What this article helps with: Configuring the field mapping between Clio and Hona so that practice areas, matter stages, and the Hona Enabled field sync correctly into your Hona projects.

Who this is for: Firm admins with admin access to both Hona and Clio.

When not to use this article: If Clio is not connected yet, start with Clio Integration Setup. If Clio is connected and mapped but data isn't syncing, see Integrations: What is Syncing?.

Important: Clio is the source of truth

Hona pulls case and contact data from Clio — it does not write case data back to Clio except where explicitly configured (such as logging messages or form submissions). If a client's phone number or matter detail differs between Hona and Clio after a sync, the Clio value will take precedence on the next sync. Always update case and contact data in Clio, not Hona.

What data syncs from Clio to Hona?

Hona maps three key fields from Clio:

Project type — typically mapped to the Practice Area in Clio
Phase names — typically mapped to Matter Stages in Clio, or custom fields/tasks if applicable
Hona Enabled — a custom field in Clio that controls whether a matter syncs into Hona

Step 1: Verify access and integration in Hona

Ensure you have admin access to Hona and access to Clio.
In Hona, navigate to the top left corner menu → Company Settings → Integrations tab.
Confirm that the Clio integration tile is showing as Connected. If not, refer to Clio Integration Setup.

Step 2: Map fields in Hona

Click on Map Fields in the Clio integration tile.
Map the three required fields: project type (practice area in Clio), phase names (matter stages in Clio or custom fields/tasks), and Hona Enabled (a custom field in Clio).
If the Hona Enabled field doesn't exist in Clio yet, create it as a custom field in Clio and then add it as you would add a custom phase option.

Step 3: Configure project types in Hona

In Hona, go to Project Types and click the three dots next to each project type, then click Edit.
Select the applicable practice areas for each project type.
Scroll to the bottom and click on Other Settings to choose phase-based or task-based progression.
For phase-based progression, select the relevant phases and matter stages.
Save the configuration for each project type.

Step 4: Set up phase mapping

Click into individual phases within each project type in Hona.
Find the Triggers section and select the Clio triggers applicable to this project type (e.g., File Setup).
Each phase must have at least one trigger mapped. You can add multiple triggers to one Hona phase, but a Clio phase cannot be used in more than one Hona phase within a project type.
Click Save to confirm the mappings.

Step 5: Test the mapping

In Clio, copy the matter ID from the URL of a test matter.
In Hona, go to the Projects tab, click the Syncing button, paste the matter ID, and sync from Clio.
Confirm that Practice Area, Matter Stage, and Hona Enabled are mapping correctly.
For testing, set Hona Enabled to "yes" and verify the project appears correctly in Hona.
If the project appears under the correct project type and phase, your mapping is working.

Troubleshooting

Project not appearing in Hona after sync — Check that the Hona Enabled field in Clio is set to "yes" for the matter. Verify that the matter's practice area is mapped to a project type in Hona.
Wrong phase triggering in Hona — Confirm that the Clio matter stage names match exactly what is configured in the phase trigger mapping in Hona. Matter stage names are case-sensitive.
Project appearing under the wrong project type — Review your practice area mapping. Confirm the Clio practice area value matches the mapped value in Hona.
Contact information not syncing correctly — Clio is the source of truth. Update the contact details in Clio and run a manual sync on that project in Hona.
Phase mapping option not appearing in dropdown — A Clio matter stage can only be used in one Hona phase per project type. Check whether that stage is already assigned to a different phase.