Skill: Zendesk

The authenticated user email for Combinate is [email protected] (the account the API token is tied to).

source "/Users/shanemcgeorge/Claude/Combinate EA/.env" && curl -s \
  -u "[email protected]/token:$ZENDESK_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  "$ZENDESK_URL/api/v2/[endpoint]"

Operations

1. List Recent Tickets

Returns the most recent tickets across all statuses. Useful for a quick overview.

source "/Users/shanemcgeorge/Claude/Combinate EA/.env" && curl -s \
  -u "[email protected]/token:$ZENDESK_API_KEY" \
  "$ZENDESK_URL/api/v2/tickets.json?sort_by=created_at&sort_order=desc&per_page=25" | python3 -c "
import sys, json
data = json.load(sys.stdin)
for t in data.get('tickets', []):
    print(f\"[{t['id']}] {t['status'].upper():8} | {t['subject']} | Created: {t['created_at'][:10]}\")
"

2. List Open Tickets

source "/Users/shanemcgeorge/Claude/Combinate EA/.env" && curl -s \
  -u "[email protected]/token:$ZENDESK_API_KEY" \
  "$ZENDESK_URL/api/v2/tickets.json?status=open&per_page=50" | python3 -c "
import sys, json
data = json.load(sys.stdin)
tickets = data.get('tickets', [])
print(f'Open tickets: {len(tickets)}')
for t in tickets:
    print(f\"  [{t['id']}] {t['subject']} | Requester ID: {t['requester_id']} | Updated: {t['updated_at'][:10]}\")
"

3. Get a Single Ticket with Full Details

Replace TICKET_ID with the actual ticket ID.

source "/Users/shanemcgeorge/Claude/Combinate EA/.env" && curl -s \
  -u "[email protected]/token:$ZENDESK_API_KEY" \
  "$ZENDESK_URL/api/v2/tickets/TICKET_ID.json" | python3 -c "
import sys, json
data = json.load(sys.stdin)
t = data.get('ticket', {})
print(f\"ID:          {t.get('id')}\")
print(f\"Subject:     {t.get('subject')}\")
print(f\"Status:      {t.get('status')}\")
print(f\"Priority:    {t.get('priority')}\")
print(f\"Requester:   {t.get('requester_id')}\")
print(f\"Assignee:    {t.get('assignee_id')}\")
print(f\"Created:     {t.get('created_at', '')[:10]}\")
print(f\"Updated:     {t.get('updated_at', '')[:10]}\")
print(f\"Description:\")
print(t.get('description', '(none)'))
"

4. Get All Comments on a Ticket

Returns the full conversation thread including public replies and internal notes.

source "/Users/shanemcgeorge/Claude/Combinate EA/.env" && curl -s \
  -u "[email protected]/token:$ZENDESK_API_KEY" \
  "$ZENDESK_URL/api/v2/tickets/TICKET_ID/comments.json" | python3 -c "
import sys, json
data = json.load(sys.stdin)
comments = data.get('comments', [])
print(f'Comments: {len(comments)}')
for c in comments:
    visibility = 'INTERNAL' if not c.get('public') else 'PUBLIC'
    author_id = c.get('author_id')
    created = c.get('created_at', '')[:10]
    print(f'--- [{visibility}] Author ID: {author_id} | {created}')
    print(c.get('body', ''))
    print()
"

5. Add a Public Reply to a Ticket (Draft for Shane to Review)

This posts a public reply visible to the customer. Review the content carefully before running.

Replace TICKET_ID and the reply body as needed.

source "/Users/shanemcgeorge/Claude/Combinate EA/.env" && curl -s -X PUT \
  -u "[email protected]/token:$ZENDESK_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "ticket": {
      "comment": {
        "body": "REPLY BODY HERE",
        "public": true
      }
    }
  }' \
  "$ZENDESK_URL/api/v2/tickets/TICKET_ID.json"

6. Add an Internal Note to a Ticket

Internal notes are only visible to your team, not the customer.

source "/Users/shanemcgeorge/Claude/Combinate EA/.env" && curl -s -X PUT \
  -u "[email protected]/token:$ZENDESK_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "ticket": {
      "comment": {
        "body": "INTERNAL NOTE HERE",
        "public": false
      }
    }
  }' \
  "$ZENDESK_URL/api/v2/tickets/TICKET_ID.json"

7. Update Ticket Status

Valid statuses: new, open, pending, hold, solved, closed

source "/Users/shanemcgeorge/Claude/Combinate EA/.env" && curl -s -X PUT \
  -u "[email protected]/token:$ZENDESK_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "ticket": {
      "status": "STATUS_HERE"
    }
  }' \
  "$ZENDESK_URL/api/v2/tickets/TICKET_ID.json"

8. Search Tickets

Search by keyword, requester email, subject, or status. Uses Zendesk Search API.

source "/Users/shanemcgeorge/Claude/Combinate EA/.env" && curl -s -G \
  -u "[email protected]/token:$ZENDESK_API_KEY" \
  --data-urlencode "query=SEARCH_TERM type:ticket" \
  "$ZENDESK_URL/api/v2/search.json" | python3 -c "
import sys, json
data = json.load(sys.stdin)
results = data.get('results', [])
print(f'Results: {len(results)}')
for t in results:
    print(f\"  [{t['id']}] {t['status'].upper():8} | {t['subject']} | Updated: {t['updated_at'][:10]}\")
"

Search query examples:

• requester:[email protected] type:ticket - tickets from a specific email
• status:open type:ticket - open tickets
• subject:refund type:ticket - tickets with "refund" in the subject
• type:ticket created>2026-01-01 - tickets created after a date

9. Get Requester Details (to resolve requester_id to name/email)

Replace USER_ID with the requester_id from a ticket.

source "/Users/shanemcgeorge/Claude/Combinate EA/.env" && curl -s \
  -u "[email protected]/token:$ZENDESK_API_KEY" \
  "$ZENDESK_URL/api/v2/users/USER_ID.json" | python3 -c "
import sys, json
data = json.load(sys.stdin)
u = data.get('user', {})
print(f\"Name:   {u.get('name')}\")
print(f\"Email:  {u.get('email')}\")
print(f\"Role:   {u.get('role')}\")
"

Drafting Replies

When asked to draft a reply to a ticket:

1. Read the full ticket and comment thread first (operations 3 and 4)
2. Resolve the requester name/email (operation 9) if needed for context
3. Draft a reply in a clear, professional, and helpful tone - consistent with Combinate's voice
4. Present the draft to Shane for review before posting
5. When Shane approves, use operation 5 to post the public reply

For internal notes, follow the same process but use operation 6.

Presenting Results

When surfacing ticket data:

• Use a table when listing multiple tickets
• Always show: Ticket ID, Status, Subject, Requester, Last Updated
• For ticket threads, show each comment with author, date, and visibility (public/internal)
• Flag tickets that are open and have not been updated in more than 3 days as potentially stale
• When adding a comment or updating status, confirm success and echo back the ticket ID

Error Handling

• 401 Unauthorized - API key or email is wrong. Check .env for ZENDESK_API_KEY and confirm the email [email protected] is correct for this Zendesk account
• 403 Forbidden - The API token does not have permission for this action. Check token scopes in Zendesk Admin
• 404 Not Found - The ticket ID does not exist. Use search or list to find the correct ID
• 422 Unprocessable Entity - Invalid field value (e.g. bad status string). Check the payload
• Missing ZENDESK_URL - Prompt Shane to confirm .env is sourced correctly