What API connections are and why they matter
An API connection is a configured link between Echelon and an external service. Once a connection is established, Echelon can send data to and retrieve data from that service as part of your automated workflows. This means your AI Employees can act on information from tools like your project management system, payment processor, or calendar — without you copying data between platforms manually. API connections also serve as the foundation for custom tools built by the AI Coding Agent. When you describe a tool you need in plain language, the AI Coding Agent uses your existing API connections to build it, pulling in the right data sources automatically.Basic API connections (Starter plan)
The Starter plan includes basic API connections, giving you a starting point for integrating Echelon with the tools you use most.Go to Integrations
In your Echelon dashboard, navigate to Settings → Integrations and select the API Connections tab.
Add a new connection
Click Add Connection and select the service you want to connect. Follow the prompts to authorize Echelon to communicate with that service.
Configure the connection
Once authorized, name the connection and confirm which parts of the service Echelon should have access to. Save your settings.
Advanced API Access — including expanded integration capabilities and support for more complex configurations — is available on the Growth and Scale plans. If you need deeper integrations than the Starter plan provides, upgrade to Growth or Scale at dashboard.echeloncrm.app/auth.
Advanced API access (Growth and Scale plans)
Growth and Scale plans unlock advanced API access, which expands what you can do with external connections. This tier is designed for teams that need tighter integrations, more services connected at once, and the ability to build sophisticated custom tools on top of those connections.Expanded integrations
Connect a wider range of external services and configure more granular access levels for each connection.
AI Coding Agent integration
The AI Coding Agent can reference your advanced API connections when building custom tools, combining data from multiple services in a single workflow.
Priority tool execution
On Growth and Scale, custom tools built using API connections run with priority execution, reducing latency in time-sensitive workflows.
Custom tool-building sessions
Scale plan customers get dedicated sessions to build and refine complex custom tools with expanded API requirements.
How the AI Coding Agent uses API connections
The AI Coding Agent builds custom internal tools from plain language instructions. When you describe what you need — for example, “create a tool that pulls open invoices from my billing system and adds them to the CRM as follow-up tasks” — the AI Coding Agent identifies which API connections to use and assembles the tool automatically.Describe the tool you need
Describe the tool you need
Write a plain language description of what you want the tool to do. Be specific about the data sources involved and the outcome you expect. The AI Coding Agent uses your description to determine which API connections to involve.
Review and confirm the generated tool
Review and confirm the generated tool
The AI Coding Agent presents the tool for your review before activating it. Check that it references the correct connections and produces the expected behavior, then confirm to deploy it to your workspace.
Run the tool within your workflows
Run the tool within your workflows
Once active, your custom tool is available inside Echelon workflows and can be assigned to AI Employees or triggered automatically by the AI Manager as part of a pipeline.
Plan comparison for API connections
| Feature | Starter | Growth | Scale |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic API connections | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Advanced API access | — | Yes | Yes |
| Custom tools (AI Coding Agent) | 3 tools | 7 tools | 15 tools |
| Priority tool execution | — | Yes | Yes |
| Custom tool-building sessions | — | — | Yes |