zoom-cobrowse-sdk

Reference skill for Zoom Cobrowse SDK. Use after routing to a collaborative-support workflow when implementing browser co-browsing, annotation tools, privacy…

INSTALLATION
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SKILL.md

$27

Core Concepts:

Features:

  • BYOP Mode - Bring Your Own PIN with npm integration

Troubleshooting:

  • CORS and CSP - Cross-origin and security policy configuration

Reference:

  • Integrated Index - see the section below in this file

SDK Overview

The Zoom Cobrowse SDK is a JavaScript library that provides:

  • Real-Time Co-Browsing: Agent sees customer's browser activity live
  • PIN-Based Sessions: Secure 6-digit PIN for customer-to-agent connection
  • Annotation Tools: Drawing, highlighting, vanishing pen, rectangle, color picker
  • Privacy Masking: CSS selector-based masking of sensitive form fields
  • Remote Assist: Agent can scroll customer's page (with consent)
  • Multi-Tab Persistence: Session continues when customer opens new tabs
  • Auto-Reconnection: Session recovers from page refresh (2-minute window)
  • Session Events: Real-time events for session state changes
  • HTTPS Required: Secure connections (HTTP only works on loopback/local development hosts)
  • No Plugins: Pure JavaScript, no browser extensions needed

Two Roles Architecture

Cobrowse has two distinct roles, each with different integration patterns:

Role

role_type

Integration

JWT Required

Purpose

Customer

1

Website integration (CDN or npm)

Yes

User who shares their browser session

Agent

2

Iframe (CDN) or npm (BYOP only)

Yes

Support staff who views/assists customer

Key Insight: Customer and agent use different integration methods but the same JWT authentication pattern.

Read This First (Critical)

For customer/agent demos, treat the PIN from customer SDK event pincode_updated as the only user-facing PIN.

  • Show one clearly labeled value in UI (for example, Support PIN).
  • Use that same PIN for agent join.
  • Do not expose provisional/debug PINs from backend pre-start records to users.

If these rules are ignored, agent desk often fails with Pincode is not found / code 30308.

Typical Production Flow (Most Common)

This is the flow most teams implement first, and what users usually expect in demos:

  • Customer starts session first (role_type=1)
  • Backend creates/records session
  • Backend returns customer JWT
  • Customer SDK starts and receives a PIN
  • Agent joins second (role_type=2)
  • Agent enters customer PIN
  • Backend validates PIN and session state
  • Backend returns agent JWT
  • Agent opens Zoom-hosted desk iframe (or custom npm agent UI in BYOP)

If a demo only has one generic "session" user, it is incomplete for real cobrowse operations.

Prerequisites

Platform Requirements

-

Supported Browsers:

  • Chrome 80+ ✓
  • Firefox 78+ ✓
  • Safari 14+ ✓
  • Edge 80+ ✓
  • Internet Explorer ✗ (not supported)

-

Network Requirements:

  • HTTPS required (HTTP works on loopback/local development hosts only)
  • Allow cross-origin requests to *.zoom.us

-

Third-Party Cookies:

  • Must enable third-party cookies for refresh reconnection
  • Privacy mode may limit certain features

Zoom Account Requirements

  • Zoom Workplace Account with SDK Universal Credit
  • Video SDK App created in Zoom Marketplace
  • Cobrowse SDK Credentials from the app's Cobrowse tab

Note: Cobrowse SDK is a feature of Video SDK (not a separate product).

Credentials Overview

You'll receive 4 credentials from Zoom Marketplace → Video SDK App → Cobrowse tab:

Credential

Type

Used For

Exposure Safe?

SDK Key

Public

CDN URL, JWT app_key claim

✓ Yes (client-side)

SDK Secret

Private

Sign JWTs

✗ No (server-side only)

API Key

Private

REST API calls (optional)

✗ No (server-side only)

API Secret

Private

REST API calls (optional)

✗ No (server-side only)

Critical: SDK Key is public (embedded in CDN URL), but SDK Secret must never be exposed client-side.

Quick Start

Step 1: Get SDK Credentials

  • Open your Video SDK App (or create one)
  • Navigate to the Cobrowse tab
  • Copy your credentials:
  • SDK Key
  • SDK Secret
  • API Key (optional)
  • API Secret (optional)

Step 2: Set Up Token Server

Deploy a server-side endpoint to generate JWTs. Use the official sample:

git clone https://github.com/zoom/cobrowsesdk-auth-endpoint-sample.git

cd cobrowsesdk-auth-endpoint-sample

npm install

# Create .env file

cat > .env << EOF

ZOOM_SDK_KEY=your_sdk_key_here

ZOOM_SDK_SECRET=your_sdk_secret_here

PORT=4000

EOF

npm start

Token endpoint:

// POST https://YOUR_TOKEN_SERVICE_BASE_URL

{

  "role": 1,           // 1 = customer, 2 = agent

  "userId": "user123",

  "userName": "John Doe"

}

// Response

{

  "token": "eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIs..."

}

Step 3: Customer Side Integration (CDN)

<!DOCTYPE html>

<html>

<head>

  <title>Customer - Cobrowse Demo</title>

  <script type="module">

    const ZOOM_SDK_KEY = 'YOUR_SDK_KEY';

    // Load SDK from CDN

    (function(r, a, b, f, c, d) {

      r[f] = r[f] || { init: function() { r.ZoomCobrowseSDKInitArgs = arguments }};

      var fragment = a.createDocumentFragment();

      function loadJs(url) {

        c = a.createElement(b);

        d = a.getElementsByTagName(b)[0];

        c["async"] = false;

        c.src = url;

        fragment.appendChild(c);

      }

      loadJs(`https://us01-zcb.zoom.us/static/resource/sdk/${ZOOM_SDK_KEY}/js/2.13.2`);

      d.parentNode.insertBefore(fragment, d);

    })(window, document, "script", "ZoomCobrowseSDK");

  </script>

</head>

<body>

  <h1>Customer Support</h1>

  <button id="cobrowse-btn" disabled>Loading...</button>

  <!-- Sensitive fields - will be masked from agent -->

  <label>SSN: <input type="text" class="pii-mask" placeholder="XXX-XX-XXXX"></label>

  <label>Credit Card: <input type="text" class="pii-mask" placeholder="XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX"></label>

  <script type="module">

    let sessionRef = null;

    const settings = {

      allowAgentAnnotation: true,

      allowCustomerAnnotation: true,

      piiMask: {

        maskCssSelectors: ".pii-mask",

        maskType: "custom_input"

      }

    };

    ZoomCobrowseSDK.init(settings, function({ success, session, error }) {

      if (success) {

        sessionRef = session;

        // Listen for PIN code

        session.on("pincode_updated", (payload) => {

          console.log("PIN Code:", payload.pincode);

          // IMPORTANT: this is the PIN agent should use

          alert(`Share this PIN with agent: ${payload.pincode}`);

        });

        // Listen for session events

        session.on("session_started", () => console.log("Session started"));

        session.on("agent_joined", () => console.log("Agent joined"));

        session.on("agent_left", () => console.log("Agent left"));

        session.on("session_ended", () => console.log("Session ended"));

        document.getElementById("cobrowse-btn").disabled = false;

        document.getElementById("cobrowse-btn").innerText = "Start Cobrowse Session";

      } else {

        console.error("SDK init failed:", error);

      }

    });

    document.getElementById("cobrowse-btn").addEventListener("click", async () => {

      // Fetch JWT from your server

      const response = await fetch("https://YOUR_TOKEN_SERVICE_BASE_URL", {

        method: "POST",

        headers: { "Content-Type": "application/json" },

        body: JSON.stringify({

          role: 1,

          userId: "customer_" + Date.now(),

          userName: "Customer"

        })

      });

      const { token } = await response.json();

      // Start cobrowse session

      sessionRef.start({ sdkToken: token });

    });

  </script>

</body>

</html>

Step 4: Agent Side Integration (Iframe)

<!DOCTYPE html>

<html>

<head>

  <title>Agent Portal</title>

</head>

<body>

  <h1>Agent Portal</h1>

  <iframe

    id="agent-iframe"

    width="1024"

    height="768"

    allow="autoplay *; camera *; microphone *; display-capture *; geolocation *;"

  ></iframe>

  <script>

    async function connectAgent() {

      // Fetch JWT from your server

      const response = await fetch("https://YOUR_TOKEN_SERVICE_BASE_URL", {

        method: "POST",

        headers: { "Content-Type": "application/json" },

        body: JSON.stringify({

          role: 2,

          userId: "agent_" + Date.now(),

          userName: "Support Agent"

        })

      });

      const { token } = await response.json();

      // Load Zoom agent portal

      const iframe = document.getElementById("agent-iframe");

      iframe.src = `https://us01-zcb.zoom.us/sdkapi/zcb/frame-templates/desk?access_token=${token}`;

    }

    connectAgent();

  </script>

</body>

</html>

Step 5: Test the Integration

  • Open two separate browsers (or incognito + normal)
  • Customer browser: Open customer page, click "Start Cobrowse Session"
  • Customer browser: Note the 6-digit PIN displayed
  • Agent browser: Open agent page, enter the PIN code
  • Both browsers: Session connects, agent can see customer's page
  • Test features: Annotations, data masking, remote assist

Key Features

1. Annotation Tools

Both customer and agent can draw on the shared screen:

const settings = {

  allowAgentAnnotation: true,      // Agent can draw

  allowCustomerAnnotation: true    // Customer can draw

};

Available tools:

  • Pen (persistent)
  • Vanishing pen (disappears after 4 seconds)
  • Rectangle
  • Color picker
  • Eraser
  • Undo/Redo

2. Privacy Masking

Hide sensitive fields from agents using CSS selectors:

const settings = {

  piiMask: {

    maskType: "custom_input",           // Mask specific fields

    maskCssSelectors: ".pii-mask, #ssn", // CSS selectors

    maskHTMLAttributes: "data-sensitive=true" // HTML attributes

  }

};

Supported masking:

  • Text nodes ✓
  • Form inputs ✓
  • Select elements ✓
  • Images ✗ (not supported)
  • Links ✗ (not supported)

3. Remote Assist

Agent can scroll the customer's page:

const settings = {

  remoteAssist: {

    enable: true,

    enableCustomerConsent: true,        // Customer must approve

    remoteAssistTypes: ['scroll_page'], // Only scroll supported

    requireStopConfirmation: false      // Confirmation when stopping

  }

};

4. Multi-Tab Session Persistence

Session continues when customer opens new tabs:

const settings = {

  multiTabSessionPersistence: {

    enable: true,

    stateCookieKey: '$$ZCB_SESSION$$'  // Cookie key (base64 encoded)

  }

};

Session Lifecycle

Customer Flow

  • Load SDK → CDN script loads ZoomCobrowseSDK
  • InitializeZoomCobrowseSDK.init(settings, callback)
  • Fetch JWT → Request token from your server (role_type=1)
  • Start Sessionsession.start({ sdkToken })
  • PIN Generatedpincode_updated event fires
  • Share PIN → Customer gives 6-digit PIN to agent
  • Agent Joinsagent_joined event fires
  • Session Active → Real-time synchronization begins
  • End Sessionsession.end() or agent leaves

Agent Flow

  • Fetch JWT → Request token from your server (role_type=2)
  • Load Iframe → Point to Zoom agent portal with token
  • Enter PIN → Agent inputs customer's 6-digit PIN
  • Connectsession_joined event fires
  • View Session → Agent sees customer's browser
  • Use Tools → Annotations, remote assist, zoom
  • Leave Session → Click "Leave Cobrowse" button

Session Recovery (Auto-Reconnect)

When customer refreshes the page:

ZoomCobrowseSDK.init(settings, function({ success, session, error }) {

  if (success) {

    const sessionInfo = session.getSessionInfo();

    // Check if session is recoverable

    if (sessionInfo.sessionStatus === 'session_recoverable') {

      session.join();  // Auto-rejoin previous session

    } else {

      // Start new session

      session.start({ sdkToken });

    }

  }

});

Recovery window: 2 minutes. After 2 minutes, session ends.

Critical Gotchas and Best Practices

⚠️ CRITICAL: SDK Secret Must Stay Server-Side

Problem: Developers often accidentally embed SDK Secret in frontend code.

Solution:

  • SDK Key → Safe to expose (embedded in CDN URL)
  • SDK Secret → Never expose (use for JWT signing server-side)
// ❌ WRONG - Secret exposed in frontend

const jwt = signJWT(payload, 'YOUR_SDK_SECRET');  // Security risk!

// ✅ CORRECT - Secret stays on server

const response = await fetch('/api/token', {

  method: 'POST',

  body: JSON.stringify({ role: 1, userId, userName })

});

const { token } = await response.json();

SDK Key vs API Key (Different Purposes!)

Credential

Used For

JWT Claim

SDK Key

CDN URL, JWT app_key

app_key: "SDK_KEY"

API Key

REST API calls (optional)

Not used in JWT

Common mistake: Using API Key instead of SDK Key in JWT app_key claim.

Session Limits

Limit

Value

What Happens

Customers per session

1

Error 1012: SESSION_CUSTOMER_COUNT_LIMIT

Agents per session

5

Error 1013: SESSION_AGENT_COUNT_LIMIT

Active sessions per browser

1

Error 1004: SESSION_COUNT_LIMIT

PIN code length

10 chars max

Error 1008: SESSION_PIN_INVALID_FORMAT

Session Timeout Behavior

Event

Timeout

What Happens

Agent waiting for customer

3 minutes

Session ends automatically

Page refresh reconnection

2 minutes

Session ends if not reconnected

Reconnection attempts

2 times max

Session ends after 2 failed attempts

HTTPS Requirement

Problem: SDK doesn't load on HTTP sites.

Solution:

  • Production: Use HTTPS ✓
  • Development: Use a loopback host for local HTTP testing ✓
  • Development: Use a local HTTPS endpoint with a trusted/self-signed cert if required ✓

Third-Party Cookies Required

Problem: Refresh reconnection doesn't work.

Solution: Enable third-party cookies in browser settings.

Affected scenarios:

  • Browser privacy mode
  • Safari with "Prevent cross-site tracking" enabled
  • Chrome with "Block third-party cookies" enabled

Distribution Method Confusion

Method

Use Case

Agent Integration

BYOP Required

CDN

Most use cases

Zoom-hosted iframe

No (auto PIN)

npm

Custom agent UI, full control

Custom npm integration

Yes (required)

Key Insight: If you want npm integration, you must use BYOP (Bring Your Own PIN) mode.

Cross-Origin Iframe Handling

Problem: Cobrowse doesn't work in cross-origin iframes.

Solution: Inject SDK snippet into cross-origin iframes:

<script>

const ZOOM_SDK_KEY = "YOUR_SDK_KEY_HERE";

(function(r,a,b,f,c,d){r[f]=r[f]||{init:function(){r.ZoomCobrowseSDKInitArgs=arguments}};

var fragment=a.createDocumentFragment();function loadJs(url) {c=a.createElement(b);d=a.getElementsByTagName(b)[0];c.async=false;c.src=url;fragment.appendChild(c);};

loadJs('https://us01-zcb.zoom.us/static/resource/sdk/${ZOOM_SDK_KEY}/js');d.parentNode.insertBefore(fragment,d);})(window,document,'script','ZoomCobrowseSDK');

</script>

Same-origin iframes: No extra setup needed.

Known Limitations

Synchronization Limits

Not synchronized:

  • HTML5 Canvas elements
  • WebGL content
  • Audio and Video elements
  • Shadow DOM
  • PDF rendered with Canvas
  • Web Components

Partially synchronized:

  • Drop-down boxes (only selected result)
  • Date pickers (only selected result)
  • Color pickers (only selected result)

Rendering Limits

  • High-resolution images may be compressed
  • Different screen sizes may cause CSS media query differences
  • Cross-origin images may not render (CORS restrictions)
  • Cross-origin fonts may not render (CORS restrictions)

Masking Limits

Supported:

  • Text nodes ✓
  • Form inputs ✓
  • Select elements ✓

Not supported:

  • <img> elements ✗
  • Links ✗

Complete Documentation Library

This skill includes comprehensive guides organized by category:

Core Concepts

Examples

References

Troubleshooting

Resources

Need help? Start with Integrated Index section below for complete navigation.

Integrated Index

This section was migrated from SKILL.md.

Complete navigation guide for all Cobrowse SDK documentation.

Getting Started (Start Here!)

If you're new to Zoom Cobrowse SDK, follow this learning path:

  • SKILL.md - Main overview and quick start

Core Concepts

Foundational concepts you need to understand:

Examples and Patterns

Complete working examples for common scenarios:

Session Management

Features

References

Complete API and configuration references:

SDK Reference

-

API Reference - All SDK methods and interfaces

  • ZoomCobrowseSDK.init()
  • session.start()
  • session.join()
  • session.end()
  • session.on()
  • session.getSessionInfo()

-

Settings Reference - All initialization settings

  • allowAgentAnnotation
  • allowCustomerAnnotation
  • piiMask
  • remoteAssist
  • multiTabSessionPersistence

-

Session Events Reference - All event types

  • pincode_updated
  • session_started
  • session_ended
  • agent_joined
  • agent_left
  • session_error
  • session_reconnecting
  • remote_assist_started
  • remote_assist_stopped

Error Reference

  • 1001-1017: Session errors
  • 2001: Token errors
  • 9999: Service errors

Official Documentation

  • Get Started - Official get started documentation (crawled)
  • Features - Official features documentation (crawled)

Troubleshooting

Quick diagnostics and common issue resolution:

-

Common Issues - Quick fixes for frequent problems

  • SDK not loading
  • Token generation fails
  • Agent can't connect
  • Fields not masked
  • Session doesn't reconnect after refresh

-

Error Codes - Error code lookup and solutions

  • Session start/join failures (1001, 1011, 1016)
  • Session limit errors (1002, 1004, 1012, 1013, 1015)
  • PIN code errors (1006, 1008, 1009, 1010)
  • Token errors (2001)

-

CORS and CSP - Cross-origin and Content Security Policy setup

  • Access-Control-Allow-Origin headers
  • Content-Security-Policy headers
  • Cross-origin iframe handling
  • Same-origin iframe handling

-

Browser Compatibility - Browser requirements and limitations

  • Supported browsers (Chrome 80+, Firefox 78+, Safari 14+, Edge 80+)
  • Internet Explorer not supported
  • Privacy mode limitations
  • Third-party cookie requirements

By Use Case

Find documentation by what you're trying to do:

I want to...

Set up cobrowse for the first time:

Add annotation tools:

  • [Settings Reference - allowAgentAnnotation](references/settings-reference.md#allowa gentannotation)

Hide sensitive data from agents:

Let agents control customer's page:

Use custom PIN codes:

Handle page refreshes:

Integrate with npm (not CDN):

Debug session connection issues:

Configure CORS and CSP headers:

By Error Code

Quick lookup for error code solutions:

Session Errors

  • 1002 (SESSION_CONNECTING_IN_PROGRESS) → Error Codes

PIN Errors

Auth Errors

Service Errors

Official Resources

External documentation and samples:

Documentation Structure

cobrowse-sdk/

├── SKILL.md                    # Main skill entry point

├── SKILL.md                    # This file - complete navigation

├── get-started.md              # Step-by-step setup guide

│

├── concepts/                   # Core concepts

│   ├── two-roles-pattern.md

│   ├── session-lifecycle.md

│   ├── jwt-authentication.md

│   └── distribution-methods.md

│

├── examples/                   # Working examples

│   ├── customer-integration.md

│   ├── agent-integration.md

│   ├── annotations.md

│   ├── privacy-masking.md

│   ├── remote-assist.md

│   ├── multi-tab-persistence.md

│   ├── byop-custom-pin.md

│   ├── session-events.md

│   └── auto-reconnection.md

│

├── references/                 # API and config references

│   ├── api-reference.md        # SDK methods

│   ├── settings-reference.md   # Init settings

│   ├── session-events.md       # Event types

│   ├── error-codes.md          # Error reference

│   ├── get-started.md          # Official docs (crawled)

│   ├── features.md             # Official docs (crawled)

│   ├── authorization.md        # Official docs (crawled)

│   └── api.md                  # API docs (crawled)

│

└── troubleshooting/            # Problem resolution

    ├── common-issues.md

    ├── error-codes.md

    ├── cors-csp.md

    └── browser-compatibility.md

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