clawdbot/docs/channels/slack.md

---
summary: "Slack socket mode setup and Clawdbot config"
read_when: "Setting up Slack or debugging Slack socket mode"
---

# Slack (socket mode)

## Quick setup (beginner)
1) Create a Slack app and enable **Socket Mode**.
2) Create an **App Token** (`xapp-...`) and **Bot Token** (`xoxb-...`).
3) Set tokens for Clawdbot and start the gateway.

Minimal config:
```json5
{
  channels: {
    slack: {
      enabled: true,
      appToken: "xapp-...",
      botToken: "xoxb-..."
    }
  }
}
```

## Setup
1) Create a Slack app (From scratch) in https://api.channels.slack.com/apps.
2) **Socket Mode** → toggle on. Then go to **Basic Information** → **App-Level Tokens** → **Generate Token and Scopes** with scope `connections:write`. Copy the **App Token** (`xapp-...`).
3) **OAuth & Permissions** → add bot token scopes (use the manifest below). Click **Install to Workspace**. Copy the **Bot User OAuth Token** (`xoxb-...`).
4) Optional: **OAuth & Permissions** → add **User Token Scopes** (see the read-only list below). Reinstall the app and copy the **User OAuth Token** (`xoxp-...`).
5) **Event Subscriptions** → enable events and subscribe to:
   - `message.*` (includes edits/deletes/thread broadcasts)
   - `app_mention`
   - `reaction_added`, `reaction_removed`
   - `member_joined_channel`, `member_left_channel`
   - `channel_rename`
   - `pin_added`, `pin_removed`
6) Invite the bot to channels you want it to read.
7) Slash Commands → create `/clawd` if you use `channels.slack.slashCommand`. If you enable native commands, add one slash command per built-in command (same names as `/help`). Native defaults to off for Slack unless you set `channels.slack.commands.native: true` (global `commands.native` is `"auto"` which leaves Slack off).
8) App Home → enable the **Messages Tab** so users can DM the bot.

Use the manifest below so scopes and events stay in sync.

Multi-account support: use `channels.slack.accounts` with per-account tokens and optional `name`. See [`gateway/configuration`](/gateway/configuration#telegramaccounts--discordaccounts--slackaccounts--signalaccounts--imessageaccounts) for the shared pattern.

## Clawdbot config (minimal)

Set tokens via env vars (recommended):
- `SLACK_APP_TOKEN=xapp-...`
- `SLACK_BOT_TOKEN=xoxb-...`

Or via config:

```json5
{
  channels: {
    slack: {
      enabled: true,
      appToken: "xapp-...",
      botToken: "xoxb-..."
    }
  }
}
```

## User token (optional)
Clawdbot can use a Slack user token (`xoxp-...`) for read operations (history,
pins, reactions, emoji, member info). By default this stays read-only: reads
prefer the user token when present, and writes still use the bot token unless
you explicitly opt in. Even with `userTokenReadOnly: false`, the bot token stays
preferred for writes when it is available.

User tokens are configured in the config file (no env var support). For
multi-account, set `channels.slack.accounts.<id>.userToken`.

Example with bot + app + user tokens:
```json5
{
  channels: {
    slack: {
      enabled: true,
      appToken: "xapp-...",
      botToken: "xoxb-...",
      userToken: "xoxp-..."
    }
  }
}
```

Example with userTokenReadOnly explicitly set (allow user token writes):
```json5
{
  channels: {
    slack: {
      enabled: true,
      appToken: "xapp-...",
      botToken: "xoxb-...",
      userToken: "xoxp-...",
      userTokenReadOnly: false
    }
  }
}
```

### Token usage
- Read operations (history, reactions list, pins list, emoji list, member info,
  search) prefer the user token when configured, otherwise the bot token.
- Write operations (send/edit/delete messages, add/remove reactions, pin/unpin,
  file uploads) use the bot token by default. If `userTokenReadOnly: false` and
  no bot token is available, Clawdbot falls back to the user token.

## History context
- `channels.slack.historyLimit` (or `channels.slack.accounts.*.historyLimit`) controls how many recent channel/group messages are wrapped into the prompt.
- Falls back to `messages.groupChat.historyLimit`. Set `0` to disable (default 50).

## Manifest (optional)
Use this Slack app manifest to create the app quickly (adjust the name/command if you want). Include the
user scopes if you plan to configure a user token.

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

If you enable native commands, add one `slash_commands` entry per command you want to expose (matching the `/help` list). Override with `channels.slack.commands.native`.

## Scopes (current vs optional)
Slack's Conversations API is type-scoped: you only need the scopes for the
conversation types you actually touch (channels, groups, im, mpim). See
https://api.channels.slack.com/docs/conversations-api for the overview.

### Bot token scopes (required)
- `chat:write` (send/update/delete messages via `chat.postMessage`)
  https://api.channels.slack.com/methods/chat.postMessage
- `im:write` (open DMs via `conversations.open` for user DMs)
  https://api.channels.slack.com/methods/conversations.open
- `channels:history`, `groups:history`, `im:history`, `mpim:history`
  https://api.channels.slack.com/methods/conversations.history
- `channels:read`, `groups:read`, `im:read`, `mpim:read`
  https://api.channels.slack.com/methods/conversations.info
- `users:read` (user lookup)
  https://api.channels.slack.com/methods/users.info
- `reactions:read`, `reactions:write` (`reactions.get` / `reactions.add`)
  https://api.channels.slack.com/methods/reactions.get
  https://api.channels.slack.com/methods/reactions.add
- `pins:read`, `pins:write` (`pins.list` / `pins.add` / `pins.remove`)
  https://api.channels.slack.com/scopes/pins:read
  https://api.channels.slack.com/scopes/pins:write
- `emoji:read` (`emoji.list`)
  https://api.channels.slack.com/scopes/emoji:read
- `files:write` (uploads via `files.uploadV2`)
  https://api.channels.slack.com/messaging/files/uploading

### User token scopes (optional, read-only by default)
Add these under **User Token Scopes** if you configure `channels.slack.userToken`.

- `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`

### Not needed today (but likely future)
- `mpim:write` (only if we add group-DM open/DM start via `conversations.open`)
- `groups:write` (only if we add private-channel management: create/rename/invite/archive)
- `chat:write.public` (only if we want to post to channels the bot isn't in)
  https://api.channels.slack.com/scopes/chat:write.public
- `users:read.email` (only if we need email fields from `users.info`)
  https://api.channels.slack.com/changelog/2017-04-narrowing-email-access
- `files:read` (only if we start listing/reading file metadata)

## Config
Slack uses Socket Mode only (no HTTP webhook server). Provide both tokens:

```json
{
  "slack": {
    "enabled": true,
    "botToken": "xoxb-...",
    "appToken": "xapp-...",
    "groupPolicy": "allowlist",
    "dm": {
      "enabled": true,
      "policy": "pairing",
      "allowFrom": ["U123", "U456", "*"],
      "groupEnabled": false,
      "groupChannels": ["G123"]
    },
    "channels": {
      "C123": { "allow": true, "requireMention": true },
      "#general": {
        "allow": true,
        "requireMention": true,
        "users": ["U123"],
        "skills": ["search", "docs"],
        "systemPrompt": "Keep answers short."
      }
    },
    "reactionNotifications": "own",
    "reactionAllowlist": ["U123"],
    "replyToMode": "off",
    "actions": {
      "reactions": true,
      "messages": true,
      "pins": true,
      "memberInfo": true,
      "emojiList": true
    },
    "slashCommand": {
      "enabled": true,
      "name": "clawd",
      "sessionPrefix": "slack:slash",
      "ephemeral": true
    },
    "textChunkLimit": 4000,
    "mediaMaxMb": 20
  }
}
```

Tokens can also be supplied via env vars:
- `SLACK_BOT_TOKEN`
- `SLACK_APP_TOKEN`

Ack reactions are controlled globally via `messages.ackReaction` +
`messages.ackReactionScope`. Use `messages.removeAckAfterReply` to clear the
ack reaction after the bot replies.

## Limits
- Outbound text is chunked to `channels.slack.textChunkLimit` (default 4000).
- Media uploads are capped by `channels.slack.mediaMaxMb` (default 20).

## Reply threading
By default, Clawdbot replies in the main channel. Use `channels.slack.replyToMode` to control automatic threading:

| Mode | Behavior |
| --- | --- |
| `off` | **Default.** Reply in main channel. Only thread if the triggering message was already in a thread. |
| `first` | First reply goes to thread (under the triggering message), subsequent replies go to main channel. Useful for keeping context visible while avoiding thread clutter. |
| `all` | All replies go to thread. Keeps conversations contained but may reduce visibility. |

The mode applies to both auto-replies and agent tool calls (`slack sendMessage`).

### Manual threading tags
For fine-grained control, use these tags in agent responses:
- `[[reply_to_current]]` — reply to the triggering message (start/continue thread).
- `[[reply_to:<id>]]` — reply to a specific message id.

## Sessions + routing
- DMs share the `main` session (like WhatsApp/Telegram).
- Channels map to `agent:<agentId>:slack:channel:<channelId>` sessions.
- Slash commands use `agent:<agentId>:slack:slash:<userId>` sessions (prefix configurable via `channels.slack.slashCommand.sessionPrefix`).
- Native command registration uses `commands.native` (global default `"auto"` → Slack off) and can be overridden per-workspace with `channels.slack.commands.native`. Text commands require standalone `/...` messages and can be disabled with `commands.text: false`. Slack slash commands are managed in the Slack app and are not removed automatically. Use `commands.useAccessGroups: false` to bypass access-group checks for commands.
- Full command list + config: [Slash commands](/tools/slash-commands)

## DM security (pairing)
- Default: `channels.slack.dm.policy="pairing"` — unknown DM senders get a pairing code (expires after 1 hour).
- Approve via: `clawdbot pairing approve slack <code>`.
- To allow anyone: set `channels.slack.dm.policy="open"` and `channels.slack.dm.allowFrom=["*"]`.

## Group policy
- `channels.slack.groupPolicy` controls channel handling (`open|disabled|allowlist`).
- `allowlist` requires channels to be listed in `channels.slack.channels`.

Channel options (`channels.slack.channels.<id>` or `channels.slack.channels.<name>`):
- `allow`: allow/deny the channel when `groupPolicy="allowlist"`.
- `requireMention`: mention gating for the channel.
- `allowBots`: allow bot-authored messages in this channel (default: false).
- `users`: optional per-channel user allowlist.
- `skills`: skill filter (omit = all skills, empty = none).
- `systemPrompt`: extra system prompt for the channel (combined with topic/purpose).
- `enabled`: set `false` to disable the channel.

## Delivery targets
Use these with cron/CLI sends:
- `user:<id>` for DMs
- `channel:<id>` for channels

## Tool actions
Slack tool actions can be gated with `channels.slack.actions.*`:

| Action group | Default | Notes |
| --- | --- | --- |
| reactions | enabled | React + list reactions |
| messages | enabled | Read/send/edit/delete |
| pins | enabled | Pin/unpin/list |
| memberInfo | enabled | Member info |
| emojiList | enabled | Custom emoji list |

## Security notes
- Writes default to the bot token so state-changing actions stay scoped to the
  app's bot permissions and identity.
- Setting `userTokenReadOnly: false` allows the user token to be used for write
  operations when a bot token is unavailable, which means actions run with the
  installing user's access. Treat the user token as highly privileged and keep
  action gates and allowlists tight.
- If you enable user-token writes, make sure the user token includes the write
  scopes you expect (`chat:write`, `reactions:write`, `pins:write`,
  `files:write`) or those operations will fail.

## Notes
- Mention gating is controlled via `channels.slack.channels` (set `requireMention` to `true`); `agents.list[].groupChat.mentionPatterns` (or `messages.groupChat.mentionPatterns`) also count as mentions.
- Multi-agent override: set per-agent patterns on `agents.list[].groupChat.mentionPatterns`.
- Reaction notifications follow `channels.slack.reactionNotifications` (use `reactionAllowlist` with mode `allowlist`).
- Bot-authored messages are ignored by default; enable via `channels.slack.allowBots` or `channels.slack.channels.<id>.allowBots`.
- Warning: If you allow replies to other bots (`channels.slack.allowBots=true` or `channels.slack.channels.<id>.allowBots=true`), prevent bot-to-bot reply loops with `requireMention`, `channels.slack.channels.<id>.users` allowlists, and/or clear guardrails in `AGENTS.md` and `SOUL.md`.
- For the Slack tool, reaction removal semantics are in [/tools/reactions](/tools/reactions).
- Attachments are downloaded to the media store when permitted and under the size limit.