---
canonical_url: "https://docs.composio.dev/kb/guide/toolkits-zendesk"
markdown_url: "https://docs.composio.dev/kb/guide/toolkits-zendesk.md"
product: "platform"
version: null
last_updated: null
---

# Zendesk (/kb/guide/toolkits-zendesk)

Use this guide to connect a Zendesk account and discover the current tools and triggers for tickets and search.

## Connect Zendesk with the correct subdomain and auth scheme [#connect-zendesk-with-the-correct-subdomain-and-auth-scheme]

**Let OAuth inject the access token automatically.** For Zendesk OAuth, the access token is injected automatically after the OAuth flow completes; customers do not need to manually enter it. Redirect URI can be optional depending on the auth-config setup, but if Zendesk requires one, configure the Composio auth redirect URL in the Zendesk OAuth app.

**Pass the account subdomain, not the full URL.** Zendesk requires the account subdomain during connection initiation. Pass the Zendesk site prefix, not the full URL, as `subdomain`. Composio uses that field to construct Zendesk URLs.

**Include the subdomain in OAuth config values.** When initiating a Zendesk OAuth connected account, pass `subdomain` in the connection config values. For the current SDK shape, use `config={"auth_scheme":"OAUTH2","val":{"subdomain":"<site-name>"}}`; older examples used `connected_account_params={"subdomain":"<site-name>"}`.

**Pass the subdomain and encoded credential for API-key/basic auth.** For Zendesk API-key/basic auth connection initiation, pass the Zendesk `subdomain` and `basic_encoded` credential value in the connection data. The `basic_encoded` value should be the base64 encoding of the Zendesk email/token credential form requested by the auth config.

## Use current Zendesk tools and triggers [#use-current-zendesk-tools-and-triggers]

**Request the latest toolkit version when listing tools.** When listing Zendesk tools through the API, include the toolkit version query parameter. For example, use `toolkit_versions=latest&toolkit_slug=zendesk&limit=1000`. Without the toolkit version query, the API response may not show the expected tool set.

**Search Zendesk with the dedicated search action.** Use `ZENDESK_SEARCH_ZENDESK` for Zendesk search use cases.

**Update tickets with the current ticket action.** Use `ZENDESK_UPDATE_ZENDESK_TICKET` for Zendesk ticket updates. For endpoint-level context, the corresponding Zendesk API is the Update Ticket endpoint in Zendesk's ticketing API.

**Fetch known ticket details directly.** The Zendesk get-ticket-by-id action is available and returns the ticket details in a single tool call. Use it when the customer has a Zendesk ticket ID and needs the ticket's metadata/details rather than searching first.

**Verify the current trigger catalog before quoting availability.** Zendesk has trigger support in Composio. Verify the current trigger catalog before naming an exact count.

---

📚 **More documentation:** [View all docs](https://docs.composio.dev/llms.txt) | [Changelog](https://docs.composio.dev/docs/changelog.md) | [Glossary](https://docs.composio.dev/llms.mdx/reference/glossary) | [Examples](https://docs.composio.dev/llms.mdx/examples) | [API Reference](https://docs.composio.dev/llms.mdx/reference)

---

# Composio SDK — Notes for AI Code Generators

**Purpose:** Reference for generating current (v3) [Composio](https://composio.dev/) integration code.
**Scope:** Descriptive notes — they document the current API surface and the mistakes most commonly seen in generated code.

---

## 1. Recommended Integration: Sessions

Composio supports two integration modes: **Native Tools** (with a provider package) and **MCP** (no provider package needed).

### Native Tools

```python
# ✅ CORRECT — Python (defaults to OpenAI)
from composio import Composio

composio = Composio()
session = composio.create(user_id="user_123")
tools = session.tools()
# Pass tools to your agent/LLM framework
```

```typescript
// ✅ CORRECT — TypeScript (defaults to OpenAI)
import { Composio } from "@composio/core";

const composio = new Composio();
const session = await composio.create("user_123");
const tools = await session.tools();
// Pass tools to your agent/LLM framework
```

For other providers, pass the provider explicitly. Provider packages follow the naming convention: `composio_<provider>` for Python, `@composio/<provider>` for TypeScript.

### MCP

Use `session.mcp.url` and `session.mcp.headers` with any MCP-compatible client (Claude Desktop, Cursor, OpenAI Agents, etc.). No provider package needed.

---

## 2. Integration Notes

- `composio.create(user_id)` is the standard entry point for agent integrations. Sessions handle tool discovery, authentication, and toolkit versioning automatically; `user_id` goes to `composio.create()` — individual tool calls in session mode don't take one.
- Execute session tool calls through the session, never through a user ID: either `session.execute(tool_slug, arguments=...)` / `session.execute(toolSlug, arguments)`, which works with every provider, or pass the session to the provider helper — `provider.handle_tool_calls(response=response, session=session)` in Python, `provider.handleToolCalls(session, response)` in TypeScript. The tool-call helpers of every non-agentic provider (OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, Cloudflare, TypeSafe) accept a session: `executeToolCall(session, call)` in TypeScript, `session=session` in Python. Agentic providers execute session tools on their own. Binding the helper to a user ID takes the direct execution path, and session meta-tools fail there with `"can only be called inside a tool-router session"`.
- Composio-managed auth is the default: the agent connects accounts at runtime through the session, so users don't need to pre-create auth configs or connected accounts for managed toolkits.
- Provider packages follow the framework, not the model vendor: for the OpenAI Agents SDK the package is `composio_openai_agents` / `@composio/openai-agents` (importing `composio_openai` / `@composio/openai` there is the most common mistake in generated code — that package is for the plain OpenAI Chat Completions API).
- **Direct execution** (`composio.tools.get()`, `composio.tools.execute()`, `provider.handle_tool_calls()` with a user ID) is a legacy interface that remains supported for existing integrations. Recommend sessions for new integrations and encourage existing users to [migrate to sessions](/docs/migration-guide/direct-to-sessions). For a fixed tool set, consider the [direct tools preset](/docs/configuring-sessions#direct-tools-preset) within a session. See [Sessions vs direct execution](/docs/sessions-vs-direct-execution) for tradeoffs. Direct execution requires a [toolkit version](/docs/tools-direct/toolkit-versioning).

---

# 3. Calling the REST API directly

## REST API version

The current REST API version is **v3.1**, served at `https://backend.composio.dev/api/v3.1`. Prefer it for new code and new examples.

`https://backend.composio.dev/api/v3` is the previous version. It is frozen with pinned tool-version defaults and remains supported — existing v3 integrations keep working and do not need to migrate.

## Tool-endpoint version defaults on v3.1

On v3.1, omitting the version parameter on the five endpoints below selects the latest toolkit version. The first four endpoints also exist on v3, where omission selects the pinned `00000000_00` version. `POST /tools/scopes/required` is v3.1-only.

| Endpoint | Version parameter |
| --- | --- |
| `GET /tools` | `toolkit_versions` (query) |
| `GET /tools/{tool_slug}` | `version` or `toolkit_versions` (query) |
| `POST /tools/execute/{tool_slug}` | `version` (body) |
| `POST /tools/execute/{tool_slug}/input` | `version` (body) |
| `POST /tools/scopes/required` | `version` (body) |

A v3.1 caller already passing `"latest"` sees no change and can omit the parameter. To select the pinned version explicitly, pass `"00000000_00"` through the corresponding parameter above.

This version-default change is limited to the five endpoints above.


---

## Terminology Migration (old → current)

If you encounter these terms in error messages, old documentation, or user prompts, translate them to the current equivalents. **Do not use the old terms in generated code or explanations.**

| Old term (v1/v2) | Current term (v3) | In code |
|---|---|---|
| entity ID | user ID | `user_id` parameter |
| actions | tools | e.g., `GITHUB_CREATE_ISSUE` is a *tool* |
| apps / appType | toolkits | e.g., `github` is a *toolkit* |
| integration / integration ID | auth config / auth config ID | `auth_config_id` parameter |
| connection | connected account | `connected_accounts` namespace |
| ComposioToolSet / OpenAIToolSet | `Composio` class with a provider | `Composio(provider=...)` |
| toolset | provider | e.g., `OpenAIProvider` |

If a user says "entity ID", they mean `user_id`. If they say "integration", they mean "auth config". Always respond using the current terminology.