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Help Center › Admin screens, field by field › Zapier & API keys: Access keys and Alerts to other tools
Zapier & API keys: Access keys and Alerts to other tools
Field-by-field guide to making access keys and adding, testing and managing alerts that tell other tools what happened.
Where to find it: Contractor Hub → Settings & Integrations → Zapier & API keys (it follows Connected apps in the menu). The page heading reads “Connect other tools”. Owner screen.
What it controls: two things. Access keys let another program read or add data in your VisionScaper. Alerts to other tools make VisionScaper send a short message to a web address when something happens. The page says: “Nothing here changes how you use VisionScaper day to day.”
At the top you see: “Your plan allows N requests an hour from all your keys together (N used this hour). The limit is a placeholder, not approved.” If your plan does not include this feature, the page shows your plan message and a See plans button.
Before you start
- This feature is a plan feature (“API & Zapier”). Which plan includes it is a placeholder, not approved.
- Your website must be able to store secrets safely (PHP OpenSSL). Making an alert fails otherwise and the message says to ask your host.
- Keep keys like passwords. Make one key per tool.
Tab 1: Access keys
Make a key
| Field (exact label) | What it does for VisionScaper | What to enter and example | Default / notes |
|---|---|---|---|
What will use it? |
A name so you remember what the key is for. Required. Up to 80 characters. | Zapier, or Reporting sheet | Blank |
What may it do? Look at customers and leads (read_customers) |
Lets the key read customers and leads. | Tick if needed. | Off |
Add and change customers (write_customers) |
Lets the key add and change customers. | Tick if needed. | Off |
Look at quotes (read_quotes) |
Read quotes. | Tick if needed. | Off |
Look at invoices (read_invoices) |
Read invoices. | Tick if needed. | Off |
Look at jobs (read_jobs) |
Read jobs. | Tick if needed. | Off |
Add new leads (write_leads) |
Lets the key add new leads. | Tick if needed. | Off |
Look at payments (read_payments) |
Read payments. | Tick if needed. | Off |
Set up alerts (needed by Zapier) (webhooks_manage) |
Lets the key create and remove alerts. Zapier needs this. | Tick for Zapier. | Off |
Make a key |
Creates the key. You must have a name and at least one box ticked. You can have at most 20 active keys. | Click once. | Error text appears under the form. |
The “Copy your new key now” box (read-only)
| Item (exact label) | What it does | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Key box | Shows the full key once. It starts with vsk_. Only the first 12 characters are shown later in the list. |
If you lose it, turn it off and make another. |
Copy key |
Copies it. | Toast “Copied.” |
I have saved it |
Hides the box. | The key cannot be shown again. |
Your keys (list)
Each row shows the name, the first characters, “Turned off” if off, which things it may do, “Last used … · used N times”.
| Item (exact label) | What it does | Notes |
|---|---|---|
Turn off |
After you confirm, the key stops working at once. | Cannot be turned back on; make a new key. |
Tab 2: Alerts to other tools
Add an alert
| Field (exact label) | What it does for VisionScaper | What to enter and example | Default / notes |
|---|---|---|---|
Send alerts to this address |
The web address that receives each alert. Must start with https://, be under 500 characters and be a public website. |
https://example.com/where-to-send-alerts | Blank |
Tell it when… A new lead comes in (lead.created) |
Sends an alert for each new lead. | Tick what you need. | Off |
A customer is added (customer.created) |
Alert for each new customer. | Off | |
A quote is sent (quote.sent) |
Alert when a quote is sent. | Off | |
A quote is accepted (signed) (quote.accepted) |
Alert when a customer signs. | Off | |
A job is marked done (job.completed) |
Alert when a job is done. | Off | |
An invoice is paid (invoice.paid) |
Alert when an invoice is paid. | Off | |
Add alert |
Creates the alert and shows its signing secret once. At least one event is required. You can have at most 25 alerts. | Click once. |
The signing secret box (shown once)
| Item (exact label) | What it does | Notes |
|---|---|---|
Signing secret (read-only, starts with whsec_) |
The receiving tool uses it to check that an alert really came from VisionScaper. | Shown only once. |
Copy |
Copies it. | |
I have saved it |
Hides it. |
Your alerts (one block per alert)
Each shows the site name, On or Off, a “From Zapier” tag when Zapier made it, what it tells about, a reason if it was switched off, and “Last try … worked / answered N / no answer”.
| Button (exact label) | What it does for VisionScaper | Notes |
|---|---|---|
Send a test |
Sends a harmless test message now and shows what the other side answered. | Toast says “The test arrived…” or why it did not. |
Turn off / Turn on |
Pauses or resumes the alert. Turning on clears the failure count. | |
Recent tries / Hide recent tries |
Shows a table: When, What, Result. | |
Send again (in the table, failed tries only) |
Queues a failed alert again. | Not for test messages. |
New secret |
After you confirm, makes a new signing secret. The old one stops working. | The new one is shown once. |
Remove |
After you confirm, deletes the alert. |
Alerts are signed and retried. A failed alert is tried again after 1 minute, 5 minutes, 30 minutes, 2 hours and 6 hours, then given up. After 10 failures in a row the alert is switched off and you are emailed.
Steps
- Open Zapier & API keys.
- On Access keys, type a name, tick only what the tool needs, click Make a key.
- Click Copy key and paste it into the other tool now. Click I have saved it.
- On Alerts to other tools, type the receiving address, tick the events, click Add alert.
- Copy the signing secret into the receiving tool.
- Click Send a test and read the toast.
Tips
- Give each key the fewest boxes it needs.
- Turn off keys for tools you stopped using.
- Use Recent tries to see why an alert failed.
If something goes wrong
- “You have 20 active keys”: turn one off.
- “You have 25 alerts set up”: remove one.
- “The address must start with https://”: fix the address.
- “That address can’t be reached from the internet”: use a public address.
- Rate-limit (429) from your tool: you passed the hourly limit; wait.