Zoom Integration for Runbooks

Last updated on Apr 14, 2026

---

Harness AI SRE integrates with Zoom through a Connector-based approach, enabling automated meeting management for incident response.

Overview

Zoom integration enables your runbooks to:

• Create incident bridges automatically
• Schedule follow-up meetings
• Manage participant access
• Share meeting recordings
• Track attendance

Connector Requirements

When You Need the Zoom Connector

The Zoom connector is required for programmatic meeting creation — creating meetings via runbook actions with the ability to:

• Create new meetings on demand
• Set meeting names, duration, and descriptions
• Programmatically invite participants
• Configure meeting settings (waiting room, passcode, auto-recording, etc.)

When You Don't Need the Zoom Connector

You do not need a connector if you only want to:

• Join existing Zoom meetings using static bridge links
• Use pre-configured, recurring meeting rooms
• Manually create meetings through the Zoom web interface

If your incident response workflow uses static meeting bridges that responders join manually, the Zoom connector is not required.

Integration Setup

Prerequisites

• Zoom admin access
• Harness Project Admin role
• Appropriate Zoom API permissions

Setup Steps

1. Navigate to Project Settings → Third Party Integrations (AI SRE)
2. Select Zoom from the available integrations
3. Configure authentication (see Authentication Methods below)
4. Grant required API permissions (see below)
5. Test the connection

Authentication Methods

Zoom integrations in Harness AI SRE support two authentication methods: Server-to-Server OAuth and API Key/Secret (Account ID and Secret). The authentication method you choose affects how the AI Scribe Agent joins incident meetings.

Server-to-Server OAuth (Recommended)

OAuth authentication enables the AI Scribe Agent to join Zoom meetings automatically without waiting room delays.

Capabilities:

• Automatic meeting join: Generates ZAK (Zoom Access Key) tokens that allow the bot to bypass waiting rooms
• No manual admission required: The bot joins immediately when the meeting starts
• Full programmatic access: Create, configure, and manage meetings via runbook actions
• Silent operation: No error alerts related to meeting access

Use OAuth when:

• You want the AI Scribe Agent to join incident war rooms automatically
• You need reliable meeting transcription without manual intervention
• You're using runbook actions to create meetings programmatically

Setup:

1. In the Zoom integration configuration, select OAuth
2. Click Sign in with Zoom and authorize access
3. Grant the required API scopes listed below
4. Test the connection

API Key/Secret Authentication

API Key authentication (Account ID and Secret) provides basic meeting management capabilities but limits automatic meeting participation.

Limitations:

• No ZAK token support: Cannot generate tokens that bypass waiting rooms
• Waiting room requirement: The bot joins as a standard participant and requires manual admission
• Manual intervention needed: Someone on the call must admit the bot from the waiting room
• Alert messages: Generates error messages in Slack when attempting to request ZAK tokens

Behavior with API Key authentication:

When the AI Scribe Agent attempts to join a meeting with API Key authentication:

1. Bot attempts to join meeting using ZAK token → request fails (ZAK not supported with API Key auth)
2. Bot falls back to standard join → lands in waiting room
3. Error alert appears in Slack: "ZAK token generation not supported"
4. A meeting participant must manually admit the bot
5. If no one admits the bot, it misses the meeting entirely and no transcript is captured

Use API Key when:

• You only need to create meetings programmatically (not join them for transcription)
• Your team is comfortable manually admitting the bot to meetings
• OAuth setup is not feasible for your organization

Missing Meeting Transcripts

If using API Key authentication, the AI Scribe Agent will miss meetings where no participant admits it from the waiting room. This results in incomplete incident documentation. For reliable transcription, use Server-to-Server OAuth.

Switching from API Key to OAuth

If you're currently using API Key authentication and experiencing issues with bot admission or seeing ZAK token error alerts:

1. Navigate to Project Settings → Third Party Integrations (AI SRE) → Zoom
2. Remove the existing API Key configuration
3. Select OAuth and follow the setup instructions above
4. Test by creating a meeting via runbook and verifying the bot joins automatically

Alternatively, if OAuth is not feasible, you can suppress the ZAK token error alerts in your Slack notification settings.

Required Permissions

The Zoom integration requires specific API scopes depending on the actions your runbooks will perform. Below are the required scopes organized by functionality:

Basic Meeting Management

• meeting:write - Create, update, and delete meetings
• meeting:read - Read meeting details and settings
• user:read - Read user information for meeting hosts and participants

Advanced Meeting Actions

• meeting:write:admin - Required for ending meetings and advanced meeting control
• meeting:update:admin - Modify meeting settings for meetings you don't host
• meeting:read:admin - Access detailed meeting information across the organization

Recording Management

• recording:read - Access meeting recordings
• recording:write - Manage recording settings and permissions
• cloud_recording:read - Read cloud recording details
• cloud_recording:write - Manage cloud recordings

Participant and User Management

• user:read - Read basic user information
• user:write - Manage user settings (for participant management)
• group:read - Read group information for bulk participant management

Webinar Support (if applicable)

• webinar:write - Create and manage webinars
• webinar:read - Read webinar information

Scope Requirements by Action

Action	Required Scopes	Notes
Create Meeting	meeting:write, user:read	Basic meeting creation
End Meeting	meeting:write:admin	Critical for meeting termination
Update Meeting Settings	meeting:write, meeting:update:admin	Admin scope needed for meetings you don't host
Manage Participants	meeting:write, user:read, user:write	For adding/removing participants
Access Recordings	recording:read, cloud_recording:read	For post-meeting analysis
Schedule Recurring Meetings	meeting:write, user:read	For incident follow-ups

Permission Troubleshooting

If you encounter permission errors:

1. "Insufficient privileges" error: Add meeting:write:admin scope
2. "Cannot end meeting" error: Ensure meeting:write:admin is granted
3. "Recording access denied": Add recording:read and cloud_recording:read scopes
4. "User not found" errors: Verify user:read scope is active

For detailed information about Zoom API scopes, refer to the official Zoom API documentation.

Using the Zoom Connector

Creating a Zoom Meeting Runbook

1. Create a new runbook or edit an existing one
2. Add a new Action
3. From the Action Picker, select Create Zoom Meeting
4. No additional configuration is required - the default Zoom connector will be used

Executing the Runbook

1. Open an existing incident or create a new one
2. Navigate to the Runbooks tab
3. Click Execute a Runbook
4. Select your runbook with the Zoom meeting action
5. Click the run/play icon to execute
6. View the results in the incident timeline

Disabling the Connector

Remove from Zoom Marketplace

1. Go to the Zoom Marketplace
2. Navigate to Manage → Installed Apps
3. Locate the Harness app
4. Click Remove or Uninstall
5. Confirm the removal
6. Verify in Harness:
   • Navigate to Project Settings → Third Party Integrations (AI SRE)
   • Confirm the Zoom connector is no longer listed
   • Check that related secrets have been automatically removed

Using Zoom Actions in Runbooks

When you add Zoom actions to a runbook, you'll configure them through a form-based interface. The specific fields depend on the action type you select.

Create Zoom Meeting Action

Creates a new Zoom meeting for incident coordination.

Form Fields:

• Topic: Meeting title
  • Example: {{Activity.title}} - Incident Bridge
• Agenda: Meeting description (optional)
• Duration: Meeting duration in minutes
• Start Time: When to start the meeting (for scheduled meetings)
• Settings:
  • Join before host
  • Waiting room enabled/disabled
  • Auto-recording (cloud or local)

Available Mustache Variables:

• {{Activity.title}} - AI SRE incident title
• {{Activity.id}} - AI SRE incident ID
• {{Activity.severity}} - AI SRE incident severity
• {{Activity.summary}} - AI SRE incident summary
• Any custom incident fields configured in your incident template

Best Practices

Meeting Setup

• Use consistent naming
• Enable auto-recording
• Configure waiting rooms appropriately
• Set proper security settings

Participant Management

• Control host privileges
• Manage waiting room
• Set up co-hosts
• Configure breakout rooms

Recording Management

• Set retention policies
• Configure sharing settings
• Manage access controls
• Archive important meetings

Common Use Cases

Incident Response

1. Create immediate bridge
2. Add response team
3. Enable recording
4. Share meeting link

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

1. Authentication Failures

   • Verify OAuth tokens
   • Check permissions
   • Confirm account access

2. AI Scribe Bot Not Joining Meetings / ZAK Token Errors

   • Symptom: Bot lands in waiting room, requires manual admission, or you see "ZAK token generation not supported" errors in Slack
   • Cause: Using API Key authentication instead of OAuth
   • Solution: Switch to Server-to-Server OAuth (see Switching from API Key to OAuth)
   • Workaround: Manually admit the bot from the waiting room, or suppress ZAK token error alerts in Slack

3. Meeting Creation Errors

   • Check scheduling conflicts
   • Verify user limits
   • Confirm host rights

4. Recording Issues

   • Check storage space
   • Verify permissions
   • Confirm settings

Next Steps

• Configure Slack Integration
• Configure Teams Integration
• Return to Runbook Overview