What is conversation capture?
Conversation capture automatically syncs Intercom conversations to HubSpot as rich, formatted notes with full context including the transcript, participant information, tags, and attachments. These notes appear on contact, company, or ticket timelines in HubSpot.
When are conversations captured?
You can choose from three trigger modes:
On Conversation Closed: Captures when an Intercom conversation is marked as closed (most common)
Rolling Updates: Captures at regular intervals (e.g., every 6 hours) during ongoing conversations
Manual Push Only: Only captures when you explicitly trigger via API
What is the grace window?
For "On Close" mode, the grace window is a configurable delay (default: 10 minutes) after a conversation closes before it's captured. This prevents premature captures when agents quickly reopen conversations.
Can I capture the same conversation multiple times?
Yes. The "Same Conversation Policy" controls this:
Append to Existing (recommended): Updates the existing HubSpot note with new content if captured within 24 hours
Always Create New: Creates a fresh note every time, even for the same conversation
After 24 hours, a new note is always created regardless of policy.
Content & Formatting
What's included in a captured conversation?
Each captured conversation includes:
Summary Section:
Conversation outcome (closed, open, snoozed)
Applied tags
Key metadata
Transcript Section:
Chronological message thread with timestamps
Participant names and roles (customer, agent, bot)
Clear message attribution
Markdown formatting for readability
Metadata Section:
Conversation ID and state
Created/updated timestamps
Assignment information
Tags and labels
Attachments:
List of all shared files
File names, URLs, and types
Configuration Snapshot:
Settings used at capture time (audit trail)
Can I customize what's included?
Yes! You can configure:
Include Transcript: Toggle full message thread (default: enabled)
Include Bot Messages: Include automated bot messages (default: disabled)
Include Internal Notes: Include Intercom internal team notes (default: disabled)
Include Attachments: Include attachment references (default: enabled)
Include Events: Include system events like assignments (default: disabled)
Access these settings via: Connections → [Connection] → Conversations → Content
Can I exclude internal/private notes from being synced?
Yes. Set Include Internal Notes to disabled in your content settings. This ensures only customer-facing messages are synced to HubSpot.
Noise Guards (Filtering)
What are noise guards?
Noise guards automatically filter out low-value conversations to keep your HubSpot clean and focused. They prevent spam, test conversations, and brief interactions from cluttering your CRM.
What filters are available?
Filter | Default | Description |
Minimum Messages | 2 | Skip conversations with fewer than N customer messages |
Minimum Duration | 1 minute | Skip conversations shorter than N minutes |
Require Human Participant | Enabled | Skip bot-only conversations (must have agent reply) |
Exclude Auto-Closed | Enabled | Skip conversations closed automatically by system |
Exclude Unassigned | Disabled | Skip conversations with no agent assigned |
All filters are configurable via: Connections → [Connection] → Conversations → Noise Guards
Why aren't some conversations showing up in HubSpot?
The most common reason is noise guard filters. Check your noise guard settings:
Minimum Messages: Conversation may have too few customer messages
Require Human Participant: Conversation may be bot-only with no agent reply
Minimum Duration: Conversation may be too short
Exclude Auto-Closed: Conversation may have been auto-closed by the system
Adjust these thresholds to capture more or fewer conversations.
Can I disable all filters?
Yes. You can set all noise guards to their most permissive values:
Minimum messages: 0
Minimum duration: 0 minutes
Require human participant: Disabled
Exclude auto-closed: Disabled
Exclude unassigned: Disabled
However, we recommend keeping some basic filters enabled to maintain HubSpot data quality.
Destination Routing
Where do captured conversations go in HubSpot?
Conversations are saved as notes/timeline entries in HubSpot. You control the destination with two configurations:
When No Ticket Linked:
Container (primary note): Contact timeline OR Company timeline
Stub notes (optional references): Additional lightweight notes on related records
When Ticket Linked:
Container (primary note): Ticket timeline, Contact timeline, OR Company timeline
Stub notes (optional references): Additional lightweight notes on related records
What's the difference between a "container" and a "stub note"?
Container Note: The full, complete conversation capture with transcript, metadata, and all details
Stub Note: A lightweight reference note with a summary and link to the full note
For example, if the container is on the Contact timeline, you might create stub notes on the Company and Ticket timelines with links pointing to the full contact note.
How many stub notes can I create?
You can create stub notes on related records. For contacts specifically, we limit to 5 stub notes per conversation to prevent clutter when multiple contacts participate.
What happens if the preferred destination doesn't exist?
The system uses fallback logic:
If contact doesn't exist and creation is disabled → falls back to company
If company doesn't exist and creation is disabled → falls back to contact
If neither exists → conversation is skipped with clear logging
Configure your creation policies to ensure conversations always have a valid destination.
API Push
What is API Push?
API Push allows you to trigger conversation capture programmatically using our REST API. This is useful for:
Manual on-demand syncing
Batch processing conversations
Integration with internal tools
Custom workflow automation
How do I use API Push?
Enable API Push in: Connections → [Connection] → Conversations → Triggers
Generate an API key
Make a POST request to the endpoint with your API key
The captured conversation will use your connection's configured settings (noise guards, destination routing, content settings, etc.).
Is API Push secure?
Yes. API keys are:
Encrypted at rest
Transmitted over HTTPS only
Scoped to a specific connection
Regenerable at any time
Is API Push available on all plans?
No. API Push is available on Pro and Enterprise plans only.
Troubleshooting
A conversation was captured but I can't find it in HubSpot
Check these locations:
Contact Timeline: If set as container destination
Company Timeline: If set as container or fallback destination
Ticket Timeline: If ticket was linked and set as container
HubSpot Search: Search for the Intercom conversation ID
Also verify:
The contact/company was successfully matched or created
Your HubSpot user has permission to view the record
The note wasn't filtered by HubSpot's activity filters
Can I recapture a conversation that was already synced?
Yes. If you've updated your configuration and want to recapture:
Use the API Push feature to manually trigger capture
The system will respect your "Same Conversation Policy" setting (append or create new)
How long after closing a conversation does it appear in HubSpot?
For "On Close" mode:
Grace window duration (default: 10 minutes)
Plus processing time (typically 30 seconds to 2 minutes)
For "Rolling Updates" mode:
Next scheduled capture interval
Plus processing time
Do conversations sync in real-time?
Not real-time, but near real-time:
"On Close" mode: Within minutes of closing
"Rolling Updates" mode: At configured intervals (e.g., every 6 hours)
"Manual Push": Immediately when triggered via API
Best Practices
What capture trigger should I use?
Recommended for most teams: "On Conversation Closed"
Captures complete interactions
Reduces noise and partial data
Most efficient use of HubSpot storage
When to use Rolling Updates:
Very long support conversations (multi-day)
Need to keep HubSpot updated during active conversations
Sales team needs visibility into ongoing discussions
When to use Manual Push:
You want complete control over capture timing
Integration with custom workflows
Selective syncing of important conversations only
What noise guard settings should I use?
Conservative (cleanest HubSpot):
Minimum messages: 3-5
Minimum duration: 2-3 minutes
Require human participant: Enabled
Exclude auto-closed: Enabled
Balanced (recommended):
Minimum messages: 2
Minimum duration: 1 minute
Require human participant: Enabled
Exclude auto-closed: Enabled
Permissive (capture everything):
Minimum messages: 0-1
Minimum duration: 0 minutes
Require human participant: Disabled
Exclude auto-closed: Disabled
Where should I route captured conversations?
For support-focused teams:
Container: Contact timeline
Enable stub notes on Company
For account-based sales teams:
Container: Company timeline
Enable stub notes on Contact
For ticket-based workflows:
When ticket linked: Container on Ticket timeline
When no ticket: Container on Contact timeline
Enable stub notes on related records
Account Management
Can I change my connection settings after initial setup?
Yes. All settings can be changed at any time via your connection's configuration pages. Changes apply to future captures—they don't retroactively affect already-synced conversations.
Can I pause syncing without deleting my connection?
Yes. Set your capture mode to "Manual Push Only" to pause automatic syncing while preserving all your configuration.
How do I delete a connection?
Navigate to Connections → [Your Connection] and click Delete Connection. This will:
Stop all syncing immediately
Remove the connection configuration
Preserve data already synced to HubSpot (you'll need to delete that manually if desired)