--- title: "Virtual Front Desk API: overview and getting started" url: "https://help.virtualfrontdesk.com/en/article/virtual-front-desk-api-overview-and-getting-started" language: "en" last_updated: "2026-10-21T17:39:40.307Z" --- # Virtual Front Desk API: overview and getting started ## **What is the Virtual Front Desk API?** The Virtual Front Desk API lets you connect Virtual Front Desk to the other software your organization already uses. Instead of copying information by hand from one system to another, your systems can exchange information with Virtual Front Desk automatically. The API is designed for IT administrators, developers and integration partners, but you do not need to be a developer to understand what it can do for you. This article gives a general overview of the possibilities and explains how to get started. The API is available on the **Professional** and **Enterprise** plans. ## **How it works** There are three ways to connect to Virtual Front Desk: - **The API:** your system requests information from Virtual Front Desk, such as your visitor sign-ins or your call history, and receives it right away. - **Webhooks:** Virtual Front Desk automatically notifies your system the moment something happens, such as a visitor signing in or a call going unanswered. - **AI assistants:** you connect an AI assistant to your Virtual Front Desk data and ask questions in plain language, without writing any code. ## **What you can do with it** Every organization is different, so the best integration depends on your needs and on the systems you already use. Here are a few general ideas: - **Keep your other systems informed:** let your own software know when visitors arrive or leave, so the right people and systems are always up to date. - **Sign visitors in from another system:** a queue system, an appointment app or your own front-desk software can sign a visitor in, or check in an expected (pre-registered) visitor, without the visitor using the station. The host is notified just as with a sign-in at the station, a photo can be added to the visit, and a badge can be printed if the location has a badge printer. - **Bring your data into your own tools:** use your visitor and call information in the reporting or business intelligence tools you already use. - **Stay ahead of issues:** be alerted when a station goes offline or when calls are missed. - **Ask questions about your activity:** use an AI assistant to get quick answers about your visitors, calls and stations. We recommend discussing your project with your IT department or integration partner. Our support can also help you assess what is possible for your organization. ## **Before you start** - Your organization must be on the **Professional** or **Enterprise** plan. - Only users with the **Owner**, **Admin** or **Manager** role can access the API settings in the Virtual Front Desk dashboard. ## **Open the API page** Click the **Settings** icon (the gear) next to your name, then under **Organization**, select **API**. The page is divided into five sections, explained below. ![](https://cdn-assets.productfruits.com/ba2a202a-465d-4f32-a043-bc46026da3cd) *The API page under Settings > Organization* ## **1\. API** This section shows the **Base URL**, the address your systems use to connect to Virtual Front Desk. Click **Copy** to copy it. The **API reference** button opens the complete technical documentation, which your developer or integration partner will use to build the integration. ## **2\. API keys** An API key is the credential your system uses to connect to Virtual Front Desk. Each key has its own permissions, called **scopes**, so every integration only gets access to what it needs. For each key, the list shows its name, the beginning of the key, its scopes, and when it was last used and created. Two buttons are available: - **Replace secret:** gives the key a new secret, for example if you think it may have been exposed. The old secret stops working immediately, so update your integration right away. The key keeps its name, scopes and usage history. - **Revoke:** permanently disables the key. Any integration using it immediately stops working. Revoked and expired keys move to **Inactive keys** at the bottom of the list. **To create a key:** 1. Click **Create key**. 2. Enter a **Key name** that describes the integration. 3. Choose the **Scopes**. You can select **Full access**, **Read only** or **Write only**, or tick individual permissions for each area (the selection then shows as **Custom**). Only grant what the integration needs. 4. Optionally, set an **Expiry date**. The key stops working at the end of that day. Leave it empty and the key never expires. 5. Click **Create key**, then copy the key and store it in a safe place. To let another system sign visitors in, give its key the **visits:create** permission (Sign visitors in and check in expected visitors). The **visits:write** permission only signs visitors out. **Full access** and **Write only** include visits:create. Keys created before this permission existed do not have it, so create a new key if an older integration needs to sign visitors in. ![](https://cdn-assets.productfruits.com/8e9ff5ed-e106-43b0-8217-698a706d1df0) *Creating an API key and choosing its scopes* The full key is shown only once. If it is lost, create a new key and revoke the old one. ## **3\. AI assistants (MCP)** This section lets you connect an AI assistant, such as Claude Code, Cursor or VS Code, to your Virtual Front Desk data so you can ask questions in plain language. - **Read-only:** the address to use when the assistant should only read your information. This is the recommended option. - **With writes:** the address to use when the assistant should also be able to make changes, provided its API key has permissions to do so. - The tabs below show a ready-to-copy setup command for each AI tool. Replace the end of the command with an API key created in the section above. ![](https://cdn-assets.productfruits.com/1f2c699d-5406-4c83-8526-4f989b6f334a) *The AI assistants (MCP) section* Information the assistant reads, including visitor details, is sent to your AI provider. We recommend creating a dedicated key with an expiry date for your assistant. ## **4\. Webhooks** Webhooks let Virtual Front Desk notify your systems automatically when something happens. Click **Add endpoint** to enter the address of the system that should receive the notifications. Each notification is signed, so your system can verify that it really comes from Virtual Front Desk. ## **5\. Usage** For each of the last 14 days, this section shows the number of API requests made with all your keys and the number of errors, with a breakdown by endpoint. It is updated once a day with the previous day's totals. ![](https://cdn-assets.productfruits.com/38e3257f-714b-45ce-bfb4-731826bb0591) *The Webhooks and Usage sections* ## **Keep your integration secure** - Create a separate key for each integration, so you can revoke one without affecting the others. - Give each key only the permissions it needs. - Store your keys in a secure place and never share them by email or chat. - If a key may have been exposed, click **Replace secret** or **Revoke** right away under **Settings > Organization > API**. ## **Learn more** The complete technical documentation is available in the [**Virtual Front Desk API reference**](https://api.virtualfrontdesk.com/v1/docs). You can also open it with the **API reference** button under **Settings > Organization > API**. Need help planning an integration? Contact our support and we will be happy to help.