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

# Intercom Integration

> Connect BuildBetter with Intercom to ingest conversations and feed live Topics, Signals, and AI chat

Ingest conversations from Intercom into BuildBetter for product insights, signal extraction, and live [Topics](/pages/Triage/topics) tracking. Intercom data is searchable across BuildBetter chat and documents, and powers reports and workflows alongside calls, Slack, and other feedback sources.

Intercom is one of two primary sources for the Topics experience (alongside Slack). New and updated Intercom conversations stream into Topics in real time so recurring issues, requests, and complaints group automatically as they happen.

## Topics-First Ingestion

When Topics is enabled, BuildBetter prioritizes **open Intercom conversations** — the ones that still need a team response — for live ingestion. Closed conversations backfill on setup.

* **Open conversations first** — live updates to active conversations drive Topic creation, matching, and stale detection
* **Closed conversation backfill** — historical conversations are pulled in on initial setup to seed Topics with prior context
* **Conversation subject as channel context** — Intercom conversation subjects and metadata are passed to the Topic classifier as `channelContext`, sharpening topic naming and matching confidence

See [Triage → Topics](/pages/Triage/topics) for how topics are created, matched, and surfaced.

## Setup Guide

<Steps>
  <Step title="Generate an Intercom API key">
    In your Intercom workspace, create an access token with permission to read conversations and contacts.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Connect in BuildBetter">
    Navigate to [Settings → Integrations](https://app.buildbetter.app/settings/org/integrations) and find the **Intercom** integration.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Enter your credentials">
    Paste your Intercom API key and configure shareability and visibility settings.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Click Connect">
    BuildBetter verifies the connection and begins ingesting open conversations live. Historical conversations backfill in the background.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Note>
  **Bulk historical ingestion**

  If you need a one-time retroactive import beyond what's covered by automatic backfill, email [support@buildbetter.app](mailto:support@buildbetter.app) and we'll run a bulk import over your historical Intercom data.
</Note>

## Settings & Options

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Fetch conversations on close">
    Pull conversations into BuildBetter when they're closed in Intercom.

    **Default**: Enabled
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Fetch conversations on tag creation">
    Pull a conversation when a selected tag is attached to one of its messages.

    **Default**: Disabled
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Update open conversations every X days">
    Refresh open or reopened conversations on a rolling cadence. Set to `0` to disable automatic refresh.

    **Default**: 0 days
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Reliability

Intercom ingestion is built to absorb provider hiccups without dropping data.

* **Resilient to outages** — temporary Intercom outages no longer crash processing; ingestion resumes once Intercom recovers
* **Event handling fixes** — new conversations and replies are ingested more reliably, including edge cases around reopen events and rapid-fire updates
* **Cursor and retry safety** — billing-limited or interrupted imports no longer skip records or advance progress too early; partial syncs resume from the right place

If your Intercom connection ever expires, BuildBetter marks it as needing reauthentication in the integration settings panel instead of failing silently.

## What Gets Imported

| Data                    | Details                                                           |
| ----------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Conversations**       | Full thread with all messages and context                         |
| **Messages**            | Individual messages with timestamps, author, and content          |
| **Authors**             | Contacts (customers) and admins (teammates) with email and avatar |
| **Tags**                | Intercom tags are preserved for filtering and Topic context       |
| **Subjects & metadata** | Used as channel context for Topic classification                  |

## Use Cases

### Live Topic Tracking

Connect Intercom to surface recurring customer themes in [Triage → Topics](/pages/Triage/topics) the moment they emerge. Open conversations drive live updates; closed ones provide historical grounding.

### Signal Extraction

Run signals over Intercom conversations to extract feature requests, bugs, complaints, and praise. Results flow into the signals table alongside calls and other feedback sources.

### Product Feedback Loops

Connect Intercom support data to product decisions by routing extracted signals to projects, Linear issues, and customer-facing changelogs.

## Support

Need help with the Intercom integration?

* Email: [support@buildbetter.app](mailto:support@buildbetter.app)
* Visit our [Help Center](/pages/Help/common-issues)