From API to AI: Streamline Support Operations with Zammad, n8n and Ollama

In many support teams, the system landscape continues to expand: CRMs, ERPs, project management tools, document systems, and developer platforms all provide valuable data that’s essential for customer interactions. But in isolation, they rarely add real value.

Zammad’s REST API helps bridge those gaps. It gives you structured access to tickets, users, groups, and attachments — making it possible to automate repetitive tasks. Whether you need to sync customer data or auto-generate tickets based on specific triggers, Zammad’s open interfaces provide a solid foundation for building digital workflows that save time and reduce errors.

ETL Tools: Bridging the Gap Between Systems

When it comes to connecting different systems, ETL tools come into play. ETL stands for Extract, Transform, Load — a process that describes the intelligent exchange of data: pulling it from one system, reshaping it for another, and feeding it into the target environment.

A typical use case: you want to export all new Zammad tickets tagged with certain keywords each day and transfer them into a BI system. Or perhaps you want to automatically create a set of onboarding tickets across departments whenever a new employee is added to your HR system.

There are many ETL tools on the market — Zapier, Make, and Huggins are among the better-known options. Since Zammad is open source and we live that philosophy in our tech stack, we prefer n8n: a workflow-based, open-source automation tool with a strong no-code approach.

n8n’s power lies in its balance of simplicity and flexibility. Its browser-based interface lets you build workflows using a visual editor — no coding required. Actions are clearly represented and connected by lines, making even complex processes easy to follow and maintain.

Thanks to native support for webhooks, REST APIs, and token-based authentication, connecting to Zammad is straightforward. That means even teams without deep developer resources can build effective automation workflows.

Important note: n8n is not part of Zammad and is not distributed with it. Zammad does not offer support for n8n. In this article, it is used purely as an example.

The Building Blocks of a Successful Zammad API Integration

To fully unlock the potential of Zammad’s REST API, you should be familiar with three key components:

• Webhooks in Zammad define the communication endpoints. They specify where data should be sent (e.g., the URL of your ETL tool) and what information should be transferred (the so-called “payload”). Think of webhooks as messengers that deliver structured data from Zammad to external systems.

• Triggers and Schedulers determine when data is exchanged. Triggers respond to specific ticket lifecycle events — such as when a ticket is created, its status changes, or a new message arrives. Schedulers work on a timed basis, such as nightly data syncs or recurring system updates.

• And finally: the REST API itself — the central engine through which all inbound and outbound data flows.

Getting Started: How to Set Up the Zammad REST API in Four Steps

Setting up Zammad’s REST API is straightforward — but it does require a methodical approach. Start by creating a dedicated role for API access. In this role, define exactly which permissions the API should have — for example, ticket agent rights for specific groups. Follow the principle of least privilege: only grant the permissions that are truly necessary.

In the second step, create a separate API user and assign them the role you just defined. Using a distinct API account improves both security and transparency, as API activity can be clearly distinguished from actions taken by human users.

Step three is token generation. Log in as the API user, go to the profile section called Token Access, and generate a new token with the appropriate permissions. Important: Make sure to copy and store the token immediately — it’s only shown once and cannot be retrieved later.

Finally, activate the API interface within your system. Go to the admin area under System > API and enable Token access allowed. Your Zammad API is now ready to use and can be accessed through the available endpoints.

From Theory to Practice: Exporting User Data in Just a Few Clicks

Here’s a simple example that shows just how quickly you can get results with n8n and the Zammad API. Let’s say you want to export a list of all users from your Zammad instance — a common scenario for reporting or data analysis.

Start by creating a new workflow in n8n with a manual trigger. Then add the Zammad node, configure it with your API credentials, and choose the action “Get Many Users”. After a quick test run, you’ll see all user data in the output preview — perfect for verifying that your connection works.

The raw data might be overwhelming, though. Maybe you only need first name, last name, and email address. No problem: just use the Set node to filter the relevant fields with a simple drag-and-drop. Finally, add an Excel node, choose the XLSX format, and connect the steps.

Click “Execute Workflow” — and just like that, you’ve got a custom Excel file with exactly the information you need. Best of all: you didn’t write a single line of code.

Handling Complex Workflows: A Real-World Onboarding Example

The true power of API integration becomes clear in more complex scenarios. A classic use case is the onboarding process for new employees — a workflow that involves multiple departments and requires coordination.

Imagine this: HR creates a primary ticket for a new hire. As soon as the onboarding process is triggered, additional tickets should be created automatically — one for Facility Management to issue a key card, and another for IT to set up user accounts.

With the combination of Zammad and n8n, this entire process can be automated smoothly. In Zammad, you set up a webhook that sends key onboarding data — like the employee’s name — to n8n. There, you build a workflow that receives this data and creates two new tickets in Zammad: one saying “Please prepare a key for [Employee Name]” for Facility Management, and another saying “Please add the following new colleague to Active Directory: [Employee Name]” for the IT department.

The best part? These new tickets are automatically linked to the original one, so everyone stays on the same page. It’s a perfect example of bidirectional communication — with data flowing from Zammad to n8n and back again, all without manual effort.

Smart Ticket Routing: Using AI to Assign to the Right Group

Integrating artificial intelligence unlocks an entirely new level of automation in Zammad. While native AI features have already been announced, external AI services can be connected today via the API — for example, using Ollama.

One particularly exciting use case is automated ticket routing. Instead of assigning new tickets manually, a local language model analyzes the content and determines whether the issue belongs to IT, Sales, or the general inbox.

Here’s how it works: a ticket is created, and its text is passed to the AI. The result is sent back to Zammad via the API — including the updated group assignment. This helps relieve your agents from routine sorting tasks and shortens response times.

The technical setup uses a local AI model like Ollama and n8n as the bridge between Zammad and the AI. In Zammad, a trigger is configured to call a webhook in n8n whenever a new ticket is created. n8n forwards the ticket content to the AI, which evaluates it using a predefined prompt and returns the appropriate group. This result is then sent back to Zammad and applied to the ticket.

And routing is just the beginning. Other powerful AI use cases include automatically prioritizing tickets based on urgency, analyzing sentiment for more empathetic support, detecting the ticket language, or even generating reply suggestions for common requests.

Looking Ahead: Native AI Features Coming in Zammad 7.0

The upcoming Zammad 7.0 release will introduce native AI features for the first time. The goal: to automate recurring tasks even more intelligently — such as summarizing conversations, auto-categorizing tickets, or detecting sentiment and escalation potential.

What’s especially exciting: local models like Ollama are expected to be supported as well. This means you can harness AI capabilities without sending sensitive data to third-party services.

Summary: Endless Possibilities for Tailored Process Optimization

Zammad’s API already gives you all the tools you need to automate, connect, and even enhance your support processes with AI. With tools like n8n, getting started is easy — no code, no steep learning curve, but noticeable value in just a few hours.

For companies with complex system landscapes, the benefits are clear: manual tasks become automated, data stays consistent across systems, service quality improves through faster response times, and your openness to technologies like AI keeps your organization future-ready.