How to Retrieve the Full Ticket Conversation Using the BoldDesk API

BoldDesk enables the export of the entire thread of replies and internal notes directly through the BoldDesk REST API or Webhooks.

This guide details the process to obtain and export the full conversation thread of a ticket, encompassing both public replies and internal notes.

Prerequisites

Before you begin:

Generate an API Key from your BoldDesk account. Learn more about Generate and Manage API Keys in BoldDesk.
Include the API key in your request header.

When listing agents using the API, certain fields like phone number are read-only and may only appear in responses when available; they cannot be used for searching or filtering. To retrieve complete agent details, including phone information, use the Get Agent by Email or Get Agent by ID APIs, provided the agent has these details configured.

1. Retrieve Ticket Details

Then, you need the Ticket ID of the ticket you want to get the details for and run the API to get the details.

GET /api/v1/tickets

By default, BoldDesk returns tickets sorted by LastModifiedOn in descending order. If ticket updates occur between API calls, records may change positions and reappear in paginated results. To maintain consistent ordering and prevent duplicate tickets across pages, always use the OrderBy query parameter, such as CreatedOn. For example, applying order by CreatedOn in descending order:https://yourdomain.bolddesk.com/api/v1/tickets?Q=createdon:{"from":"2025-11-27T18:30:00.000Z","to":"2025-12-04T18:30:00.000Z"}&Q=source:[8]&RequiresCounts=true&BrandIds=6&Page={pageNumber}&PerPage=100&OrderBy=createdOn%20desc

2. Get Public Messages /Retrieve Public Comments

Use the following endpoint to retrieve all public replies on a ticket:

GET /api/v1/tickets/{ticketId}/public-messages

How to Differentiate Customer and Agent Replies in BoldDesk API
When retrieving messages via API, you can differentiate customer vs. agent replies using these fields:

‘IsAgent’ - If label true → Agent reply and if label false → Customer reply.
‘IsUpdatedByCustomer’ - If label true → Customer reply and if label false → Agent reply.

3. Get Internal Notes (Private Messages)

To retrieve internal notes, use the full ticket details endpoint or check for a dedicated internal notes endpoint (if available in your plan):

GET /api/v1/tickets/{ticketId}/messages

Developer API Documentation: Get Internal Notes

4. (Optional) Get Message Stats

If you want to analyze the volume or timing of replies, use:

GET /api/v1/tickets/{ticketId}/public-messages/min-max-stats

Developer API Documentation: Get Message Stats

5. Automate with Webhooks (Optional)

To capture replies and notes in real-time, you can set up a Webhook to send you the ticket updates with the desired details in the payload.
Learn more about How to Create and Manage Webhooks.

How to Detect Ticket History Changes (updatedOn vs lastUpdatedOn)

BoldDesk exposes two timestamps that may not always match exactly because they track changes at different levels.

updatedOn (Histories endpoint)

Use updatedOn from GET /api/v1/tickets/{ticketId}/histories when you only need to detect changes that create history records (status changes and other tracked history events).

lastUpdatedOn (Tickets endpoint)

Use lastUpdatedOn from GET /api/v1/tickets when you need to detect any ticket-level change, including updates that may not create a new history record.

Important behavior

Not every ticket update creates a history record. As a result, small time differences between lastUpdatedOn and the latest history updatedOn can occur and are expected.

Recommended sync approach

Use history updatedOn to maintain a per-ticket history cursor (MAX updatedOn).
Use ticket lastUpdatedOn only as a pre-filter to reduce unnecessary /histories calls.

Troubleshooting Common Errors

401 Unauthorized / 403 Forbidden

Verify your API key/token is valid and correctly applied.
Confirm the API credential has permission to access the ticket and its conversations.

404 Not Found

Confirm the Ticket ID is correct.
Ensure the ticket exists in the correct workspace/account context.

Empty response or missing public comments

Confirm the ticket has public comments.
Check whether the endpoint returns both public and private comments and whether you need to filter by visibility.

429 Too Many Requests

Reduce request frequency.
Add retry logic with backoff in your integration.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need special permissions to use the BoldDesk API for ticket conversations?
Yes. You must have an API Key generated from your BoldDesk account and appropriate role permissions to access ticket data. Without these, API calls will return 401 Unauthorized.
Can I export the conversation in CSV or PDF format directly from the API?
No. The API returns data in JSON format. You can convert it to CSV or PDF using external tools or scripts after retrieving the data.
Are there rate limits for API calls?
Yes. BoldDesk enforces rate limits to prevent abuse. If exceeded, you’ll receive:
429 Too Many Requests → Wait and retry after the specified time.
Does BoldDesk provide real-time updates for ticket conversations?
Yes. Use Webhooks to receive real-time notifications when a ticket is updated. The webhook payload includes message details.
Why can’t I see public comments in reports?
Public comments are excluded from reports due to performance considerations.

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