How to build Crisp chat dashboards in Metabase
Crisp is a live-chat and messaging platform with a shared inbox, chatbot, and the Hugo AI agent. Metabase is where you turn that activity into shared, trustworthy dashboards. This guide covers two complementary paths: a lightweight MCP route for fast, AI-assisted questions, and a durable pipeline route that syncs Crisp into a database so you can build dashboards anyone can read.
How do you connect Crisp to Metabase?
Most teams combine these: use the MCP route to explore and triage, and the pipeline route for the dashboards people depend on.
Live, conversational analysis
Pair Crisp's MCP server with the Metabase MCP server so an AI assistant can read live conversation data and query existing Metabase models on demand.
- Ad-hoc questions like "what's unresolved in chat right now?"
- Pulling conversation context without leaving your assistant
- Exploring before you build a report
- Crisp's MCP server exposes a subset of the REST API
- Not a substitute for governed or scheduled reporting
- No history unless your data already lives in Metabase
Durable dashboards with history
Sync Crisp into a database or warehouse with dlt or the REST API, then point Metabase at it.
- Chat volume, response-time, and resolution dashboards
- Trends over quarters and year-over-year comparisons
- Joining chat data with product usage or CRM data
- No first-party managed connector — plan on API or dlt-based sync
- You own the data model and refresh schedule
- Capture conversation events for accurate time-in-state
What can you analyze from Crisp data in Metabase?
- Conversation volume — opened vs. resolved by day and hour
- Time to first response — critical for live chat
- Missed and abandoned chats — where you're losing visitors
- Backlog and aging — unresolved conversations and how long they wait
- Operator performance — workload, handle time, and concurrency
- Segments and drivers — volume by topic, page, or trigger
- Visitors — new vs. returning
Which Crisp dashboards should you build in Metabase?
Chat overview
The daily pulse of live chat.
- Conversations opened vs. resolved per day (dual line)
- Median time to first response (number + trend)
- Open conversations by state (bar)
- Volume by hour of day (bar)
Response time
Chat is fast — are you keeping up?
- First response time p50/p90 by week (line)
- Aging unresolved conversations by hours-open bucket (table)
- Missed/abandoned chats by day (line)
- Reopened conversations by week (line)
Operator performance
Balance chat workload across the team.
- Resolved conversations by operator (bar)
- Open assigned conversations by operator (table)
- Median handle time by operator (bar)
- Concurrent chats by operator (table)
Segments & drivers
Understand what's driving chats.
- Volume by conversation segment/topic (bar)
- Volume by page or trigger (bar)
- New vs. returning visitors (bar)
- CSAT by week (line, if ratings exist)
How do you use the Crisp and Metabase MCP servers together?
Pair the Crisp MCP server with the Metabase MCP server for live, conversational analysis. The Crisp MCP reads current conversations and contacts; the Metabase MCP queries the models and dashboards you've already built.
Example workflows
- List unresolved conversations and summarize by operator.
- Pull a visitor's conversation history from Crisp and cross-check trends against a Metabase model.
- Triage: "show conversations waiting more than 10 minutes for a reply."
Be honest about the limits
- MCP is great for live lookups — not for scheduled or audited reporting.
- It does not create history; trend analysis still needs synced data.
- Crisp's MCP server exposes a subset of the REST API.
- The Metabase MCP server is built in; an admin enables it under Admin → AI → MCP.
How do you set up the Crisp and Metabase MCP servers?
https://api.crisp.chat/mcp/ that exposes a subset of the Crisp REST API to AI tools. It uses the same token as the Crisp REST API, so the same scopes apply.Crisp MCP official
- Endpoint
https://api.crisp.chat/mcp/- Transport
- Streamable HTTP
- Auth
Authorization: Bearer <CRISP_MCP_SERVER_TOKEN>- Scope
- A subset of the Crisp REST API resources.
Metabase MCP built-in
- Enable
- Admin → AI → MCP
- Endpoint
https://<your-metabase>/api/metabase-mcp- Auth
- OAuth handled by Metabase
{
"mcpServers": {
"crisp": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"mcp-remote",
"https://api.crisp.chat/mcp/",
"--header",
"Authorization:Bearer ${CRISP_MCP_SERVER_TOKEN}"
],
"env": { "CRISP_MCP_SERVER_TOKEN": "<your-crisp-mcp-server-token>" }
},
"metabase": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "mcp-remote", "https://your-metabase.example.com/api/metabase-mcp"]
}
}
}Generate CRISP_MCP_SERVER_TOKEN in the Crisp Dashboard under Settings → Workspace Settings → Advanced configuration → MCP Server Token. It's tied to your REST API token and shown only once. If your AI tool can't send an Authorization header, append a URL-encoded?token=<CRISP_MCP_SERVER_TOKEN> query parameter instead — the header is preferred.
Can you generate a Crisp dashboard with AI?
Yes — and this is the fastest way to a strong first draft. Use the prompt below with the Metabase MCP server and any assistant that can inspect your warehouse schema and create Metabase questions. It assumes Crisp data is already synced into a database Metabase can read, treats MCP as exploratory, and tells the agent to skip metrics the schema can't support instead of faking them.
Create a polished Metabase dashboard for Crisp live-chat support analytics using
the available Crisp tables in this database.
Goal: Help support leaders understand chat volume, responsiveness, resolution, and
contact drivers from Crisp data.
First, inspect the schema and identify the available Crisp tables. Do not assume
exact table names. Map the available raw tables into these analytical concepts
where possible: Conversations, Messages, People (contacts), Operators (agents),
Segments, and Sessions.
Important:
- Treat MCP data access as exploratory only.
- Build the dashboard from durable database/warehouse tables.
- Use medians (p50) and p90 for response times, never averages.
- Define "first response" as the first outbound operator message, excluding
automated/bot messages and internal notes.
- Chat is concurrent and fast — measure response in minutes, and consider missed
chats explicitly.
- If conversation state history is missing, do not calculate time-in-state. Use a
caveat instead.
- Do not claim Metabase connects natively to Crisp unless that is explicitly true
in this environment.
Dashboard title: Crisp Chat Overview
Sections:
1. Executive summary (KPI cards): Conversations opened last 7 days; Resolved last
7 days; Open backlog; Median time to first response; Volume by hour.
2. Volume & backlog: Opened vs resolved by day; Open by state; Aging unresolved;
Volume by hour.
3. Response time: First response p50/p90 by week; Missed chats by day; Reopened by
week (only if history exists).
4. Operator performance: Resolved by operator; Open assigned by operator; Median
handle time by operator; Concurrent chats.
5. Segments & drivers: Volume by segment; Volume by page/trigger; New vs returning
visitors; CSAT by week (only if ratings exist).
Filters: Operator, Segment, State, Date range.
Before finalizing, create or recommend reusable Metabase models:
modeled_crisp_conversations, modeled_crisp_messages, modeled_crisp_people, and
modeled_crisp_operators.
Output: Build the dashboard if you have permission; otherwise provide the exact
questions, SQL, model definitions, and layout. Include caveats for any metric
that cannot be calculated from the available schema. Keep it practical, dense,
and executive-readable. Avoid vanity metrics.How do you sync Crisp data into a database or warehouse?
For dashboards that need history and reliability, land Crisp data in a database first, then connect Metabase to that database.
Connector options
- dlt(code) — write a Python pipeline against the Crisp REST API; the most reliable route since there's no first-party managed connector.
- Crisp REST API(raw) — the source of truth; paginate conversations and messages and upsert on a schedule.
- Webhooks — subscribe to Crisp's real-time events to keep your warehouse fresh.
Notes
- Land raw tables first, then build clean models on top.
- Crisp timestamps are epoch milliseconds — convert with
to_timestamp(ms / 1000)in your model layer. - Sync messages so you can compute response time, not just conversation counts.
How should you model Crisp data in Metabase?
Core tables
| Table | Grain | Key columns |
|---|---|---|
conversations | one row per conversation | session_id, state (pending/unresolved/resolved),assigned_operator_id, created_at, updated_at |
messages | one row per message | conversation_id, from (operator/user), is_automated, created_at |
people | one row per contact | id, email, segments |
operators | one row per agent | id, name |
Modeling advice
- Convert epoch-millisecond timestamps once in a model so dates and durations are right.
- Define first response from the first non-automated operator message.
- Normalize
state(pending/unresolved/resolved) so charts stay stable. - Treat segments as a bridge so a conversation can carry many topics.
- Define "resolved" once and reuse it everywhere.
Which Crisp metrics should you track in Metabase?
| Metric | Definition | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Time to first response | Opened → first operator message. | Measure in minutes; chat expectations are tight. |
| Conversation volume | Opened vs. resolved in a period. | Segment by hour to staff for peaks. |
| Missed chats | Conversations with no operator reply. | A direct signal of lost opportunities. |
| Backlog | Unresolved conversations right now. | Pair with aging in hours, not days. |
| Operator concurrency | Simultaneous chats per operator. | Capacity signal unique to live chat. |
| CSAT | Positive ratings ÷ rated conversations. | Only if you collect ratings. |
What SQL powers Crisp dashboards in Metabase?
These assume the modeled tables above (PostgreSQL dialect, epoch-millisecond timestamps). Adjust identifiers to match your warehouse.
The basic volume trend over the last 30 days.
SELECT
date_trunc('day', to_timestamp(c.created_at / 1000)) AS day,
COUNT(*) AS opened,
COUNT(*) FILTER (WHERE c.state = 'resolved') AS resolved
FROM conversations c
WHERE to_timestamp(c.created_at / 1000) >= CURRENT_DATE - INTERVAL '30 days'
GROUP BY 1
ORDER BY 1;Median from the first non-automated operator message per conversation.
WITH first_outbound AS (
SELECT
m.conversation_id,
MIN(m.created_at) AS first_reply_at
FROM messages m
WHERE m.from = 'operator'
AND m.is_automated = false
GROUP BY m.conversation_id
)
SELECT
date_trunc('week', to_timestamp(c.created_at / 1000)) AS week,
percentile_cont(0.5) WITHIN GROUP (
ORDER BY (f.first_reply_at - c.created_at) / 60000.0
) AS median_first_reply_min
FROM conversations c
JOIN first_outbound f ON f.conversation_id = c.session_id
GROUP BY 1
ORDER BY 1;Unresolved conversations by state right now.
SELECT
c.state,
COUNT(*) AS conversations
FROM conversations c
WHERE c.state <> 'resolved'
GROUP BY c.state
ORDER BY conversations DESC;When chats arrive, so you can staff for peaks.
SELECT
EXTRACT(HOUR FROM to_timestamp(c.created_at / 1000)) AS hour_of_day,
COUNT(*) AS conversations
FROM conversations c
WHERE to_timestamp(c.created_at / 1000) >= CURRENT_DATE - INTERVAL '30 days'
GROUP BY 1
ORDER BY 1;What are common mistakes when analyzing Crisp in Metabase?
to_timestamp(ms / 1000) in a model layer.