Integrate PDQ Connect with Zendesk

Install the free PDQ Connect app for Zendesk Support to view linked devices, deploy packages, and start remote desktop sessions without leaving a ticket. The integration surfaces the devices that belong to the ticket requester, so your agents have instant context about the end user's machine.

Released July 08, 2026: PDQ Connect for Zendesk is generally available to all customers. It's free of charge and included with your PDQ Connect Premium tier. Install it from the Zendesk Marketplace.

How it works

When you open a Zendesk ticket, the PDQ Connect app reads the requester's email address and looks it up across every PDQ Connect tenant you have configured. Any matching device is shown right in the ticket sidebar, so your team can act on it immediately.

The matching flow works like this:

1. An agent opens a Zendesk ticket.
2. The app reads the requester's email address from the ticket. If no requester email is available, it falls back to the ticket creator's email.
3. The app queries every configured PDQ Connect tenant for devices that match that address. The comparison is case-insensitive.
4. All matching devices appear in the PDQ Connect panel in the ticket sidebar.

Once devices are matched, you can act on them from the sidebar:

• View device details - hostname, OS, online/offline status, IP address, and the date the device was last seen.
• Deploy a package - pick any package from your PDQ Connect library and deploy it to the device.
• Open the device in PDQ Connect - jump to the full device page in one click.
• Launch a remote desktop session - start a Remote Desktop connection to the device through PDQ Connect.

The app appears in the ticket sidebar, which is visible in every ticket. Configuration lives in a separate PDQ Connect admin panel that opens from the top navigation bar in Zendesk Support. Only Zendesk admins can open the admin panel - see Admin settings below.

The integration supports up to three PDQ Connect tenants, so organizations managing several environments can surface devices from all of them in a single Zendesk instance.

Quick start

If you already have a PDQ Connect API key, you can get a requester's devices showing on a ticket in about five minutes. Each step links to the full instructions further down.

1. Get a PDQ Connect API key - see Step 2. Use a dedicated key rather than a personal one, so it survives staff changes and can be revoked on its own.
2. Install the app in Zendesk - see Step 3.
3. Add one tenant: paste its Organization URL and API key, choose how devices are matched, and click Test Connection - see Step 4. Start with a single tenant; you can add more later.
4. Open a ticket whose requester you know owns a device and check that the app panel lists it - see Step 5.

Two things that make the rollout go smoother:

• Match on the field your data actually fills. If your PDQ devices record the logged-on user, the "Logged-on user" strategy needs no extra setup. If you instead tag devices with an owner's email in a custom field, use "Custom field" and point it at that field.
• Test against a device you can predict. Pick a ticket whose requester you know owns a machine, so an empty panel means something is misconfigured rather than just an unlucky test ticket.

Before you begin

Make sure you have the following before starting:

You will also need a PDQ Connect API key, and - if you plan to match on a custom field rather than the logged-on user - a custom field on your devices populated with user email addresses. We walk you through both in Steps 1 and 2.

Step 1 - Create a custom field in PDQ Connect (optional)

Where you are: PDQ Connect

This step is only needed if you intend to use the Custom Field match strategy. If you plan to match on the logged-on user instead (the default), you can skip ahead to Step 2.

The Custom Field strategy uses a field on each device to determine which user the device belongs to. If you already have a custom field populated with user email addresses, skip to Step 2.

1. In PDQ Connect, go to More → Custom Fields in the left navigation.
2. Click Add Custom Field.
3. Name the field something recognizable, such as emailAddress or Email.
4. For each device, populate this field with the email address of the device's primary user.
   • You can do this manually per device, or use the Import Values feature to bulk-update many devices at once from a CSV file.

Tip: Field name matching is case-insensitive (emailAddress and EmailAddress both work), but note the exact name you chose - you will enter it when you configure the integration in Step 4.

For more details, see Working with Custom Fields.

Step 2 - Generate a PDQ Connect API key

Where you are: PDQ Connect

1. In PDQ Connect, click the gear icon in the lower-left corner to open Settings.
2. Go to the API Keys section.

3. Click Create API Key and give it a descriptive name (for example, "Zendesk Integration"). 
   

   PDQ Connect Settings → API Keys → Create API Key dialog with a name entered

4. Copy the API key and store it somewhere safe. You will not be able to view it again after you leave this page.

   

   The generated API key shown once, with the copy button

Don't see the API Keys section? Your PDQ Connect role may not have API key management permissions. Ask your PDQ Connect admin to enable this in your role's RBAC settings.

Important: If you suspect an API key has been compromised, revoke it immediately from the same Settings page and generate a new one.

For more information, see PDQ Connect API.

Step 3 - Install the app in Zendesk

Where you are: Zendesk Support

1. In Zendesk, open the Admin Center and go to Apps and integrations → Apps → Zendesk Support apps.
2. Click Marketplace and search for PDQ Connect (or open the PDQ Connect listing directly).

3. Click Install and follow the prompts to add the app to your Zendesk account.

   

   PDQ Connect listing in the Zendesk Marketplace with the Install button

4. On the install screen you can fill in the first tenant's PDQ Connect Organization URL and API Key right away, or leave them blank and configure everything from the in-app admin panel in Step 4.

Once the app is installed, the PDQ Connect panel appears in the ticket sidebar, and a PDQ Connect icon appears in the top navigation bar for admins.

Step 4 - Configure the integration

Where you are: Zendesk Support - Admin

1. In Zendesk Support, click the PDQ Connect icon in the top navigation bar to open the admin panel. Only Zendesk admins can open it; everyone else sees a permission-denied message. 

   

   The PDQ Connect icon in the Zendesk top navigation bar, plus the admin panel list view

2. Click a tenant card to edit it (or + Add Tenant to configure a new slot), then fill in the following fields:

Note on the Logged-on User strategy. The integration compares the requester's email local-part (the part before @) against the device's currentUser and/or lastUser field. Common username shapes such as DOMAIN\jane.doe and jane.doe@example.com are normalized before comparison. No custom field is required when this strategy is selected.

3. Click Test Connection to verify that Zendesk can reach your PDQ Connect tenant.

   A successful connection looks like this:

   

   Successful Test Connection result

   A failed connection looks like this:

   Failed Test Connection result

4. Click Done to save the tenant.

Adding multiple tenants

If your organization manages more than one PDQ Connect tenant, click + Add Tenant and repeat the configuration for the next slot (up to three). The integration queries all configured tenants and displays matching devices from each.

Admin settings

The admin panel also includes these settings:

• Device Display Fields - pick which device fields appear on the sidebar device card. Fields are grouped (Identity, Networking, Health, OS, Hardware) so you can enable a set of related fields at once.
  

  Admin panel showing Display Fields

• Show Matched On - when enabled, the sidebar shows which device field produced each match (current user, last user, or your custom field name). Useful for verifying a freshly configured tenant.
• Debug Mode - enables detailed console logging for troubleshooting. When on, diagnostic information appears in the browser console. It never includes personal data such as email addresses. Keep this off during normal use. 

Step 5 - Verify the integration

Where you are: Zendesk Support

1. Open any ticket where the requester has an email address that matches a device in PDQ Connect.
2. Look for the PDQ Connect panel in the ticket sidebar (right side).

3. You should see the matching device(s) listed with hostname, OS, and status.

   

   Ticket sidebar showing one or more matched devices

If no devices appear, see the Troubleshooting section below.

Using the integration

Viewing device information

When you open a ticket, the PDQ Connect panel looks up the requester's email across all configured tenants and displays any matching devices. Device cards show the key information at a glance: hostname, operating system, and online/offline status.

If the ticket has no requester email, the app falls back to the ticket creator's email. If neither is available, no devices are matched.

Deploying a package

1. In the PDQ Connect panel, click Deploy on the device you want to target.
2. The deployment view shows a "Deploy to" section with the target device. If you have multiple devices, switch between them using the dropdown.

3. Use the Search packages field to find and select a package from your PDQ Connect library.

   

   Deployment view with the package search dropdown open

4. Click Deploy to start the deployment.

   

   Deployment view with a package selected and the Deploy button

5. A confirmation message appears. You can track the deployment's progress in PDQ Connect. The view closes on its own a few seconds after a successful deployment.

   

   Successful deployment confirmation message

The deployment view also gives you quick access to Details and Remote buttons for the selected device.

Opening a device in PDQ Connect

Click the device name or the Details button to jump straight to the full device page in PDQ Connect.

Starting a remote desktop session

Click Remote to launch a remote desktop session to the device through PDQ Connect's built-in Remote Desktop feature.

Troubleshooting

The PDQ Connect panel does not appear on tickets

• Confirm the app is installed. In the Admin Center, go to Apps and integrations → Apps → Zendesk Support apps and check that PDQ Connect Connect is listed and enabled.
• Make sure you completed the configuration in Step 4 and saved at least one tenant.
• If the app was installed with a role or group restriction, confirm your agent account is allowed to see it.
• Try refreshing the ticket.

No devices found for a ticket

Sidebar "no devices found" empty state

• Confirm the ticket has a requester with a valid email address. If the requester email is missing, the app falls back to the ticket creator's email.
• Use Run Test in the admin panel to check the configuration against a known email. The preview lists the devices the current strategy would match - a fast way to confirm a fresh setup before opening a ticket.
• If your tenant uses the Custom Field strategy: check that the Match Field ID is spelled correctly and that devices in PDQ Connect have the field populated with the requester's email.
• If your tenant uses the Logged-on User strategy: confirm devices have a populated currentUser or lastUser. The requester's email local-part (before @) is what gets compared - for jane.doe@example.com to match, the device must report jane.doe (after stripping DOMAIN\ prefixes and @upn suffixes).
• Make sure the API key is valid and has not been revoked.
• Turn on Debug Mode in the admin panel and check the browser console for more detailed error information.

"No PDQ Connect tenants configured" message

Open the PDQ Connect admin panel from the top navigation bar and verify at least one tenant has a saved Organization URL and API key.

Package deployment fails

• Verify the API key has permission to create deployments.
• Check that the target device is online in PDQ Connect.
• Review the deployment logs in PDQ Connect for detailed error information.

Test Connection fails during configuration

• Double-check the Organization URL format. It should look like app.pdq.com/your-org-name/devices.
• Confirm the API key is correct and has not expired or been revoked.
• Ensure your network allows outbound HTTPS connections to app.pdq.com.

Cannot open the PDQ Connect admin panel

The admin panel is restricted to Zendesk admins. If you see a permission-denied message, your account is signed in as an agent rather than an admin. Ask a Zendesk admin to perform the configuration, or have your account's role updated to admin in the Zendesk Admin Center.

Security and privacy

The PDQ Connect app requests only the access it needs to function. Here is what it can and cannot do.

What the app can read:

• The ticket requester's (or creator's) email address, to identify the end user.
• The signed-in agent's role and email, for the admin gate and deploy validation.

What the app cannot do:

• It cannot create, edit, or delete tickets, comments, or other Zendesk data.
• It cannot access Zendesk data outside the ticket you are viewing.

How your data is stored:

• Your PDQ Connect API key is stored as a Zendesk secure setting. It is never exposed to the browser or written to logs. When the app calls the PDQ Connect API, Zendesk's proxy injects the key server-side, so it never reaches the agent's machine.
• Tenant configuration (organization URL, match field name, display field choices) is stored in the app's Zendesk installation settings. No Zendesk user data is stored outside Zendesk.
• The app calls only app.pdq.com. Requests to any other host are rejected by the Zendesk proxy.

Technical details - how the app reaches PDQ Connect:

Known limitations

• Zendesk Support only. The app runs on the Zendesk Apps Framework in Zendesk Support.
• Up to three tenants. The integration supports up to three PDQ Connect tenants. Adding or removing tenants is done in the admin panel.
• API rate limits. The integration queries tenants one at a time and paginates through your device list to stay within PDQ Connect's API rate limits. For very large inventories the initial load on a ticket may take a few extra seconds. Each tenant is paginated up to roughly 5,000 devices; if a tenant exceeds that, the sidebar shows a partial-results banner.
• One user per device (Custom Field strategy). When matching on a custom field, the integration matches on a single email value per device. If a device is shared by multiple users, only the email in the custom field is matched.

FAQ

Is the Zendesk integration free? Yes. The PDQ Connect app is free to install and use from the Zendesk Marketplace. You do need a PDQ Connect Premium plan to generate the API key the integration requires.

Can I use this with multiple PDQ Connect organizations? Yes. The integration supports up to three PDQ Connect tenants. Click + Add Tenant in the admin panel to add another. Devices from all tenants appear together on each ticket.

How does device matching work? The app reads the ticket requester's email address and compares it (case-insensitive) against either the logged-on user or a custom field on every device across all configured tenants, depending on the match strategy you chose. All matching devices are displayed. If no requester email is set, it falls back to the ticket creator's email.

What if a requester has multiple devices? All matching devices are displayed. You can pick which device to deploy to or connect to from a dropdown in the panel.

Can I change the custom field used for matching? Yes. Open the PDQ Connect admin panel, edit the relevant tenant, and update the Email Match Field ID.

I see a permission-denied message on the admin panel. Only Zendesk admins can open the PDQ Connect admin panel. If you are signed in as an agent, ask an admin to configure the app, or have your role updated to admin. Admin-access-required message shown to non-admin agents

Changelog

1.0.0

• Initial release

Related articles

• PDQ Connect API
• Working with Custom Fields
• Integrate with Freshdesk (Freshworks)