This guide covers creating the API key in Customer.io, adding it to Chamaileon, and syncing and updating your emails.
Before you start
You'll need:
a Chamaileon account with Administrator or Content Manager access
a Customer.io account with permission to manage API credentials in the workspace you want to connect
Important: the integration works with an App API key. Customer.io also issues Tracking API keys, but those won't work here.
Each connection to Customer.io is called a variation in Chamaileon. You can add more than one, for example one per Customer.io workspace, and pick the one you need each time you sync.
Step 1: Create an App API key in Customer.io
Log in to Customer.io and click the gear icon in the upper-right corner.
Select Account settings, then API credentials.
3. Open the App API keys tab and click Create App API key.
4. Give the key a name you'll recognize later, such as "Chamaileon", and click Create App API key.
5. Copy the key with the copy icon, then click Finish.
Important: Customer.io shows the full key only once. Copy it before you close the window; if you lose it, you'll have to create a new one.
We recommend creating a key just for Chamaileon. That way you can revoke it later without breaking any other integration.
Step 2: Add the key in Chamaileon
In Chamaileon, go to Workspace Settings and open the Integrations tab.
Find Customer.io and click Manage.
3. Click New variation.
4. In the Name field, enter a name your team will recognize, for example "Customer.io Marketing".
5. Paste the App API key into the API key field and click Save.
The connection is ready. You can close the window and go back to your email dashboard.
Sync an email to Customer.io
Open your email dashboard in Chamaileon.
Open the menu of the email you want to sync and select Sync.
Choose Customer.io. If you have more than one variation, pick the one for the workspace you want.
Enter the subject line and anything else the sync window asks for.
Click Sync.
The email is added to Design Studio in the connected Customer.io workspace. From there you can use it in campaigns, broadcasts and transactional messages like any other Design Studio email.
Send yourself a test from Customer.io before using the email in a live campaign.
Update a synced email
Make your changes in Chamaileon and sync the email again. The sync replaces the HTML of the existing email in Design Studio with the new version.
Important: anything you change in that email directly in Customer.io is overwritten the next time you sync. Keep all design edits in Chamaileon.
Connect more than one workspace
Each Customer.io workspace needs its own App API key and its own variation in Chamaileon. Create a key for the other workspace as in Step 1, then add it as a new variation as in Step 2.
When you sync, you choose which variation to use, so give each one a name that makes the workspace obvious.
Remove the integration
Go to Workspace Settings → Integrations.
Find Customer.io and click Manage.
Select the variation you want to remove and click Delete variation.
Deleting the variation doesn't revoke the key in Customer.io. If you no longer need it, revoke it under Account settings → API credentials → App API keys. Emails you already synced stay in Design Studio.
Troubleshooting Chamaileon.io - Customer.io integration
Chamaileon can't connect to Customer.io
Check that:
you pasted the whole App API key, with no spaces before or after it
it's an App API key, not a Tracking API key
the key hasn't been revoked or deleted in Customer.io
If your Customer.io workspace uses an IP allowlist, it may block requests from Chamaileon. Contact our support team and we'll send you the IP addresses to allow.
I can't find App API keys in Customer.io
The path is Settings → Account settings → API credentials → App API keys. If it isn't there, your account probably doesn't have permission to manage API credentials; ask your Customer.io admin.
I lost my App API key
Customer.io won't show it again. Create a new key, then in Chamaileon open the Customer.io integration, select the variation, paste the new key and click Save.
The email doesn't show up in Customer.io
Look in Design Studio in the workspace that the variation is connected to. If it isn't there, check that you picked the right variation when syncing, read the error message in Chamaileon if there was one, and sync again.
Still stuck? Message us through the in-app chat in Chamaileon.