Slack setup, 4 steps

Add your agent to Slack

Create a Slack app for your agent, connect it with two tokens, and choose the channel where it replies. You need permission to add apps to your Slack workspace. If you created the workspace, you have it.

1. 1

   Create the app from a manifest

   Open Slack's app page and select Create New App, then From a manifest. Choose your workspace, switch to JSON, paste the manifest below, and select Next, then Create.

   The manifest turns on Socket Mode and every permission your agent needs, so you do not set them one by one. Change the two name lines to your agent's name if you like.

   Show the manifest

   {
     "display_information": { "name": "Your agent" },
     "features": {
       "app_home": {
         "home_tab_enabled": false,
         "messages_tab_enabled": true,
         "messages_tab_read_only_enabled": false
       },
       "bot_user": { "display_name": "Your agent", "always_online": true }
     },
     "oauth_config": {
       "scopes": {
         "bot": [
           "app_mentions:read",
           "channels:history",
           "channels:read",
           "chat:write",
           "files:read",
           "files:write",
           "groups:history",
           "groups:read",
           "im:history",
           "im:read",
           "im:write",
           "mpim:history",
           "mpim:read",
           "users:read"
         ]
       }
     },
     "settings": {
       "event_subscriptions": {
         "bot_events": [
           "app_mention",
           "message.channels",
           "message.groups",
           "message.im",
           "message.mpim"
         ]
       },
       "interactivity": { "is_enabled": true },
       "org_deploy_enabled": false,
       "socket_mode_enabled": true,
       "token_rotation_enabled": false
     }
   }

   Copy manifest
2. 2

   Install it and copy the two tokens

   In the new app, open Install App in the sidebar, select Install to Workspace, and select Allow. Copy the Bot User OAuth Token. It starts with xoxb-.

   Then open Basic Information and scroll to App-Level Tokens. Select Generate Token and Scopes, name it anything, add the connections:write scope, and select Generate. Copy this token. It starts with xapp-.

   Do not paste either token into chat, email, a support form, or a screenshot.

   If someone else sees one, regenerate it in Slack before you continue.

3. 3

   Paste both tokens into Agent Control

   Open your agent's Slack settings in a new tab, paste the bot token and the app token, and select Connect app. Agent Control checks both, stores them only on your machine, clears the fields, and restarts your agent. This usually takes about 30 seconds.

   Choose your agent
4. 4

   Invite the app, choose a channel, and say hi

   In Slack, open the channel you want as your agent's home and type /invite @ followed by your app's name. Agent Control only lists channels the app has joined.

   Back in Slack settings, choose yourself and that channel under Your account & home, then select Save settings. Send hi in the channel. If you chose When mentioned under Replies, tag the app. If your agent replies, setup is complete.

If something gets stuck

• A token is rejected

  Copy it again without spaces. The bot token starts with xoxb- and the app token starts with xapp-. If you regenerated one in Slack, use the new one.

• The app is online but never replies in a channel

  Invite it to the channel with /invite. Slack only sends an app the messages from channels it has joined.

• It works in direct messages but not in channels

  Open Event Subscriptions in the app's settings and check that message.channels and message.groups are on. Reinstall the app if Slack asks.

• Your name is not in the list

  Agent Control lists the people in your workspace from Slack. If it is empty, check that the app has the users:read scope and reinstall it.