What this article helps with: Connecting Filevine to Hona for the first time, and reconnecting after a PAT (Personal Access Token) expiration. If your integration was working but recently stopped syncing, the most likely cause is an expired PAT — follow the reconnection steps at the bottom of this article.
Who this is for: Firm admins with Hona admin access and Filevine Account Admin access.
When not to use this article: If Filevine is already connected but data is not syncing correctly, see Integrations: What is Syncing? and the Filevine Data Mapping Guide.
Overview / Pre-Requisites
This guide walks you through setting up the initial integration between Filevine and Hona, including creating a service account and Personal Access Token (PAT).
Please ensure that you have admin access to Hona as well as Account Admin access in Filevine.
Before Starting — Confirm Access
Hona: Admin Level Login
FV: Advanced > Service Accounts
FV: Advanced > Users & Activity (Account Manager > Access Tokens)
Step 1: Activate the Hona Integration in Filevine
Select the 3 lines at the top left → Select "Advanced"
Navigate to "Integrations" on the left menu
Find the Hona integration and click "Activate"
Step 2: Create a Service Account and PAT
The service account is the "user" that Hona activity gets logged under in Filevine.
Go to Advanced > Service Accounts → Press "+ New"
Service Account Type: Hona
Permissions: All Permissions
Press "Create"
Go to Advanced > Users & Activity > Access Tokens → Press "+ New"
Name: Hona
User: Select [email protected]
Scopes: All scopes except "Payments API Access"
SAVE THE PAT SECRET before closing — this value is not recoverable
Click the new token → Press "Extend Expiration" → Press "Confirm" to set it to the maximum window (approximately 1 year)
PAT Expiration — Set a Yearly Reminder
PAT expiration is the most common cause of Filevine sync stopping unexpectedly. New tokens default to a 3-month expiration — you must extend to the maximum immediately after creating.
Set a calendar reminder to renew the PAT at least 2 weeks before its expiration date
If the PAT expires: sync stops entirely, no data pulls into Hona until a new PAT is entered
Symptoms of expired PAT: integration stops syncing, all records stop updating, integration may appear disconnected
Step 3: Connect Filevine to Hona
You will need: your Personal Access Token (from Step 2) and your Base URL (found in Filevine at Advanced > API Credentials > Base URL). Format: https://[yourdomain].api.filevineapp.com
In Hona, go to Company Settings > Integrations
Click "Update Connection" on the Filevine tile
Enter your PAT and Base URL, then press Save
Email your Account Manager to confirm configuration so they can finalize the connection. No Account Manager? Contact [email protected]
Reconnecting After PAT Expiry
If your Filevine sync has stopped due to an expired PAT, generate a new PAT in Filevine (same steps as Step 2 above) and re-enter it in Hona:
In Filevine: Advanced > Users & Activity > Access Tokens → create a new token for the Hona service account. Save the PAT secret and extend expiration immediately.
In Hona: Company Settings > Integrations > Filevine tile > Update Connection → enter the new PAT and confirm the Base URL → Save
Run a manual sync on one project to confirm data is flowing again
If sync does not resume after entering a new PAT, contact [email protected].