openclaw/docs/channels/slack.md

summary, read_when, title

summary	read_when	title
Slack setup and runtime behavior (Socket Mode + HTTP Request URLs)	Setting up Slack or debugging Slack socket/HTTP mode	Slack

Production-ready for DMs and channels via Slack app integrations. Default mode is Socket Mode; HTTP Request URLs are also supported.

Slack DMs default to pairing mode. Native command behavior and command catalog. Cross-channel diagnostics and repair playbooks.

Quick setup

In Slack app settings press the **[Create New App](https://api.slack.com/apps/new)** button:

    - choose **from a manifest** and select a workspace for your app
    - paste the [example manifest](#manifest-and-scope-checklist) from below and continue to create
    - generate an **App-Level Token** (`xapp-...`) with `connections:write`
    - install app and copy the **Bot Token** (`xoxb-...`) shown
  </Step>

  <Step title="Configure OpenClaw">

{
  channels: {
    slack: {
      enabled: true,
      mode: "socket",
      appToken: "xapp-...",
      botToken: "xoxb-...",
    },
  },
}

    Env fallback (default account only):

SLACK_APP_TOKEN=xapp-...
SLACK_BOT_TOKEN=xoxb-...

  </Step>

  <Step title="Start gateway">

openclaw gateway

  </Step>
</Steps>

In Slack app settings press the **[Create New App](https://api.slack.com/apps/new)** button:

    - choose **from a manifest** and select a workspace for your app
    - paste the [example manifest](#manifest-and-scope-checklist) and update the URLs before create
    - save the **Signing Secret** for request verification
    - install app and copy the **Bot Token** (`xoxb-...`) shown

  </Step>

  <Step title="Configure OpenClaw">

{
  channels: {
    slack: {
      enabled: true,
      mode: "http",
      botToken: "xoxb-...",
      signingSecret: "your-signing-secret",
      webhookPath: "/slack/events",
    },
  },
}

    <Note>
    Use unique webhook paths for multi-account HTTP

    Give each account a distinct `webhookPath` (default `/slack/events`) so registrations do not collide.
    </Note>

  </Step>

  <Step title="Start gateway">

openclaw gateway

  </Step>
</Steps>

Manifest and scope checklist

The base Slack app manifest is the same for Socket Mode and HTTP Request URLs. Only the settings block (and the slash command url) differs.

Base manifest (Socket Mode default):

{
  "display_information": {
    "name": "OpenClaw",
    "description": "Slack connector for OpenClaw"
  },
  "features": {
    "bot_user": { "display_name": "OpenClaw", "always_online": true },
    "app_home": {
      "messages_tab_enabled": true,
      "messages_tab_read_only_enabled": false
    },
    "slash_commands": [
      {
        "command": "/openclaw",
        "description": "Send a message to OpenClaw",
        "should_escape": false
      }
    ]
  },
  "oauth_config": {
    "scopes": {
      "bot": [
        "app_mentions:read",
        "assistant:write",
        "channels:history",
        "channels:read",
        "chat:write",
        "commands",
        "emoji:read",
        "files:read",
        "files:write",
        "groups:history",
        "groups:read",
        "im:history",
        "im:read",
        "im:write",
        "mpim:history",
        "mpim:read",
        "mpim:write",
        "pins:read",
        "pins:write",
        "reactions:read",
        "reactions:write",
        "users:read"
      ]
    }
  },
  "settings": {
    "socket_mode_enabled": true,
    "event_subscriptions": {
      "bot_events": [
        "app_mention",
        "channel_rename",
        "member_joined_channel",
        "member_left_channel",
        "message.channels",
        "message.groups",
        "message.im",
        "message.mpim",
        "pin_added",
        "pin_removed",
        "reaction_added",
        "reaction_removed"
      ]
    }
  }
}

For HTTP Request URLs mode, replace settings with the HTTP variant and add url to each slash command. Public URL required:

{
  "features": {
    "slash_commands": [
      {
        "command": "/openclaw",
        "description": "Send a message to OpenClaw",
        "should_escape": false,
        "url": "https://gateway-host.example.com/slack/events"
      }
    ]
  },
  "settings": {
    "event_subscriptions": {
      "request_url": "https://gateway-host.example.com/slack/events",
      "bot_events": [
        /* same as Socket Mode */
      ]
    },
    "interactivity": {
      "is_enabled": true,
      "request_url": "https://gateway-host.example.com/slack/events",
      "message_menu_options_url": "https://gateway-host.example.com/slack/events"
    }
  }
}

Additional manifest settings

Surface different features that extend the above defaults.

Multiple [native slash commands](#commands-and-slash-behavior) can be used instead of a single configured command with nuance:

- Use `/agentstatus` instead of `/status` because the `/status` command is reserved.
- No more than 25 slash commands can be made available at once.

Replace your existing `features.slash_commands` section with a subset of [available commands](/tools/slash-commands#command-list):

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="Socket Mode (default)">

    "slash_commands": [
      {
        "command": "/new",
        "description": "Start a new session",
        "usage_hint": "[model]"
      },
      {
        "command": "/reset",
        "description": "Reset the current session"
      },
      {
        "command": "/compact",
        "description": "Compact the session context",
        "usage_hint": "[instructions]"
      },
      {
        "command": "/stop",
        "description": "Stop the current run"
      },
      {
        "command": "/session",
        "description": "Manage thread-binding expiry",
        "usage_hint": "idle <duration|off> or max-age <duration|off>"
      },
      {
        "command": "/think",
        "description": "Set the thinking level",
        "usage_hint": "<level>"
      },
      {
        "command": "/verbose",
        "description": "Toggle verbose output",
        "usage_hint": "on|off|full"
      },
      {
        "command": "/fast",
        "description": "Show or set fast mode",
        "usage_hint": "[status|on|off]"
      },
      {
        "command": "/reasoning",
        "description": "Toggle reasoning visibility",
        "usage_hint": "[on|off|stream]"
      },
      {
        "command": "/elevated",
        "description": "Toggle elevated mode",
        "usage_hint": "[on|off|ask|full]"
      },
      {
        "command": "/exec",
        "description": "Show or set exec defaults",
        "usage_hint": "host=<auto|sandbox|gateway|node> security=<deny|allowlist|full> ask=<off|on-miss|always> node=<id>"
      },
      {
        "command": "/model",
        "description": "Show or set the model",
        "usage_hint": "[name|#|status]"
      },
      {
        "command": "/models",
        "description": "List providers/models",
        "usage_hint": "[provider] [page] [limit=<n>|size=<n>|all]"
      },
      {
        "command": "/help",
        "description": "Show the short help summary"
      },
      {
        "command": "/commands",
        "description": "Show the generated command catalog"
      },
      {
        "command": "/tools",
        "description": "Show what the current agent can use right now",
        "usage_hint": "[compact|verbose]"
      },
      {
        "command": "/agentstatus",
        "description": "Show runtime status, including provider usage/quota when available"
      },
      {
        "command": "/tasks",
        "description": "List active/recent background tasks for the current session"
      },
      {
        "command": "/context",
        "description": "Explain how context is assembled",
        "usage_hint": "[list|detail|json]"
      },
      {
        "command": "/whoami",
        "description": "Show your sender identity"
      },
      {
        "command": "/skill",
        "description": "Run a skill by name",
        "usage_hint": "<name> [input]"
      },
      {
        "command": "/btw",
        "description": "Ask a side question without changing session context",
        "usage_hint": "<question>"
      },
      {
        "command": "/usage",
        "description": "Control the usage footer or show cost summary",
        "usage_hint": "off|tokens|full|cost"
      }
    ]

  </Tab>
  <Tab title="HTTP Request URLs">
    Use the same `slash_commands` list as Socket Mode above, and add `"url": "https://gateway-host.example.com/slack/events"` to every entry. Example:

    "slash_commands": [
      {
        "command": "/new",
        "description": "Start a new session",
        "usage_hint": "[model]",
        "url": "https://gateway-host.example.com/slack/events"
      },
      {
        "command": "/help",
        "description": "Show the short help summary",
        "url": "https://gateway-host.example.com/slack/events"
      }
      // ...repeat for every command with the same `url` value
    ]

  </Tab>
</Tabs>

Add the `chat:write.customize` bot scope if you want outgoing messages to use the active agent identity (custom username and icon) instead of the default Slack app identity.

If you use an emoji icon, Slack expects `:emoji_name:` syntax.

If you configure `channels.slack.userToken`, typical read scopes are:

- `channels:history`, `groups:history`, `im:history`, `mpim:history`
- `channels:read`, `groups:read`, `im:read`, `mpim:read`
- `users:read`
- `reactions:read`
- `pins:read`
- `emoji:read`
- `search:read` (if you depend on Slack search reads)

Token model

• botToken + appToken are required for Socket Mode.
• HTTP mode requires botToken + signingSecret.
• botToken, appToken, signingSecret, and userToken accept plaintext strings or SecretRef objects.
• Config tokens override env fallback.
• SLACK_BOT_TOKEN / SLACK_APP_TOKEN env fallback applies only to the default account.
• userToken (xoxp-...) is config-only (no env fallback) and defaults to read-only behavior (userTokenReadOnly: true).

Status snapshot behavior:

• Slack account inspection tracks per-credential *Source and *Status fields (botToken, appToken, signingSecret, userToken).
• Status is available, configured_unavailable, or missing.
• configured_unavailable means the account is configured through SecretRef or another non-inline secret source, but the current command/runtime path could not resolve the actual value.
• In HTTP mode, signingSecretStatus is included; in Socket Mode, the required pair is botTokenStatus + appTokenStatus.

For actions/directory reads, user token can be preferred when configured. For writes, bot token remains preferred; user-token writes are only allowed when `userTokenReadOnly: false` and bot token is unavailable.

Actions and gates

Slack actions are controlled by channels.slack.actions.*.

Available action groups in current Slack tooling:

Group	Default
messages	enabled
reactions	enabled
pins	enabled
memberInfo	enabled
emojiList	enabled

Current Slack message actions include send, upload-file, download-file, read, edit, delete, pin, unpin, list-pins, member-info, and emoji-list. download-file accepts Slack file IDs shown in inbound file placeholders and returns image previews for images or local file metadata for other file types.

Access control and routing

`channels.slack.dmPolicy` controls DM access (legacy: `channels.slack.dm.policy`):

- `pairing` (default)
- `allowlist`
- `open` (requires `channels.slack.allowFrom` to include `"*"`; legacy: `channels.slack.dm.allowFrom`)
- `disabled`

DM flags:

- `dm.enabled` (default true)
- `channels.slack.allowFrom` (preferred)
- `dm.allowFrom` (legacy)
- `dm.groupEnabled` (group DMs default false)
- `dm.groupChannels` (optional MPIM allowlist)

Multi-account precedence:

- `channels.slack.accounts.default.allowFrom` applies only to the `default` account.
- Named accounts inherit `channels.slack.allowFrom` when their own `allowFrom` is unset.
- Named accounts do not inherit `channels.slack.accounts.default.allowFrom`.

Pairing in DMs uses `openclaw pairing approve slack <code>`.

`channels.slack.groupPolicy` controls channel handling:

- `open`
- `allowlist`
- `disabled`

Channel allowlist lives under `channels.slack.channels` and should use stable channel IDs.

Runtime note: if `channels.slack` is completely missing (env-only setup), runtime falls back to `groupPolicy="allowlist"` and logs a warning (even if `channels.defaults.groupPolicy` is set).

Name/ID resolution:

- channel allowlist entries and DM allowlist entries are resolved at startup when token access allows
- unresolved channel-name entries are kept as configured but ignored for routing by default
- inbound authorization and channel routing are ID-first by default; direct username/slug matching requires `channels.slack.dangerouslyAllowNameMatching: true`

Channel messages are mention-gated by default.

Mention sources:

- explicit app mention (`<@botId>`)
- mention regex patterns (`agents.list[].groupChat.mentionPatterns`, fallback `messages.groupChat.mentionPatterns`)
- implicit reply-to-bot thread behavior (disabled when `thread.requireExplicitMention` is `true`)

Per-channel controls (`channels.slack.channels.<id>`; names only via startup resolution or `dangerouslyAllowNameMatching`):

- `requireMention`
- `users` (allowlist)
- `allowBots`
- `skills`
- `systemPrompt`
- `tools`, `toolsBySender`
- `toolsBySender` key format: `id:`, `e164:`, `username:`, `name:`, or `"*"` wildcard
  (legacy unprefixed keys still map to `id:` only)

Threading, sessions, and reply tags

• DMs route as direct; channels as channel; MPIMs as group.
• With default session.dmScope=main, Slack DMs collapse to agent main session.
• Channel sessions: agent:<agentId>:slack:channel:<channelId>.
• Thread replies can create thread session suffixes (:thread:<threadTs>) when applicable.
• channels.slack.thread.historyScope default is thread; thread.inheritParent default is false.
• channels.slack.thread.initialHistoryLimit controls how many existing thread messages are fetched when a new thread session starts (default 20; set 0 to disable).
• channels.slack.thread.requireExplicitMention (default false): when true, suppress implicit thread mentions so the bot only responds to explicit @bot mentions inside threads, even when the bot already participated in the thread. Without this, replies in a bot-participated thread bypass requireMention gating.

Reply threading controls:

• channels.slack.replyToMode: off|first|all|batched (default off)
• channels.slack.replyToModeByChatType: per direct|group|channel
• legacy fallback for direct chats: channels.slack.dm.replyToMode

Manual reply tags are supported:

• [[reply_to_current]]
• [[reply_to:<id>]]

`replyToMode="off"` disables **all** reply threading in Slack, including explicit `reply_to_*` tags. This differs from Telegram, where explicit tags are still honored in `"off"` mode. Slack threads hide messages from the channel while Telegram replies stay visible inline.

Ack reactions

ackReaction sends an acknowledgement emoji while OpenClaw is processing an inbound message.

Resolution order:

• channels.slack.accounts.<accountId>.ackReaction
• channels.slack.ackReaction
• messages.ackReaction
• agent identity emoji fallback (agents.list[].identity.emoji, else "👀")

Notes:

• Slack expects shortcodes (for example "eyes").
• Use "" to disable the reaction for the Slack account or globally.

Text streaming

channels.slack.streaming controls live preview behavior:

• off: disable live preview streaming.
• partial (default): replace preview text with the latest partial output.
• block: append chunked preview updates.
• progress: show progress status text while generating, then send final text.
• streaming.preview.toolProgress: when draft preview is active, route tool/progress updates into the same edited preview message (default: true). Set false to keep separate tool/progress messages.

channels.slack.streaming.nativeTransport controls Slack native text streaming when channels.slack.streaming.mode is partial (default: true).

• A reply thread must be available for native text streaming and Slack assistant thread status to appear. Thread selection still follows replyToMode.
• Channel and group-chat roots can still use the normal draft preview when native streaming is unavailable.
• Top-level Slack DMs stay off-thread by default, so they do not show the thread-style preview; use thread replies or typingReaction if you want visible progress there.
• Media and non-text payloads fall back to normal delivery.
• Media/error finals cancel pending preview edits; eligible text/block finals flush only when they can edit the preview in place.
• If streaming fails mid-reply, OpenClaw falls back to normal delivery for remaining payloads.

Use draft preview instead of Slack native text streaming:

{
  channels: {
    slack: {
      streaming: {
        mode: "partial",
        nativeTransport: false,
      },
    },
  },
}

Legacy keys:

• channels.slack.streamMode (replace | status_final | append) is auto-migrated to channels.slack.streaming.mode.
• boolean channels.slack.streaming is auto-migrated to channels.slack.streaming.mode and channels.slack.streaming.nativeTransport.
• legacy channels.slack.nativeStreaming is auto-migrated to channels.slack.streaming.nativeTransport.

Typing reaction fallback

typingReaction adds a temporary reaction to the inbound Slack message while OpenClaw is processing a reply, then removes it when the run finishes. This is most useful outside of thread replies, which use a default "is typing..." status indicator.

Resolution order:

• channels.slack.accounts.<accountId>.typingReaction
• channels.slack.typingReaction

Notes:

• Slack expects shortcodes (for example "hourglass_flowing_sand").
• The reaction is best-effort and cleanup is attempted automatically after the reply or failure path completes.

Media, chunking, and delivery

Slack file attachments are downloaded from Slack-hosted private URLs (token-authenticated request flow) and written to the media store when fetch succeeds and size limits permit. File placeholders include the Slack `fileId` so agents can fetch the original file with `download-file`.

Runtime inbound size cap defaults to `20MB` unless overridden by `channels.slack.mediaMaxMb`.

- text chunks use `channels.slack.textChunkLimit` (default 4000) - `channels.slack.chunkMode="newline"` enables paragraph-first splitting - file sends use Slack upload APIs and can include thread replies (`thread_ts`) - outbound media cap follows `channels.slack.mediaMaxMb` when configured; otherwise channel sends use MIME-kind defaults from media pipeline Preferred explicit targets:

- `user:<id>` for DMs
- `channel:<id>` for channels

Slack DMs are opened via Slack conversation APIs when sending to user targets.

Commands and slash behavior

Slash commands appear in Slack as either a single configured command or multiple native commands. Configure channels.slack.slashCommand to change command defaults:

• enabled: false
• name: "openclaw"
• sessionPrefix: "slack:slash"
• ephemeral: true

/openclaw /help

Native commands require additional manifest settings in your Slack app and are enabled with channels.slack.commands.native: true or commands.native: true in global configurations instead.

• Native command auto-mode is off for Slack so commands.native: "auto" does not enable Slack native commands.

/help

Native argument menus use an adaptive rendering strategy that shows a confirmation modal before dispatching a selected option value:

• up to 5 options: button blocks
• 6-100 options: static select menu
• more than 100 options: external select with async option filtering when interactivity options handlers are available
• exceeded Slack limits: encoded option values fall back to buttons

/think

Slash sessions use isolated keys like agent:<agentId>:slack:slash:<userId> and still route command executions to the target conversation session using CommandTargetSessionKey.

Interactive replies

Slack can render agent-authored interactive reply controls, but this feature is disabled by default.

Enable it globally:

{
  channels: {
    slack: {
      capabilities: {
        interactiveReplies: true,
      },
    },
  },
}

Or enable it for one Slack account only:

{
  channels: {
    slack: {
      accounts: {
        ops: {
          capabilities: {
            interactiveReplies: true,
          },
        },
      },
    },
  },
}

When enabled, agents can emit Slack-only reply directives:

• [[slack_buttons: Approve:approve, Reject:reject]]
• [[slack_select: Choose a target | Canary:canary, Production:production]]

These directives compile into Slack Block Kit and route clicks or selections back through the existing Slack interaction event path.

Notes:

• This is Slack-specific UI. Other channels do not translate Slack Block Kit directives into their own button systems.
• The interactive callback values are OpenClaw-generated opaque tokens, not raw agent-authored values.
• If generated interactive blocks would exceed Slack Block Kit limits, OpenClaw falls back to the original text reply instead of sending an invalid blocks payload.

Exec approvals in Slack

Slack can act as a native approval client with interactive buttons and interactions, instead of falling back to the Web UI or terminal.

• Exec approvals use channels.slack.execApprovals.* for native DM/channel routing.
• Plugin approvals can still resolve through the same Slack-native button surface when the request already lands in Slack and the approval id kind is plugin:.
• Approver authorization is still enforced: only users identified as approvers can approve or deny requests through Slack.

This uses the same shared approval button surface as other channels. When interactivity is enabled in your Slack app settings, approval prompts render as Block Kit buttons directly in the conversation. When those buttons are present, they are the primary approval UX; OpenClaw should only include a manual /approve command when the tool result says chat approvals are unavailable or manual approval is the only path.

Config path:

• channels.slack.execApprovals.enabled
• channels.slack.execApprovals.approvers (optional; falls back to commands.ownerAllowFrom when possible)
• channels.slack.execApprovals.target (dm | channel | both, default: dm)
• agentFilter, sessionFilter

Slack auto-enables native exec approvals when enabled is unset or "auto" and at least one approver resolves. Set enabled: false to disable Slack as a native approval client explicitly. Set enabled: true to force native approvals on when approvers resolve.

Default behavior with no explicit Slack exec approval config:

{
  commands: {
    ownerAllowFrom: ["slack:U12345678"],
  },
}

Explicit Slack-native config is only needed when you want to override approvers, add filters, or opt into origin-chat delivery:

{
  channels: {
    slack: {
      execApprovals: {
        enabled: true,
        approvers: ["U12345678"],
        target: "both",
      },
    },
  },
}

Shared approvals.exec forwarding is separate. Use it only when exec approval prompts must also route to other chats or explicit out-of-band targets. Shared approvals.plugin forwarding is also separate; Slack-native buttons can still resolve plugin approvals when those requests already land in Slack.

Same-chat /approve also works in Slack channels and DMs that already support commands. See Exec approvals for the full approval forwarding model.

Events and operational behavior

• Message edits/deletes are mapped into system events.
• Thread broadcasts ("Also send to channel" thread replies) are processed as normal user messages.
• Reaction add/remove events are mapped into system events.
• Member join/leave, channel created/renamed, and pin add/remove events are mapped into system events.
• channel_id_changed can migrate channel config keys when configWrites is enabled.
• Channel topic/purpose metadata is treated as untrusted context and can be injected into routing context.
• Thread starter and initial thread-history context seeding are filtered by configured sender allowlists when applicable.
• Block actions and modal interactions emit structured Slack interaction: ... system events with rich payload fields:
  • block actions: selected values, labels, picker values, and workflow_* metadata
  • modal view_submission and view_closed events with routed channel metadata and form inputs

Configuration reference

Primary reference: Configuration reference - Slack.

• mode/auth: mode, botToken, appToken, signingSecret, webhookPath, accounts.*
• DM access: dm.enabled, dmPolicy, allowFrom (legacy: dm.policy, dm.allowFrom), dm.groupEnabled, dm.groupChannels
• compatibility toggle: dangerouslyAllowNameMatching (break-glass; keep off unless needed)
• channel access: groupPolicy, channels.*, channels.*.users, channels.*.requireMention
• threading/history: replyToMode, replyToModeByChatType, thread.*, historyLimit, dmHistoryLimit, dms.*.historyLimit
• delivery: textChunkLimit, chunkMode, mediaMaxMb, streaming, streaming.nativeTransport, streaming.preview.toolProgress
• ops/features: configWrites, commands.native, slashCommand.*, actions.*, userToken, userTokenReadOnly

Troubleshooting

Check, in order:

- `groupPolicy`
- channel allowlist (`channels.slack.channels`)
- `requireMention`
- per-channel `users` allowlist

Useful commands:

openclaw channels status --probe
openclaw logs --follow
openclaw doctor

Check:

- `channels.slack.dm.enabled`
- `channels.slack.dmPolicy` (or legacy `channels.slack.dm.policy`)
- pairing approvals / allowlist entries
- Slack Assistant DM events: verbose logs mentioning `drop message_changed`
  usually mean Slack sent an edited Assistant-thread event without a
  recoverable human sender in message metadata

openclaw pairing list slack

Validate bot + app tokens and Socket Mode enablement in Slack app settings.

If `openclaw channels status --probe --json` shows `botTokenStatus` or
`appTokenStatus: "configured_unavailable"`, the Slack account is
configured but the current runtime could not resolve the SecretRef-backed
value.

Validate:

- signing secret
- webhook path
- Slack Request URLs (Events + Interactivity + Slash Commands)
- unique `webhookPath` per HTTP account

If `signingSecretStatus: "configured_unavailable"` appears in account
snapshots, the HTTP account is configured but the current runtime could not
resolve the SecretRef-backed signing secret.

Verify whether you intended:

- native command mode (`channels.slack.commands.native: true`) with matching slash commands registered in Slack
- or single slash command mode (`channels.slack.slashCommand.enabled: true`)

Also check `commands.useAccessGroups` and channel/user allowlists.

Related

Pair a Slack user to the gateway. Channel and group DM behavior. Route inbound messages to agents. Threat model and hardening. Config layout and precedence. Command catalog and behavior.