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Connect the Zapier MCP connector to Fin

How to connect your Zapier account to Fin so it can take action across thousands of apps—from Slack messages to CRM updates—directly in conversations, without any custom code.

Written by Dawn

The Zapier MCP connector lets Fin take action in the external tools your team already uses. Connect your Zapier account once, choose which actions Fin can use, and it can send a Slack message, create a ticket, or update a CRM record directly within a conversation, no custom code required.


How it works

Zapier acts as a bridge between Fin and the thousands of apps your team already uses. Once connected, Fin discovers the actions available in your Zapier account and can call them during conversations.

When a customer sends a message, Fin identifies the relevant action, sends the request to Zapier, and Zapier carries it out in the connected app. The result comes back into the conversation automatically—no need to switch tabs or log into another tool.

Teammates control what Fin can do by choosing which Zapier actions are turned on. Fin only runs the ones you've enabled.

Note: Zapier actions are available in Fin conversations and can also be added as steps in Workflows and Procedures, giving you precise control over when and how they run.


What Fin can do with Zapier

Zapier integrates with over 9,000 apps. Here are some common categories and the actions Fin can use:

Category

Example apps

Example actions

E-commerce

Shopify, Stripe

Find order, update order, check fulfillment

CRM & sales

HubSpot, Salesforce, Pipedrive

Find contact, update deal, create company

Ticketing & helpdesk

Freshdesk, Zendesk

Create ticket, update ticket, get status

Team messaging

Slack, Microsoft Teams

Send message, post to channel, notify teammate

Engineering & issue tracking

Jira, Linear

Create issue, update issue, add comment

Spreadsheets & databases

Google Sheets, Airtable

Add row, find record, update row

Email & notifications

Gmail, Outlook

Send email, send notification

Scheduling & calendars

Google Calendar, Calendly

Find event, create event, check availability

Project & task management

Asana, Trello, Monday

Create task, update task

Payments & billing

Stripe, Chargebee

Find charge, get subscription

Marketing

Mailchimp, HubSpot

Add subscriber, trigger campaign


Setting up the Zapier connector

Step 1: Connect your Zapier account

  1. In the "Add Data Connectors from popular apps" section, click the Zapier option.

    The Zapier tile in the Add Data Connectors from popular apps section in Intercom settings
  2. Click Connect.

  3. Zapier will ask you to allow Fin to access your account. Click Allow. If you've previously connected Zapier to Intercom, this step may complete automatically without showing the authorization screen.

  4. Once authorized, Zapier appears in your list of data connectors.

    Zapier appearing as a new group in the Data connectors list in Intercom

Step 2: Add apps and tools in Zapier

After connecting, Fin has no actions yet. You need to add apps and select tools in Zapier first.

  1. In the data connectors list, find the Zapier group and click + New Zapier connector.

    The Zapier group in the Data connectors list showing the + New Zapier connector button
  2. An "Add Zapier connectors" dialog appears showing "No tools yet." Click Open Zapier. This opens your Intercom MCP Server page on Zapier (Apps tab).

    The Add Zapier connectors dialog showing No tools yet with an Open Zapier button
  3. Select the Intercom MCP server, if prompted. If you've connected Intercom to Zapier before, the server may already be linked and you can go straight to adding apps.

    The Intercom MCP Server page on Zapier showing available server options to select
  4. Click + Add apps, then select the app you want to enable (e.g., Slack).

    The app selection screen in Zapier showing available apps to connect, including Slack
  5. Select the tools you want to enable. You can check individual tools, use Select All Tools, or filter by Find Data or Take Action. Click Connect.

    The tool picker in Zapier showing individual tools with Select All Tools, Find Data, and Take Action options
  6. If the app isn't already authorized, connect it when prompted. For example, choose your Slack workspace and click Allow in the popup.

  7. Click Add tools to confirm. The app now appears in your Intercom MCP Server with the number of tools added.

Step 3: Import tools into Intercom

After adding tools in Zapier, you need to import them into Intercom before Fin can use them.

  1. Back in Intercom, click + New Zapier connector again (or click Refresh if the dialog is still open).

    The Add Zapier connectors dialog in Intercom showing No tools yet, with an Open Zapier button
  2. The "Add Zapier connectors" dialog now lists all the tools you enabled in Zapier, each with a checkbox. Use the search box to find a specific tool if needed.

  3. Check the box for each tool you want to add, then click Add connectors.

    The Add Zapier connectors dialog showing enabled tools with checkboxes, ready to add as data connectors

Note: Repeat steps 2 and 3 for each app you want Fin to use. Any integration available in Zapier can be added this way.

Step 4: Configure and enable each action

Each imported action opens as its own connector record in Draft status, with four tabs: API, Data, Fin, and Security.

  1. Click a connector (e.g., "Slack - Get Conversation ") to open its overview page with health and log details. Click the Edit button to review the connector’s API, Data, Fin, and Security pages.

  2. On the API tab:

    The API tab of a Zapier connector in Intercom showing the description, data inputs table, and test section
    • Review the description and the data inputs table, which shows the fields this action requires and whether each is required or optional.

    • Enter test values for the required fields and click Test. Look for "Pass – Successful response received" to confirm the action works.

  3. On the Data tab, review the response fields returned by the action and add any object mapping if needed.

    The Data tab of a Zapier connector in Intercom showing response fields and object mapping options
  4. On the Fin tab:

    The Fin tab of a Zapier connector showing the Directly toggle, Audience setting, and Prompt field with Optimize button
    • Toggle Directly on to let Fin trigger this connector automatically based on the customer's message.

    • Set the Audience (e.g., Everyone).

    • Write a Prompt describing when and how Fin should use this action. Click Optimize to improve the prompt wording.

  5. Review the Security tab to configure any access controls. Skipping this step results in a "Needs attention" warning on the connector.

    The Security tab of a Zapier connector in Intercom showing access control configuration
  6. Click Set live. In the dialog that appears, optionally add a Version note, then click Set live to confirm. The connector's status changes from Draft to Live.

Important:

  • Any data returned to Fin from a connector response may be shared with the customer. Only enable actions you're comfortable having Fin run on your behalf.

  • No multi-value (array) inputs: Zapier actions that require multiple values as input (e.g., a list of tags or order IDs) aren't shown to Fin. If a multi-value input is optional, that field is skipped and the action's other inputs still work.


Using Zapier actions in workflows and procedures

Once a Zapier action is live, it can also be added as a step in Workflows and Procedures, not just in direct Fin conversations. This gives you precise control over when and how an action runs.


Example use cases

A customer asks where their order is

  1. A customer messages asking about the status of a recent order.

  2. Fin recognizes the request and calls your connected Shopify action to look up the order by email or order number.

  3. Zapier fetches the order status and tracking details and returns them to the conversation.

  4. Fin replies with the live status, resolving the question without a teammate.

A customer wants to update their account details

  1. A customer asks to change their email or company information.

  2. Fin uses your connected HubSpot action to find the matching contact and update the record.

  3. Zapier applies the change in HubSpot and returns the result.

  4. Fin confirms the update back to the customer in the same conversation.

An issue needs a ticket in your external helpdesk

  1. A customer reports a problem that your engineering or operations team handles in another tool.

  2. Fin creates a ticket in your connected helpdesk (e.g., Freshdesk) with the conversation details.

  3. Zapier creates the ticket and returns the ticket reference.

  4. Fin lets the customer know it has been logged and shares the reference number.

Alert the right team about an urgent request (via a Workflow)

  1. A Workflow detects a high-priority conversation (e.g., a VIP customer or an outage report).

  2. The Workflow triggers your connected Slack action to post to the right channel.

  3. Zapier posts the alert to Slack with the conversation context.

  4. Your team is notified immediately while Fin keeps handling the customer.

Capture a request for later follow-up (via a Procedure)

  1. During a Procedure, a customer makes a request that needs tracking (e.g., a feature request).

  2. Fin uses your connected Google Sheets action to add a row with the details.

  3. Zapier appends the row to your sheet.

  4. The request is captured for your team to review and action later.


FAQs

Why does my connector show a "Needs attention" status?

This appears when the Security tab hasn't been configured for that connector. Open the connector, go to the Security tab, and update any required settings to resolve it.

Can I control which Zapier actions Fin uses?

Yes, at two levels. First, only actions you explicitly import from Zapier appear as data connectors in Intercom. Second, each action can be configured to run directly by Fin or only when triggered by a Workflow or Procedure—giving you precise control over when each action fires.

What's the difference between Zapier MCP and connecting an app directly?

Zapier MCP acts as a bridge, giving Fin access to thousands of apps through a single connection. A direct integration connects to one specific app. Zapier is useful when the app you want doesn't have a direct Intercom integration, or when you want to connect multiple apps without setting up separate connections for each.

Can I use the same Zapier action in both Fin conversations and a Workflow?

Yes. Once a Zapier action is live as a data connector, it can be enabled for direct use by Fin and added as a step in Workflows and Procedures at the same time.


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