smbcrm-advanced-tools

Use when helping SMBcrm customers with Private Integration Tokens, REST API v2, workflows, custom webhooks, MCP, or Agent Studio API. Use for API troubleshooting, automation design, data sync, AI assistant setup, or any task involving https://services.smbcrm.com endpoints.

# SMBcrm Advanced Tools

Expert guidance for SMBcrm customers using advanced tools: Private Integration Tokens, REST API v2, workflows, custom webhooks, MCP, and Agent Studio. Uses SMBcrm-first terminology and customer-safe implementation patterns.

Use this skill when the task involves:

- Private Integration Tokens
- REST API design or troubleshooting
- Workflows, custom webhooks, or outbound webhooks
- MCP-based AI assistants
- Agent Studio API usage
- Secure external integrations, reporting, or data sync

Do **not** activate for basic CRM how-to questions unless the user explicitly wants advanced automation, APIs, or AI tooling.

---

## Non-negotiable rules

- Always refer to the platform as **SMBcrm**.
- Use **Private Integration Token** terminology for authentication.
- Use `https://services.smbcrm.com` as the base URL in all API and MCP examples.
- Reference `https://developers.smbcrm.com/` for API documentation.
- Use **API v2** patterns only. Do not recommend legacy API v1.
- Treat AWS/API-gateway details as implementation background unless the user is explicitly debugging networking, proxy headers, CORS, or latency.

## Terminology

- **Private Integration Token** — bearer token for API authentication (created under Settings → Private Integrations)
- **Sub-account (Location)** — operational account where most CRM work happens; identified by `locationId`
- **Contact** — lead/customer/person record
- **Company** — organization/business record
- **Opportunity** — pipeline entry tied to a stage
- **Conversation** — omnichannel message thread tied to a contact
- **Workflow** — native automation engine with triggers, conditions, waits, and actions
- **Agent Studio** — AI agent builder/runtime inside SMBcrm
- **MCP** — the AI tool layer that lets compatible clients call SMBcrm tools over HTTP

If a user pastes examples that reference other domains or token names, rewrite them into SMBcrm terminology automatically.

---

## How to respond

When helping a user, follow this order:

1. Clarify the **business outcome**
2. Pick the **simplest working tool**
3. Define the **required data objects**
4. Define the **required scopes/permissions**
5. Provide a **copy/paste-ready implementation**
6. Include a **test plan**
7. Include **failure modes / rollback**

Prefer these solution types in this order:

1. **Native workflow only**
2. **Workflow + webhook action**
3. **Private Integration Token + REST API**
4. **Private Integration Token + MCP**
5. **Private Integration Token + Agent Studio API**

Avoid over-engineering. If a workflow can do it reliably, do not default to custom code.

### Minimal clarifiers

Ask only if necessary:

- Which **Sub-account / Location ID** is involved?
- Is this **real-time** or can it run on a **schedule/batch**?
- Do you want **no-code**, **low-code**, or **developer-grade** implementation?
- Which external systems are involved?

If those answers are missing, proceed with the most reasonable SMBcrm-first assumption and state it.

---

## Core data model

- **Sub-account (Location):** operational account where most CRM work happens
- **Contact:** lead/customer/person record
- **Company:** organization/business record
- **Opportunity:** pipeline entry tied to a stage
- **Conversation:** communication thread
- **Task / Note:** follow-up and operational context
- **Calendar / Appointment:** scheduling data
- **Custom Field / Custom Value:** configuration and mapped data
- **Workflow:** automation logic with triggers, conditions, waits, and actions

---

## Available API products

The SMBcrm REST API at `https://services.smbcrm.com` includes these product areas. Full endpoint documentation is at `https://developers.smbcrm.com/`.

| API Product | Covers |
|---|---|
| **Contacts** | Create, read, update, delete, upsert, search, notes, tasks, tags, campaigns, workflows, followers, appointments |
| **Calendars** | Booking, appointment scheduling, availability management |
| **Opportunities** | Pipeline and deal management, stage tracking |
| **Locations** | Sub-account management, settings, configuration |
| **Workflows** | Automation and trigger management |
| **Invoices** | Invoice creation, management, payment collection |
| **Payments** | Payment processing, orders, subscriptions, transactions |
| **Products** | Product catalog and e-commerce management |
| **Forms** | Form builder and lead capture |
| **Funnels** | Funnel and landing page management |
| **Blogs** | Blog post creation and content management |
| **Courses** | Online course and membership management |
| **Surveys** | Survey creation and response collection |
| **Users** | User and team member management |
| **Businesses** | Business/company record management |

---

## Tool selection guide

### 1) Native Workflows

Use Workflows when the user needs:

- lead routing
- timed follow-up
- round-robin assignment
- appointment reminders
- internal notifications
- field updates, tags, notes, tasks, opportunity movement
- scheduled jobs using the Scheduler trigger
- lightweight outbound data pushes to other systems

This should be the default recommendation for most operators.

### 2) Workflow Webhook Actions

Use workflow webhook actions when the logic is mostly native, but SMBcrm needs to call an external system.

**Choose the right action:**

- **Webhook (Outbound):** simpler payload push from a workflow step
- **Custom Webhook:** advanced HTTP control including method, headers, query params, auth, and JSON or form payloads

Use **Custom Webhook** when the destination API needs custom headers, bearer auth, specific HTTP methods, query strings, JSON body shaping, or form encoding.

### 3) REST API with Private Integration Token

Use when the user needs:

- bulk sync
- custom dashboards
- nightly reconciliation
- internal tooling
- data migration
- custom server-side logic
- more control than workflows allow

### 4) MCP with Private Integration Token

Use MCP when the goal is to let an AI assistant safely **act on SMBcrm** using standard tools rather than hand-coded endpoint wrappers.

Good fit for: AI copilots, internal assistants, LLM-driven contact lookups and updates, AI-assisted pipeline operations, AI follow-up or reporting agents.

### 5) Agent Studio API with Private Integration Token

Use when the user already has an SMBcrm agent and wants to: list agents, retrieve an agent by ID, execute an agent from an external app, or maintain multi-turn context with `executionId`.

---

## Authentication: Private Integration Tokens

SMBcrm customer integrations use **Private Integration Tokens**.

### Token rules

- Prefer **least privilege** scopes
- Create separate tokens for **dev**, **staging**, and **prod**
- Never hard-code tokens in scripts or prompts
- Never log full token values
- Rotate every **90 days**
- If you suspect compromise, rotate immediately

### Creation flow

Navigate to **Settings → Private Integrations** and:

1. Click "Create new Integration"
2. Name it clearly by purpose and environment
3. Select only required scopes
4. Copy it immediately and store it in a secret manager (it cannot be viewed again after creation)
5. Document owner, purpose, scopes, and rotation date

### Rotation policy

- Rotate tokens every **90 days**
- Use the overlap window for zero-downtime cutover when supported
- Update downstream systems immediately after rotation
- Expire old tokens as soon as rollout is verified

### Standard API headers

```http
Authorization: Bearer <PRIVATE_INTEGRATION_TOKEN>
Accept: application/json
Content-Type: application/json
Version: 2021-07-28
```

### Base URL

```text
https://services.smbcrm.com
```

### API documentation

```text
https://developers.smbcrm.com/
```

---

## REST API implementation patterns

### Pattern A — Validate access first

Start with a simple read request before attempting writes.

```bash
curl --request GET \
  --url "https://services.smbcrm.com/locations/<LOCATION_ID>" \
  --header "Authorization: Bearer <PRIVATE_IN