Can information be shared bi-directionally using Confluence to Zendesk Sync?

[Jason Robertson]

I am currently testing out the Confluence to Zendesk Sync add-on to sync confluence articles to our Zendesk Help Center. During testing, I noticed changes made to Zendesk articles did not update in Confluence. I also noticed that the integration permission is limited to "Read data from host application." 

Is there a way to circumvent this limitation or another add-on available that can defeat the same purpose?

[Tinker Fadoua · Accepted solution]

Welcome to the Atlassian Community @Jason Robertson !

It seems that the Marketplace App is not bi-directional, you update Confluence then it updates Zendesk Help Center.

My best recommendation will be to raise a support ticket with the vendor.

Best,

Fadoua

[OpsHub - Enterprise class Integration and Migration Solutions for Jira · Accepted solution]

Hi @Jason Robertson

Most Confluence → Zendesk sync apps are one-way by design — they push articles from Confluence into Zendesk Help Center, but don’t sync updates back into Confluence. This is largely due to:

• Permission limitations (as you noticed) — many add-ons only request read access from Confluence, and Zendesk APIs often treat the help center as a publishing destination.
• Source-of-truth assumptions — most tools assume Confluence is where content is authored, and Zendesk is where it's consumed.

Things to Consider Before Seeking a Bi-Directional Sync

• Where is content authored vs consumed?
  If edits are happening in both systems, you'll need to decide which one is the source of truth — otherwise, syncing can easily overwrite valid updates.
• Do you want full version control?
  Confluence has built-in version history and collaboration; syncing changes back from Zendesk may bypass that and create audit issues.
• What needs to be synced?
  Are you syncing just articles, or also metadata, labels, attachments, and permissions? Bi-directional sync usually needs more than just a simple content push.

When teams want more flexible control — like syncing in both directions, handling conflict resolution, or syncing other entities (like tickets, comments, etc.) across tools — they often turn to enterprise-grade integration platforms. For example, you may consider OpsHub Integration Manager (Atlassian Solutions Partner) to build bi-directional and deep integrations between systems like Confluence, Zendesk, Jira, and more — especially when knowledge management and customer service need to stay tightly aligned. It avoids writing code while maintaining traceability across platforms.

Good luck with your integration journey!

[Kristian Klima · Accepted solution]

Hi @Jason Robertson 

As @Tinker Fadoua wrote, the app is strictly Confluence > Zendesk.

I actually tested the app 2 years ago and abandoned it because of limited macro support, style transfer inconsistencies and broken links. Also, the way how Zendesk help center works in terms of organizing content (and ability of users to search and navigate the docs) is subpar IMHO.

Other solutions would depend on your needs - there are other tools that allow you to integrate your Confluence-based documentation with Zendesk (put the Zendesk widget in your docs), and/or to allow your support team to access your internal Confluence-based documentation without a seat on Confluence.