How to create a Recharge API token for Zendesk
By Jake Marsh · Updated
To connect Recharge to Zendesk with Skipwell, a store owner opens Tools & apps > API tokens in the Recharge merchant portal, chooses Create new under Admin tokens, names it "Skipwell for Zendesk" and sets Read access for customers, subscriptions, orders, payment methods, discounts, plans and store. Add Read and Write where agents will take actions, save, copy the token and paste it into Recharge API token in Skipwell's settings.
Who can create the token
Only store owners see API tokens by default, and only a store owner can accept Recharge's API terms, which Recharge shows before the first token. If Tools & apps > API tokens isn't in your merchant portal, ask Recharge whether your plan includes API access before your trial ends. Skipwell's documentation says plainly that this hasn't been confirmed on every Recharge plan.
Steps
- Open the token screen. In Recharge, go to Tools & apps > API tokens. Accept the API terms if asked.
- Create an Admin token. Choose Create new under Admin tokens and name it "Skipwell for Zendesk".
- Set the access using the table below. Save, then copy the token.
- Paste it into Zendesk. In Skipwell's settings, paste it into Recharge API token. Zendesk keeps it as a secure setting and only adds it to requests to api.rechargeapps.com.
- Optional: label and brands. A Store label shows in notes and the store switcher. List the Zendesk brand ids whose tickets should open this store.
- Test it. Open a ticket from a subscriber. Their subscriptions should load in the sidebar.
Which access each area needs
| Recharge access | Read lets agents | Read and Write adds |
|---|---|---|
| Customers | Find the customer | Discounts on every future charge |
| Subscriptions | See subscriptions | Reschedule, pause, frequency, swap, quantity, cancel, reactivate |
| Orders | See charges and orders | Skip, unskip, discount on one charge, refunds |
| Payment methods | See the card on file | Refunds (Recharge requires it) |
| Discounts, plans, store | Look up discount codes, offer the store's frequencies, show currency and checkout type | Not needed |
A read-only token works. Agents see everything, and the action buttons answer with a clear message from Recharge. Without payment methods or store access, the sidebar still loads and shows less.
More than one store
Add a second or third token in its own fields with its own Store label. The label turns the store on. Tickets from a listed brand open that store first, and agents can switch stores in the sidebar.
Error messages and fixes
| Message in the sidebar | Fix |
|---|---|
| "did not accept the API token" | The token was deleted or regenerated in Recharge, or pasted into another store's field. Paste a current token. |
| "missing a permission for this" | Give the token Read and Write access for that area, as in the table above. |
| "No Recharge customer in ..." | The requester's email differs from Recharge's. Use the Find box with an email or customer id, or map a Zendesk user field that holds the Recharge customer id. |
| No Refund button | The store uses Shopify Checkout, the charge is older than 90 days, your role can't refund, or nothing is left to refund. |
What it costs
Skipwell is $10 a month per agent on the Standard plan, billed monthly by Zendesk, with a 14-day free trial. Nothing is installed in Recharge or Shopify beyond the token. The Skipwell documentation lists every setting.
Skipwell
Recharge subscriptions sidebar: skip, swap or reschedule from the ticket, with every change logged. $10 a month per agent.
Questions
Do agents ever see the token?
No. Zendesk stores it as a secure setting and inserts it on the way to Recharge, so it never reaches an agent's browser.
Should I start with a read-only token?
If you want agents to look before they act, yes. You can edit the token's access in Recharge later and the sidebar picks up the new actions.
I regenerated the token in Recharge. What now?
The old one stops working. Paste the new token into Recharge API token in Skipwell's settings.
What should I do when I stop using Skipwell?
Uninstall it in Zendesk, which deletes the stored tokens, then delete the token under Tools & apps > API tokens in Recharge.
More Skipwell guides
- How to pause or cancel a Recharge subscription from Zendesk
- How to skip a Recharge subscription order from a Zendesk ticket
More Zendesk guides
- How to add conditional text to a Zendesk macro (Slotwell)
- How to cancel or hold a Magento order from a Zendesk ticket (Satchelwell for Magento and Adobe Commerce)
- How to set up 301 redirects in a Zendesk help center (Sprucewell)
- How to schedule a follow-up ticket in Zendesk for a later date (Rousewell)