-- End of Zendesk Widget script -->
   ```
2. Paste the snippet into your website’s HTML, right before the closing `</body>` tag.
3. Save and publish the changes.

### Authentication with JWT

If you need to authenticate users:

* Set the **user ID** in the Web Widget configuration.
* Generate a JWT token using your **Key ID** and **Secret Key**.
* Include the following user data in the JWT payload:
  * `name` (optional)
  * `email` (optional)

***

## 4. Validation and Testing

Before deploying the Web Widget:

1. Verify the **Web Widget Key** is correctly set in the script.
2. If using JWT authentication:
   * Ensure the **Key ID** and **Secret Key** are valid.
   * Confirm the JWT token is generated and passed correctly.
3. Test the chat functionality on the website or mobile app.

## Example JWT Token Generation

Here is an example of how to generate a JWT token in Node.js:

```javascript theme={null}
const jwt = require('jsonwebtoken');

const secretKey = 'YOUR_SECRET_KEY'; // Replace with your Zendesk Secret Key
const payload = {
  name: 'John Doe',         // User's name (optional)
  email: 'john@example.com' // User's email (optional)
};

const token = jwt.sign(payload, secretKey, {
  algorithm: 'HS256',
  expiresIn: '1h', // Token expiration time
  keyid: 'YOUR_KEY_ID' // Replace with your Zendesk Key ID
});

console.log('Generated JWT Token:', token);
```

> **Note**: Use a secure backend to generate JWT tokens. Avoid generating them on the client-side.

### References

* [Zendesk Developer Documentation](https://developer.zendesk.com/documentation/)
* [JSON Web Token (JWT)](https://jwt.io/)