Key takeaways
- Canvas Kit apps run in the Inbox, the Messenger and Workflows.
- Your service returns components; Intercom renders them natively.
- Build custom when no App Store app fits your own systems.
Where Canvas Kit apps appear
| Placement | Who sees it | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| Inbox | Agents | Customer context and one-click actions |
| Messenger | Customers | Bookings, forms, status checks |
| Workflows | Customers, inside an automated flow | Lookups and custom steps |
How an app works
When the app is opened, Intercom sends a request to your service with the context, such as the conversation and the contact. Your service replies with a canvas: a JSON description of components. When someone presses a button or submits input, Intercom calls your service again and you return the next canvas. Nothing is rendered in your own front end, so the app looks native.
Custom app or App Store?
- Use an App Store app when a vendor already connects the system you use, the way you use it.
- Build custom when the data lives in your own product, the action follows your own rules, or several systems are involved.
Other helpdesks have their own frameworks, such as the Zendesk Apps Framework and the Freshworks Developer Kit. See custom helpdesk apps.