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Troubleshooting

Common issues and how to fix them. If your problem isn't listed here, reach out to our support team.

API Connection

"API connection failed" or "Invalid API key" error

  • Double-check your Help Scout API credentials under DeskPress > Integrations > API.
  • Make sure your OAuth token hasn't expired. Try disconnecting and reconnecting your Help Scout account.
  • Verify that your server can make outbound HTTPS requests. Some hosting providers block external API calls.

"Mailbox not found" error

  • Go to DeskPress > Integrations > API and re-select your mailbox from the dropdown.
  • If no mailboxes appear, your API credentials may not have access to any mailboxes. Check your Help Scout user permissions.

Help Scout Beacon

Beacon doesn't appear on my site

  • Go to DeskPress > Dashboard > Getting Started and verify the Beacon embed code is pasted correctly. It should include the full tag.
  • Check your browser's developer console for JavaScript errors that might be blocking the Beacon script.
  • If you use a caching plugin, clear the cache after saving the Beacon settings.
  • Make sure no ad blocker or privacy extension is blocking the Help Scout domain.

Conversation history not showing in Beacon

  • Make sure you enabled Secure Mode in Help Scout (Manage > Beacons > Security tab).
  • Verify you pasted the correct Secret Key into the Support History Security Key field in DeskPress.
  • Conversation history only appears for logged-in WordPress users. Logged-out visitors won't see it.

Support Form

Form submissions not creating tickets in Help Scout

  • Check your API connection first (see above).
  • Make sure a mailbox is selected under DeskPress > Integrations > API.
  • Look for JavaScript errors in the browser console. A JS error can prevent the AJAX form submission.
  • Check your server's error log for PHP errors related to the Help Scout API.

Form validation errors

  • If users report that required fields aren't being validated, clear any page cache and confirm that DeskPress JavaScript is loading on the page.

Conversations

Conversations not loading on the portal

  • Verify your Help Scout API connection is working.
  • Make sure the user is logged in. Conversations only appear for authenticated users.
  • Check that the portal page is using a DeskPress page template (DeskPress - Portal, Dashboard, Starter, or Custom).

"No conversations found" even though the user has tickets

  • The email address on the WordPress user account must match the email address in Help Scout. If they differ, Help Scout won't return conversations for that user.
  • Check that the conversations are in the mailbox configured in DeskPress.

AI Chatbot

Chatbot not responding or giving empty answers

  • Go to DeskPress > AI Agent > AI API and verify your AI provider API key is correct and has credit/quota remaining.
  • Check that the chatbot is enabled under DeskPress > AI Agent > Chatbot.
  • Make sure your knowledge base has been indexed. An empty knowledge base means the AI has no content to draw from. Run the indexer from DeskPress > AI Agent > Knowledge Base.

Chatbot responses are irrelevant or generic

  • Your knowledge base may be too small. Index more content sources (conversations, docs, site content).
  • Review and improve your System Prompt to give the AI better instructions.
  • Enable Prioritize Docs if you have well-written documentation.

"Rate limit exceeded" message

  • The visitor has sent the maximum number of messages allowed per session. Increase the Rate Limit setting if needed.

AI Draft Answers

Drafts are not being generated

  • Verify your AI provider API key under DeskPress > AI Agent > AI API.
  • Make sure AI Drafts are enabled under DeskPress > AI Agent > AI Drafts.
  • Check that a mailbox is selected in the AI Drafts settings.
  • If using webhooks, verify the webhook URL and secret are configured correctly in Help Scout.
  • If using cron polling, make sure WordPress cron is running. Some hosts disable wp-cron.php by default. You may need to set up a real cron job.

Drafts are low quality

  • Index more content in your knowledge base, especially resolved conversations.
  • Increase the Max Context setting to give the AI more reference material per draft.
  • Customize the System Prompt to match your team's tone and style.

Portal Display

Portal page shows a blank page or default WordPress content

  • Make sure the page is using a DeskPress page template. Edit the page and check the Template dropdown in the sidebar.
  • If the template dropdown doesn't show DeskPress templates, deactivate and reactivate the plugin.

Portal styling looks broken

  • Clear your browser cache and any server-side page cache.
  • Check for CSS conflicts with your theme. Try switching to a default WordPress theme temporarily to isolate the issue.
  • If you customized the design, reset to defaults under DeskPress > Support Portal > Design.

Export and Import

Import fails with "Invalid file" error

  • Make sure the file is a valid JSON file exported from DeskPress. It must contain a "plugin": "deskpress" field.
  • Check that the file isn't corrupted. Open it in a text editor to verify it contains readable JSON.

Imported settings don't seem to take effect

  • Clear any page or object cache after importing.
  • Some settings (like the Beacon embed code) may need to be refreshed by visiting the relevant settings page and clicking Save.

General

Plugin updates aren't showing

  • Verify your license key is active under DeskPress > System > License.
  • If your license recently expired and you renewed it, click Check License to refresh the status.

DeskPress menu items disappeared

  • Make sure the plugin is still activated under Plugins. A PHP error during an update could silently deactivate it.
  • Check your server's PHP error log for fatal errors.
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