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Version: v2.0

Connect an agent to Slack

Connect an agent to Slack, and your team can mention it in a channel or send it a direct message. The agent answers in a thread, right where your team already works.

You set this up in two places: Agenta, where you name the assistant and get its app manifest, and Slack, where you create the app from that manifest.

Before you start​

You need:

  • An agent in Agenta that you want your team to use in Slack.
  • Permission to create and install apps in your Slack workspace.

1. Name the assistant in Agenta​

  1. Open the agent's chat and click Publish.
  2. Next to Slack, click Add.
  3. Choose to use your own Slack app.
  4. Fill in how the assistant shows up in Slack:
    • Name: the display name, such as Outreach drafter.
    • Handle: what people type to mention it, such as @outreachdrafter. Use letters, numbers, periods, hyphens, and underscores.
    • Description: one short sentence on what it does.

2. Create the Slack app from the manifest​

  1. In the Create app step, click Copy to copy the manifest. Agenta fills it with the name, handle, and description you entered.
  2. Click Open Slack app settings.
  3. In Slack, click Create New App, then choose From a manifest.
  4. Select your workspace, paste the manifest, and click Next.
  5. Review what the app can do, then click Create and Install to install it to your workspace.

3. Paste the app's credentials into Agenta​

Copy three values from the app's settings in Slack:

Agenta fieldWhere to find it in Slack
App IDBasic Information. It starts with A. Do not use the Client ID.
Signing SecretBasic Information
Bot User OAuth TokenInstall App

Paste them into the Connect step in Agenta, then click Connect app. Agenta checks the values with Slack before it saves them. After saving, they stay masked.

4. Choose where the assistant answers​

After it connects, the Slack panel shows the app as Live. Under Answers in, choose where the assistant responds:

  • Direct messages: anyone in the workspace can send it a direct message.
  • Channels: it replies in a thread when someone mentions it in a channel.

To add the assistant to a channel, invite it there from Slack (for example, /invite @outreachdrafter). The channel then appears under Channels it's in. In the video, the assistant is added to an #outreach channel with channel replies turned on.

5. Mention the agent in Slack​

In the channel, mention the agent and ask for what you need. For example:

@Outreachdrafter Find the five newest contacts added to HubSpot this week. Research their companies and draft a personalized welcome email for each, signed John. Show me the research and drafts for review before sending.

The agent reacts with 👀 when it picks up your request. Open the thread to follow its response. When it has finished, the 👀 changes to ✅.

Anyone in the channel can mention the agent the same way to ask questions, request drafts, and review the results together in the thread.

Manage the connection​

Open the agent's Publish panel and click Slack to come back to the connection. From there you can:

  • Turn Direct messages and Channels on or off.
  • See the channels the assistant is in.
  • Update the app credentials under Access.
  • Add another workspace or another Slack app.
  • Disconnect the app.

Changes save automatically.

Other channels​

You can publish the same agent to Telegram and WhatsApp from the same Publish panel. See Connect a WhatsApp number to an agent.

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