Zendesk Integration Update: Migrate to Oauth and fix two way integration

We are happy to announce that we have upgraded  our Zendesk integration.  We have added support for Oauth client based authentication  and behind-the-scene changes to how tickets are updated. If you use Watchman Monitoring’s Zendesk integration , here’s what’s changing and what you should do about it.

Connect with with OAuth

The biggest change is that can connect to Zendesk using OAuth instead of the legacy permanent  API token.

When you open the Zendesk integration settings, you’ll see a new Authentication Method toggle with two options. The new (recommended) one, OAuth, lets you connect by entering an OAuth Client ID and Secret from your Zendesk account and clicking Connect with OAuth. You’ll be bounced over to Zendesk to authorize, then dropped back into Watchman Monitoring once you approve. The existing API Token flow (admin email plus token) is still available for backward compatibility.

Once OAuth is connected, you’ll see an OAuth Connected indicator along with the token’s expiration date. You don’t need to do anything when that date arrives. Watchman Monitoring refreshes the token automatically before it expires.

Why does this matter? 

Zendesk is steadily pushing its platform toward OAuth as the modern, secure authentication standard. As of February 2, 2026, Zendesk requires all newly created global clients to use OAuth, and the same defaults are now extending to local OAuth clients. Long-lived API tokens still work today, but the direction of the platform is clear. OAuth is where Zendesk is investing, and connecting that way means your integration uses short-lived, auto-rotated credentials scoped specifically to Watchman Monitoring. Better security now, and one less thing to migrate later.

Setup instructions for creating the OAuth client in your Zendesk admin panel are linked directly inside the integration screen.

Webhooks instead of Targets

Behind the scenes, we’ve changed the way Watchman Monitoring tells Zendesk to update tickets. Previously, this used Zendesk Targets. Zendesk has deprecated Targets in favor of Webhooks, and we’ve followed suit.

If you’re setting up the Zendesk integration for the first time today, the integration automatically uses Webhooks. If you’ve already had Zendesk integrated for a while, you’ll continue working on Targets without interruption, and we’ll handle migrating you over to Webhooks as part of the rollout. There’s nothing you need to do.

If you’re on an old Zendesk Essentials plan that doesn’t support Webhooks, the integration falls back to Targets so nothing breaks.

Reliability fixes

 A handful of smaller fixes also went in with this release.

• Mute-clearing and trigger setup are now more stable when encountering edge cases.
• Suspended-requester and expired-account detection is more robust.

What you need to do

If you’re setting up Zendesk for the first time today, just connect with OAuth. You’re done, there should be no change to existing tickets.

If you’ve already had Zendesk integrated via API token, nothing is required today, but we recommend switching to OAuth at your convenience to stay ahead of Zendesk’s platform direction. Open the Zendesk integration settings, choose OAuth, and follow the prompts.

As always, reach out if anything looks off after the update. We’d rather hear from you early than late.