Slack Channel

Slack integration with OpenClaw uses Socket Mode, which provides a WebSocket connection for receiving events without exposing a public HTTP endpoint. You’ll need both a bot token (xoxb-…) and an app-level token (xapp-…).

Quick Start

The fastest way to set up Slack is with the interactive onboarding:

openclaw init

Select Slack and follow the prompts to enter your tokens.

Creating a Slack App

Create a new app

Go to Slack API: Your Apps
Click “Create New App”
Choose “From scratch”
Give your app a name (e.g., “OpenClaw Bot”)
Select the workspace where you want to install it
Click “Create App”

Enable Socket Mode

In the left sidebar, click “Socket Mode”
Toggle “Enable Socket Mode” on
Give your token a name (e.g., “OpenClaw Socket”)
Click “Generate”
Copy the app-level token (starts with xapp-)
Save this token - you’ll need it later

Configure OAuth scopes

Go to “OAuth & Permissions” in the sidebar
Scroll to “Scopes” → “Bot Token Scopes”
Add these scopes:
- chat:write - Send messages
- channels:history - Read public channel messages
- channels:read - View public channels
- groups:history - Read private channel messages
- im:history - Read DM messages
- mpim:history - Read multi-person DM messages
- users:read - View users
- app_mentions:read - Receive @mentions
- reactions:read - Read reactions
- reactions:write - Add reactions
- files:read - Read files
- files:write - Upload files
- pins:read - Read pinned messages
- pins:write - Pin messages
- commands - Use slash commands

Install app to workspace

Go to “OAuth & Permissions”
Click “Install to Workspace” (or “Reinstall to Workspace” if you added new scopes)
Review permissions and click “Allow”
Copy the Bot User OAuth Token (starts with xoxb-)
Save this token - you’ll need it for configuration

Enable events (optional but recommended)

Go to “Event Subscriptions” in the sidebar
Toggle “Enable Events” on
Under “Subscribe to bot events”, add:
- app_mention - Bot @mentions
- message.channels - Public channel messages
- message.groups - Private channel messages
- message.im - Direct messages
- message.mpim - Multi-person DMs
- reaction_added - Reactions added
- reaction_removed - Reactions removed
Click “Save Changes”

Enable App Home (for DMs)

Go to “App Home” in the sidebar
Under “Show Tabs”, enable the “Messages Tab”
Check “Allow users to send Slash commands and messages from the messages tab”

Configuration

Using Environment Variables

The simplest way to configure Slack:

export SLACK_BOT_TOKEN="xoxb-your-bot-token"
export SLACK_APP_TOKEN="xapp-your-app-token"

Then enable in config:

{
  "channels": {
    "slack": {
      "enabled": true
    }
  }
}

Using Config File

Alternatively, store tokens directly in openclaw.config.json:

{
  "channels": {
    "slack": {
      "enabled": true,
      "botToken": "xoxb-your-bot-token",
      "appToken": "xapp-your-app-token",
      "dmPolicy": "pairing",
      "groupPolicy": "allowlist",
      "channels": {}
    }
  }
}

Key	Type	Default	Description
`enabled`	boolean	`false`	Enable Slack channel
`botToken`	string	-	Bot OAuth token (xoxb-…) or use `SLACK_BOT_TOKEN` env var
`appToken`	string	-	App-level token (xapp-…) or use `SLACK_APP_TOKEN` env var
`dmPolicy`	string	`"pairing"`	DM access policy: `pairing`, `allowlist`, `open`, `disabled`
`allowFrom`	string[]	`[]`	Slack user IDs allowed to DM (e.g., `["U123ABC456"]`)
`groupPolicy`	string	`"allowlist"`	Channel access policy: `allowlist`, `open`, `disabled`
`channels`	object	`{}`	Per-channel configuration (keys are channel IDs like `C123ABC456`)

DM Policies

pairing (recommended): Unknown users get a pairing code; approve with openclaw pairing approve slack <userId>
allowlist: Only user IDs in allowFrom can DM the bot
open: Anyone can DM the bot (set allowFrom: ["*"])
disabled: Ignore all Slack DMs

Getting Your Slack User ID

Method 1: Check profile

Click your profile picture in Slack
Select “Profile”
Click the three dots → “Copy member ID”

Method 2: Check logs

DM your bot in Slack
Run openclaw logs --follow

Look for a line like:

Slack DM from user_id=U123ABC456 username=@yourname

Method 3: Use Slack API

curl -H "Authorization: Bearer xoxb-your-token" \
  "https://slack.com/api/users.list" | jq '.members[] | select(.name=="yourname") | .id'

Channel Configuration

Allowlist Specific Channels

To restrict the bot to specific channels:

{
  "channels": {
    "slack": {
      "groupPolicy": "allowlist",
      "channels": {
        "C123ABC456": { "allow": true },
        "C789DEF012": { "allow": true }
      }
    }
  }
}

To get channel IDs:

Right-click the channel in Slack
Select “View channel details”
Scroll to the bottom - the ID is at the end

Or use the Slack API:

curl -H "Authorization: Bearer xoxb-your-token" \
  "https://slack.com/api/conversations.list" | jq '.channels[] | {name, id}'

Per-Channel Settings

{
  "channels": {
    "slack": {
      "channels": {
        "C123ABC456": {
          "allow": true,
          "requireMention": true,
          "allowFrom": ["U123ABC456", "U789DEF012"],
          "toolPolicy": "allowlist"
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

Key	Type	Default	Description
`allow`	boolean	`false`	Enable bot in this channel
`requireMention`	boolean	`false`	Only respond when bot is @mentioned
`allowFrom`	string[]	`[]`	User IDs allowed to use the bot in this channel
`toolPolicy`	string	`"open"`	Tool usage policy: `open`, `allowlist`, `disabled`

Resolving Channel Names

OpenClaw can resolve channel names to IDs:

openclaw channels resolve slack "#general"

Slash Commands

Slack slash commands let users trigger the bot with /command.

Creating a Slash Command

Go to “Slash Commands” in your app settings
Click “Create New Command”
Set:
- Command: /openclaw (or any name)
- Request URL: Leave this for Socket Mode (not used)
- Short Description: “Talk to OpenClaw”
- Usage Hint: [message]
Click “Save”

OpenClaw will automatically handle the command.

Thread Support

Slack threads are automatically detected and maintained. Messages in a thread will keep conversation context:

{
  "channels": {
    "slack": {
      "threads": {
        "enabled": true
      }
    }
  }
}

Interactive Components

Slack supports buttons, select menus, and other interactive elements. OpenClaw can render these in responses:

{
  "channels": {
    "slack": {
      "interactiveComponents": {
        "enabled": true
      }
    }
  }
}

Multi-Account Support

You can connect to multiple Slack workspaces:

{
  "channels": {
    "slack": {
      "accounts": {
        "work": {
          "enabled": true,
          "botToken": "xoxb-work-token",
          "appToken": "xapp-work-token",
          "channels": {
            "C123ABC456": { "allow": true }
          }
        },
        "community": {
          "enabled": true,
          "botToken": "xoxb-community-token",
          "appToken": "xapp-community-token",
          "channels": {
            "C789DEF012": { "allow": true }
          }
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

Troubleshooting

Bot not responding to messages

Check these common issues:

Socket Mode is not enabled
- Go to Slack API → Socket Mode → Toggle on
Missing OAuth scopes
- Verify all required scopes are added (see setup steps)
- Reinstall the app after adding scopes
Channel not in allowlist
- Check channels configuration includes the channel ID
Bot not invited to channel
- Type /invite @BotName in the channel

Verify status:

openclaw channels status --probe

Socket connection errors

Socket Mode requires both tokens:

Bot token (xoxb-…) - from “OAuth & Permissions”
App token (xapp-…) - from “Socket Mode”

Verify both are configured:

openclaw config get channels.slack.botToken
openclaw config get channels.slack.appToken

Messages not appearing in logs

Ensure Event Subscriptions are configured:

Go to “Event Subscriptions” in Slack API
Enable events
Subscribe to:
- message.channels
- message.groups
- message.im
- app_mention
Save and reinstall the app

Cannot send DMs to bot

Enable the Messages tab in App Home:

Go to “App Home” in Slack API
Enable “Messages Tab”
Check “Allow users to send Slash commands and messages from the messages tab”

Invalid token error

Check that your tokens are correct and not expired:

Bot token starts with xoxb-
App token starts with xapp-

If tokens are invalid, regenerate them in the Slack API portal.

Security Considerations

Keep tokens secret - they give full access to your bot and workspace
Use environment variables instead of committing tokens to version control
Rotate tokens if they may have been exposed
Use allowlist mode for production bots
Review OAuth scopes - only grant what’s needed
Monitor bot activity via Slack’s audit logs

App Manifest (Quick Setup)

For quick setup, you can use this manifest when creating your app:

display_information:
  name: OpenClaw
  description: OpenClaw AI assistant
features:
  bot_user:
    display_name: OpenClaw
    always_online: false
  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:
      - chat:write
      - channels:history
      - channels:read
      - groups:history
      - im:history
      - mpim:history
      - users:read
      - app_mentions:read
      - reactions:read
      - reactions:write
      - pins:read
      - pins:write
      - emoji:read
      - commands
      - files:read
      - files:write
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

Next Steps

Signal Setup

Set up Signal as another channel

Pairing Guide

Learn about pairing codes and approvals

Configuration Reference

Full configuration options

Multi-Channel

Using multiple channels together

Getting Started

Core Concepts

Channels

Platform Apps

Guides

Quick Start

Creating a Slack App

Configuration

Using Environment Variables

Using Config File

DM Policies

Getting Your Slack User ID

Channel Configuration

Allowlist Specific Channels

Per-Channel Settings

Resolving Channel Names

Slash Commands

Creating a Slash Command

Thread Support

Interactive Components

Multi-Account Support

Troubleshooting

Security Considerations

App Manifest (Quick Setup)

Next Steps

Signal Setup

Pairing Guide

Configuration Reference

Multi-Channel

Getting Started

Core Concepts

Channels

Platform Apps

Guides

​Quick Start

​Creating a Slack App

​Configuration

​Using Environment Variables

​Using Config File

​DM Policies

​Getting Your Slack User ID

​Channel Configuration

​Allowlist Specific Channels

​Per-Channel Settings

​Resolving Channel Names

​Slash Commands

​Creating a Slash Command

​Thread Support

​Interactive Components

​Multi-Account Support

​Troubleshooting

​Security Considerations

​App Manifest (Quick Setup)

​Next Steps

Signal Setup

Pairing Guide

Configuration Reference

Multi-Channel

Quick Start

Creating a Slack App

Configuration

Using Environment Variables

Using Config File

DM Policies

Getting Your Slack User ID

Channel Configuration

Allowlist Specific Channels

Per-Channel Settings

Resolving Channel Names

Slash Commands

Creating a Slash Command

Thread Support

Interactive Components

Multi-Account Support

Troubleshooting

Security Considerations

App Manifest (Quick Setup)

Next Steps