Smartsheet User Connector Setup Guide
This guide provides step-by-step instructions for creating and configuring a Smartsheet user connector with Abacus.AI's ChatLLM platform. Once connected, ChatLLM Teams and the Abacus AI Agent can work with your Smartsheet sheets, rows, columns, attachments, and user information on your behalf — using your own Smartsheet identity and permissions.
Overview
The Smartsheet user connector authenticates each end user individually through Smartsheet's OAuth flow. Because every request runs under the signed-in user's own Smartsheet identity, role-based access is preserved and all activity is attributable to a specific person — no shared credentials are stored.
Once connected, the Smartsheet Tool in ChatLLM Teams can, for example:
- List the sheets you have access to and fetch full sheet contents
- Search across all of your sheets, or search within a specific sheet
- Retrieve the data for a specific row or column on a sheet
- List the attachments on a sheet and fetch a specific attachment's details
- Look up your own Smartsheet user and account information
Prerequisites
Before starting, ensure you have access to:
- Abacus.AI platform
- A valid Smartsheet account (with access to the sheets you want to query)
- Administrative access to create connectors and projects
The Smartsheet user connector uses read-oriented scopes (READ_SHEETS, READ_USERS, READ_SIGHTS, READ_EVENTS, READ_CONTACTS). You will only be able to access sheets and data that your Smartsheet account already has permission to view.
Setting Up the Smartsheet Connector
There are two ways to use the Smartsheet user connector: connect it directly from the First Party Connectors panel (recommended for use with chat / RouteLLM), or attach it to a Custom Chatbot during model training.
Option A — Connect from the First Party Connectors panel
- In ChatLLM Teams, click the Connectors link on the home page (or navigate to Profile → First Party Connectors).
- Scroll the connector list and click on Smartsheet.
- A browser pop-up will open asking you to sign in to Smartsheet and authorize Abacus.AI to access your account.
- Review the requested permissions and click Allow.
- After authorization completes, Smartsheet appears under your connected services and is ready to use in chat.
Once connected, the Smartsheet Tool is available to the Abacus AI Agent and to any chatbot — including RouteLLM — in your workspace. See Using Smartsheet with RouteLLM below.
Option B — Attach Smartsheet to a Custom Chatbot
Follow these steps if you want a dedicated Custom Chatbot that uses the Smartsheet Tool.
1. Navigate to Projects Page
Navigate to the projects page by clicking on the ABACUS.AI logo.
2. Create New Project
Click on "Create a new project" to begin setting up your ChatLLM project.
3. Select Project Type
Choose GenAI --> Custom Chatbot option from the available project types.
4. Configure Project Name
Enter a descriptive name for your project that reflects its purpose.
5. Skip to Dashboard
Select "Skip to project dashboard" to proceed directly to the project configuration.
6. Access Model Training
- Click on the Model option in the left toolbar
- Select "Train Model" in the top right corner of the page
7. Configure Advanced Options
Navigate through the following menu structure:
- Select Advanced Option
- Choose Tool Use
- Select Smartsheet_tool
8. Initiate Model Training
Click on "Train Model" to begin the training process.
9. Access Trained Model
Once training is complete:
- Click on Models in the navigation
- Select your newly trained model
10. Create Deployment
Click on "Create a new deployment" to make your model available for use.
11. Configure Deployment Type
- Select "Offline Batch + Realtime" deployment option
- Click "Next" to proceed
12. Name Your Deployment
Enter a user-friendly name that your end users will see, then click "Deploy".
13. Monitor Deployment Status
- Return to your model by clicking Models → [Your Model Name]
- Wait for the deployment status to show as "Active"
- Click on the deployment name once active
14. Access Prediction Dashboard
Click on the "Prediction Dash" option under the Deployment section.
15. Test Your Bot
Click on "Go to Abacus.AI Chat" to access the testing interface.
16. Start Using the Chatbot
- Enter your questions or prompts in the chat interface
- Note: Each user will be prompted to log in to Smartsheet once for authentication
Using Smartsheet with RouteLLM
After the Smartsheet connector is configured from the First Party Connectors panel, you can use it directly in chat with RouteLLM selected as the model:
- Open a new chat in ChatLLM Teams.
- Select RouteLLM (
route-llm) from the model selector. - Ask a question that references your Smartsheet data, for example "List the Smartsheet sheets I have access to".
- The first time you query Smartsheet, you may be prompted to authorize the connector — complete the Smartsheet sign-in once and your request will continue automatically.
For a full walkthrough of creating a first party connector and using it with RouteLLM, see the First Party Connector guide.
Example Prompts
| Prompt | What It Does |
|---|---|
| "List all my Smartsheet sheets" | Lists the sheets the signed-in user can access |
| "Show me the contents of my Project Plan sheet" | Fetches the full data for a specific sheet |
| "Search my sheets for 'Q3 budget'" | Searches across all of the user's sheets |
| "Find rows mentioning 'overdue' in this sheet" | Searches within a specific sheet |
| "What's in row 12 of my Tasks sheet?" | Retrieves the data for a specific row |
| "Show me the Status column details for this sheet" | Retrieves the data for a specific column |
| "List the attachments on my Launch Plan sheet" | Lists attachments on a sheet |
| "Who am I in Smartsheet?" | Returns the connected Smartsheet user/account information |
Supported Capabilities
The Smartsheet Tool exposes the following read operations:
| Capability | Description | Required Inputs |
|---|---|---|
| List sheets | List all sheets the user can access | — |
| Get sheet data | Retrieve the full contents of a sheet | Sheet ID |
| Search everything | Search across all of the user's sheets | Search query |
| Search within a sheet | Search inside a specific sheet | Sheet ID, search query |
| Get row data | Retrieve a specific row's data | Sheet ID, Row ID |
| Get column data | Retrieve a specific column's data | Sheet ID, Column ID |
| List attachments | List attachments on a sheet | Sheet ID |
| Get attachment | Retrieve a specific attachment's details | Sheet ID, Attachment ID |
| Current user | Return the connected Smartsheet user/account info | — |
You don't need to know sheet, row, column, or attachment IDs in advance. The agent can first list your sheets (or list attachments) to discover the relevant IDs, then drill into the specific row, column, or attachment automatically.
Important Notes
- Per-user credentials: Each user authenticates with their own Smartsheet identity. The Smartsheet Tool operates with the exact permissions of the signed-in user.
- Authentication: Users will need to authenticate with Smartsheet on their first interaction.
- Read-only access: The connector is provisioned with read scopes, so it can retrieve and search your Smartsheet data but does not create, modify, or delete sheets, rows, or columns.
- Permissions / scopes: You can only access sheets and data that your Smartsheet account already has permission to view.
Troubleshooting
If you encounter issues:
- Check the deployment status is "Active" (for the Custom Chatbot flow).
- Ensure proper authentication credentials — re-authenticate if prompted.
- Review your Smartsheet sharing settings and permissions for the sheets you are trying to access.
- If a sheet, row, or attachment is not found, confirm the ID is correct — ask the agent to list your sheets (or attachments) first to discover valid IDs.