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How to prepare the values Parahelp asks for when connecting Plain.
During setup, Parahelp asks you for three things: your Plain workspace URL, a machine-user API key (with All permissions), and the request signing secret. This guide shows where to get them. Parahelp sets up the webhook automatically, so there is nothing else to build in Plain.

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1. Create the machine user

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Open Machine users & API Keys

Go to Settings → Machine Users.
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Add Machine User

Select Add Machine User.
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Set the Name

Set Name to a clear internal name for the agent, for example your agent’s name.
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Set the Public name

Set Public name to the customer-facing agent name. Customers see this name when the agent replies, so set it right up front. The machine user is your support agent in Plain.Create machine user when done.
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2. Create the API key

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Add API Key

On the machine user’s page, select Add API Key
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Give the key the full All permission set, not the default Recommended set

  • In the permissions header, open the Filter dropdown. The Recommended vs All choice lives inside it, so it is easy to miss.
  • Choose All (~370 permissions) and select everything. Do not pick permissions one by one.
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The All set is needed so the agent can reply, assign, update threads, create the webhook target during setup, and support future Plain tools. The default Recommended set (~270 permissions) leaves out the webhook, thread, and customer permissions.See Plain’s API key guide for reference.
3

Create and copy the key

Click Create API Key, then copy the key immediately. Plain shows it only once.
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3. Copy the workspace URL

Copy your Plain workspace URL from the browser. It should include /workspace/....

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4. Copy the request signing secret

Open Settings → Request signing and copy the HMAC secret. If none exists, generate one, then copy it. See Plain’s request signing guide for reference.
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5. Enter the values in Parahelp

Give Parahelp the three values when it asks:
  • Workspace URL (from step 3)
  • API key (from step 2)
  • Request signing secret (from step 4)
Parahelp uses this API key as the runtime Plain key: it validates the key, derives the machine-user id from it, and creates or reuses the webhook target automatically. There is no agent confirmation step: the machine user you created is the support agent, and its Public name is what customers see on replies.
If a later step fails with a permission or forbidden error, the API key was most likely created with the Recommended set. Recreate it with All via the Filter dropdown.
Once connected, assign threads to Parahelp.