How do I install, connect, and troubleshoot a VeloCMS integration?

Most VeloCMS integrations work the same way: something happens on your site, such as a member signing up or an order being paid, and VeloCMS sends a copy of it to the other tool. The articles for HubSpot, Xero, Shippo, Tapfiliate and the rest describe what each tool receives. This article covers the part they share, so those pages can stay about the tool itself.

How do I install an integration?

Open Admin → Plugins, find the integration, and click Install. A dialog titled Install and the plugin's name lists what the plugin can access, for example your members and orders, and which outside services it may contact. Read the list, then click Grant access & Install. When it finishes, open the plugin from Admin → Plugins to reach its settings panel.

A disabled plugin stays installed but does not run. Uninstalling removes the plugin and all of its settings permanently, so disable it instead if you only want a pause.

Does my integration use a key or OAuth?

• You paste a key, token or URL: ActiveCampaign, Circle.so, Keygen, Pabbly Connect, Shippo, ShipStation, TaxJar, Tapfiliate and Typeform.
• You click Connect and approve access on the other tool's own page: HubSpot, QuickBooks Online, Etsy and Xero. There is no key to copy.

Pasted keys and OAuth tokens are stored encrypted. Several panels state that the key is never shown again after you save it, so to replace a key, enter the new one and save again.

What happens when I click Connect?

The button sends you to the other tool's sign-in page. You approve the permissions it lists, and you land back on the same VeloCMS panel, which now reads Connected to the tool's name with a Disconnect button beside it. VeloCMS keeps the resulting tokens; it never sees your password for the other tool.

If the panel shows a notice that the connector is coming soon instead of a Connect button, the OAuth app for that tool has not been set up on the VeloCMS side yet. You cannot fix that from the panel; email [email protected].

Disconnect deletes the stored tokens and, for tools that allow it, asks the tool to revoke them. Records already created in the other tool stay where they are. Etsy is the exception on the revoking side: VeloCMS only deletes its own copy, so also remove VeloCMS from the apps you have authorized in your Etsy account settings.

Is there a switch I have to turn on?

Often, yes. Shippo, ShipStation, TaxJar and Tapfiliate each have an Enable toggle that starts switched off, so a saved key on its own sends nothing until you turn the toggle on and save. Keygen's switch starts on. Pabbly Connect has one toggle per event, all on by default. A saved key with the toggle still off is the most common reason for an integration that appears to do nothing.

What does Test Connection actually do?

Test Connection checks the settings you last saved, not what is typed in the field, so click Save Settings first. Most tests only ask the other tool a harmless question, but three leave something behind:

• Keygen issues a real throwaway license on your default policy, which you can revoke in Keygen.
• ShipStation creates an On Hold order called velocms-connection-test. Repeated tests update the same order instead of adding more.
• Tapfiliate submits a zero-amount conversion for a test customer, and only a rejection of the key counts as a failed test.

When does the sync run, and what if it fails?

Integrations act on new events: a signup, a paid order, a published post, a deleted account. They run in the background after the event, so a slow or broken integration never delays a signup or an order. They also do not back-fill: members and orders that existed before you connected are not sent.

Each failed push is recorded under Admin → Integrations → Sync activity, with the kind of record (member, post, order), how many retries were attempted and what went wrong. When nothing has failed, the page says All syncs healthy. Retry buttons appear only for connectors where repeating the call cannot create a duplicate: Mailchimp, Kit, beehiiv, Brevo, MailerLite, Klaviyo, Mastodon and Circle.so. For the others, fix the cause shown in the reason and, if the record matters, enter it in the other tool by hand.

Typeform works in the other direction. It receives form submissions rather than sending data out, so it never appears in Sync activity.

What should I check when nothing arrives?

1. Admin → Plugins: is the integration installed and enabled?
2. In its panel: is the Enable toggle on, and did you click Save Settings after turning it on?
3. For OAuth tools: does the panel say Connected? If it shows Connect, authorize again.
4. Credentials: re-enter the key, save, then use Test Connection if the panel has one.
5. Sync activity: is there a failed row for the record you expected, and what does its reason say?
6. Timing: was the signup, order or post created after you connected? Earlier ones are not sent.

If the reason points at the other tool, such as an unauthorized response, regenerate the key there and save it here. If it mentions a missing address or setting, the integration's own article lists which fields it needs.