This guide walks you through connecting DeskPress to Help Scout so your agents can see membership and course data in the conversation sidebar.
Prerequisites
- DeskPress Pro with an active license
- At least one of these plugins active: MemberPress, WishList Member, or LearnDash
- Admin access to both WordPress and Help Scout
Step 1: Verify Your Plugins Are Active
Go to DeskPress > Integrations > Sidebar Apps. You'll see a Detected Providers table showing which plugins are detected:
- Active means the plugin is installed and ready
- Not detected means the plugin is not installed or not activated
If none of the supported plugins are detected, the Sidebar Apps tab won't appear.
Step 2: Copy the Callback URL and Secret Key
On the same Sidebar Apps settings page:
- Copy the Callback URL (this is a REST API endpoint on your site)
- Copy the Secret Key (auto-generated for your site)
Keep this page open — you'll paste these values into Help Scout in the next step.
Step 3: Create a Custom App in Help Scout
- Log in to Help Scout
- Click the Manage icon (gear) in the sidebar
- Go to Apps
- Search for "Custom App" and click it
- Click "Create Custom App"
- Enter a name (e.g., "Memberships" or "Sidebar App")
- Select "Dynamic Content" as the content type
- Paste the Callback URL from Step 2
- Paste the Secret Key from Step 2
- Select which mailboxes should show the sidebar app
- Click Save
Step 4: Verify It Works
- Open a conversation in Help Scout from a customer who has memberships or courses on your site
- Check the right sidebar — you should see the DeskPress sidebar app with:
- Customer Profile (name, email, role, registration date)
- Membership sections (if MemberPress or WishList Member is active)
- Course sections (if LearnDash is active)
If the customer's email doesn't match any WordPress user, you'll see a "No matching WordPress user found" message.
Troubleshooting
Sidebar app doesn't appear in Help Scout:
- Make sure the Custom App is enabled for the correct mailbox
- Verify the Callback URL is correct and your site is publicly accessible (not localhost)
- Check that your REST API is not blocked by a security plugin
"Invalid signature" error:
- Make sure the Secret Key in Help Scout matches the one in DeskPress settings exactly
- Re-copy both values if needed
No data showing for a known member:
- Verify the customer's Help Scout email matches their WordPress email
- Check that the customer has active memberships or enrolled courses
Using the Setup Wizard
If you're setting up DeskPress for the first time, the Setup Wizard includes a Sidebar Apps step when it detects MemberPress, WishList Member, or LearnDash. It provides the same Callback URL and Secret Key fields with copy buttons.