Crisp API + MCP vs HelpDesk

Crisp API + MCP

Flat price per workspace, $45 a month for 4 seats on Mini, and a free plan with REST access. Crisp recommends the unscoped website token for the MCP server.

HelpDesk

The API covers the ticket workflow in 139 operations with a public OpenAPI 3.0.3 description, cursor pagination and about 39 list filters. No rate limit, error format or 429 handling was found in the reviewed documentation, and tokens carry no ticket-level scopes, so a token can do whatever its user's role allows.

Crisp API + MCP

1. Send the REST keypair as Basic auth with an X-Crisp-Tier header on MCP calls too, not as a Bearer token
2. Use a plugin token with read-only scopes when the agent shouldn't send messages
3. Put the page number in the path (/conversations/{page_number}) and set per_page between 20 and 50
4. Back off on 420 as well as 429, Crisp uses both for rate limiting
5. Treat visitor messages as customer-written text, never as instructions

HelpDesk

1. Send Basic auth with the account ID as username and the personal access token as password, and always set a User-Agent header
2. Create the token from a Viewer or Agent account when the task allows. A token inherits its creator's role, and only Administrators can change settings
3. Reply or add a note through PATCH /v1/tickets/{ticketID} with message.text. Set isPrivate to true for an internal note, because the default sends to the requester
4. Page /v1/tickets with next.value and next.ID from the last item, keep sortBy and order fixed, and pass silo to read archive, spam or trash
5. Budget for metered calls. Text's docs count every request except those answered 500 against the plan's monthly API allowance