By default, Aligned connects to Salesforce using an administrator account. This guide shows you how to switch that connection to a dedicated integration user with a limited, read-only permission set instead — so Aligned has exactly the access it needs, and nothing more.
Before you start: Aligned must already be installed and connected to Salesforce — the one-time setup done by your Salesforce administrator. This guide switches an already-working connection over to the integration user, so System Administrator is no longer needed day to day.
You'll need System Administrator access in Salesforce, and about 15 minutes.
New to the Aligned Salesforce setup? Start with the Aligned Salesforce Installation Guide first.
Which license should the integration user have?
You have two options. We recommend the free one.
Recommended — Salesforce Integration license (free). Every Salesforce org includes several. Works for almost everyone. Requires one extra step (Step 2 below).
Alternative — full Salesforce license (paid). Uses one paid seat.
Choose this only if you can't use the free Integration license.
If you pick this, skip Step 2 Do not use the Salesforce Platform license (“Standard Platform User”). It can't access Opportunities and Leads, which Aligned needs, and no permission set can add that access back.
Step 1 — Create the integration user
Skip this step if you already have an integration user that matches this criteria.
In Salesforce, go to Setup → Users → Users, and click New User.
Fill in the details:
License: Salesforce Integration (recommended) — or Salesforce, if you're using the paid option.
Profile: Minimum Access - API Only Integrations (for the Salesforce Integration license).
Alias: something recognizable, e.g.
ainte.Email / Username: a dedicated address you control, e.g.
[email protected].Active: checked.
Click Save.
This user is API-only, so it can't log in through the Salesforce website — that's expected, and part of what keeps it secure. It only works behind the scenes.
Step 2 — Give the user the “Salesforce API Integration” permission set license (For Minimum Access - API Only Integrations Users)
The free Salesforce Integration license is restricted on its own — it won't allow some of the access Aligned needs. The Salesforce API Integration permission set license unlocks that access. This step is what makes the free license work.
Skip this step if you chose the paid full Salesforce license — it already includes everything.
First, confirm it's available:
Go to Setup → Company Information, and scroll to Permission Set Licenses.
Find Salesforce API Integration and confirm it shows available seats. These come bundled with your Salesforce Integration licenses.
Then assign it to the integration user:
Click on Salesforce API Integration → Assign Users → Check on the integration user you created → Assign.
⚠️ Important: Without this step you will not be able to assign your Minimum Access integration user to the permission set*.***
Step 3 — Create the permission set
This is where you define exactly what Aligned is allowed to read.
Go to Setup → Permission Sets and click New.
Label: e.g.
Aligned Minimum Access.License: leave this as None.
Click Save.
Step 4 — Add the required permissions
Open the permission set you just created and add the permissions below. Each one unlocks a specific part of what Aligned does with your CRM — so grant all of them to get the full value. The integration user reads your CRM data and does not need write access to Opportunities, Accounts, Leads or Contacts. Anything Aligned writes back — pushing mapped fields, creating Contacts, logging completed Tasks — is performed on behalf of the individual Aligned user, using whatever that person can already do in Salesforce. The write permissions in the list below cover Aligned's own integration settings, which are stored as Salesforce metadata. Grant every permission listed here: the setup was tested end to end, and a missing permission surfaces later as errors.
System Permissions — enable:
API Enabled — lets Aligned connect to Salesforce at all.
View All Users — so Aligned can match your Salesforce users to your Aligned teammates, and show record owners.
Access Activities — powers Aligned's AI deal insights and next-step recommendations — This is how Aligned reads the signals on which deals are heating up or going quiet.
View Setup and Configuration — so Aligned can read the org configuration it needs to sync correctly.
Modify Metadata Through Metadata API — so Aligned can save its integration settings, which are stored as Salesforce metadata.
Customize Application — also required to read and write Aligned's integration settings. Enabling this automatically turns on Manage Translation and Manage Custom Permissions too — that's normal Salesforce behavior; leave them on.
Object Settings — Object Settings — grant Read, View All Records, and View All Fields on the objects that represent your deals. These keep your rooms in sync with the live state of each deal — automatically:
Opportunity
Account
Lead
Contact
Object Settings — grant Read (with View All Fields) on the activity and file objects. This is what lets Aligned show the full engagement history on each deal — so your team sees the complete picture.
Task — calls and to-dos
Event — meetings
Email Message — logged emails
Note — classic notes
Content Note — enhanced notes
Content Document — files
Content Document Link — links files to records
Content Version — file contents
Feed Item — Chatter posts
Step 5 — Assign the permission set to the integration user
On the permission set, click Manage Assignments → Add Assignments.
Select your integration user and click Assign.
If you see “The user license doesn't allow the permission: …”, see the Troubleshooting section at the bottom of this page — it's almost always the permission set license (Steps 2–3) or a permission that can simply be removed.
After you are done successfully assigning your user to the permission set:
Go to Setup → Users → Users, and click on your integration user.
On the User details page scroll down and you should see both the Permission Set Assignment and the Permission Set License Assignment.
Step 6 — Point the Aligned connection at the integration user
Now tell Salesforce to use the integration user for the Aligned connection instead of the administrator.
Go to Setup → Connected Apps OAuth Usage and find the Aligned connected app. Click Edit Policies (or Manage → Edit Policies).
Under Profiles, click Manage Profiles and remove System Administrator. Leave all your other profiles in place.
Under Permission Sets, click Manage Permission Sets and add the
Aligned Minimum Accesspermission set.Click Save.
Aligned will now connect through the integration user rather than an administrator.
Step 7 — Let Aligned know
If you are an Aligned Admin user and you see one of these system errors:
Follow the “Click here to fix it” button.
Paste your new integration user Username in the input.
Click Assign Admin.
Or else, contact Aligned Support and share the username of the integration user you created. We'll finish switching your account's connection over to it and confirm everything is syncing correctly.
Troubleshooting
“The user license doesn't allow the permission: View All Users.”
Your permission set isn't using the right license. Make sure you assigned the Salesforce API Integration permission set license to the user (Step 2).
The Permission Set License Assignments section is empty on the user's page.
Confirm the Salesforce API Integration license has available seats under Setup → Company Information → Permission Set Licenses, then assign it from the Permission Set Licenses page (Step 2).
Aligned connects, but some activities, notes, or files are missing.
A read permission is missing. Double-check you granted Read on all the activity and file objects in Step 4 — especially Event, Content Version, and Feed Item.
Saving salesforce integration settings from Aligned fails.
Enable Modify Metadata Through Metadata API in System Permissions (Step 4).
Assignment still fails on a permission you know Aligned needs.
The free Integration license can't support it in your org. Use the paid full Salesforce license instead (Step 1), and set the permission set's License to None (Step 3). Everything else stays the same.
Still stuck? Reach out to Aligned Support with a screenshot of the error and we'll help you get it sorted.