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Each Slack app is a direct line to one agent. People on the app’s list can send it direct messages. When channels are on, the app also answers when someone @mentions it in a channel that it was invited to. The app connects from your workspace computer with Slack’s Socket Mode, so nothing needs a public URL. This page is about the Slack app that you chat with. To give agents Slack as a tool for their work, connect Slack on Integrations > Connected apps. See Connect apps. For how channels compare, see Talk to your squad from Telegram, Discord, or Slack.

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Before you start

  • You need permission to create and install apps in your Slack workspace.
  • Get your Slack member ID. In Slack, open your profile, click ⋯ (More), and click Copy member ID. The ID starts with U.

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Open the Slack screen

Use one of these paths:
  • Open Integrations, click the Channels tab, and click Slack.
  • Open Settings and click Slack under CONNECTIONS.

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Connect an app

1

Choose who answers

Under Connect an app, in Who is this app?, select The whole squad (the lead answers) or one agent.
2

Copy the manifest

Click Copy the @Squad manifest. If you selected an agent, the button shows the agent’s name instead of Squad. Slack uses this name for the app.
3

Start a new Slack app

Open api.slack.com/apps and click Create New App.
4

Paste the manifest

Click From a manifest, pick your Slack workspace, and paste the manifest.
5

Create the app

Create the app.
6

Generate the app-level token

In the app’s Basic Information page, under App-Level Tokens, generate a token with the connections:write scope.
7

Paste the app-level token

On the Squad Slack screen, paste the token into Generate the app-level token. It starts with xapp-.
8

Install the app

In the Slack app settings, open Install App and click Install to Workspace.
9

Paste the bot token

Copy the Bot User OAuth Token and paste it into Install it to your Slack workspace. It starts with xoxb-.
10

Add your member ID

Under Add yourself and connect, type your Slack member ID.
11

Connect

Click Connect @Squad, or the button with the agent’s name.
The manifest sets everything that the app needs, including Socket Mode and the permissions. It cannot set an icon. To give the app an icon, add one on the app’s Basic Information page in Slack.
Copy both tokens from the same Slack app. Squad refuses tokens from two different apps.

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Check that it works

  • The app shows as a card with Online.
  • On the card, click Verify connection. A green message says that the app has every permission Squad needs.
  • Send the app a direct message in Slack. The agent answers.
  • In a channel, type /invite @ followed by the app name, then @mention the app. The agent answers.

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Set up the app

Each app card has these controls: To add a person to Who can message it:
  1. Ask the person for their Slack member ID.
  2. Type the ID into the field under Who can message it.
  3. Click Add.
A list can hold up to 50 people. See Limits and defaults.

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Known limits

  • In channels, the app does not check its list. Anyone in a channel where the app was invited can @mention it and get an answer. If only the people on the list may use the app, turn off Answer in channels.
  • The list cannot be empty. You can remove yourself when someone else is on the list. Squad does not keep you on a Slack list.
  • The first app that you connect is the primary app. You cannot remove the primary app while other apps are connected. Remove the other apps first.
  • The card has no field to replace a token. To use new tokens, see the troubleshooting entry below.
  • If the card says that your squad’s runtime limits the app to specific channels, the limit was set on your workspace computer. Ask your lead to change it.

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Troubleshooting

The app receives messages but does not reply. Cause: the app is missing permissions. Fix: click Verify connection and follow the steps that it shows. You add the missing scopes under OAuth & Permissions in the Slack app settings, then reinstall the app. Verify connection says Slack rejected the bot token or the app-level token. Cause: the token was reset, or the app was reinstalled and got a new token. Fix: connect the app again with the new tokens in the Connect an app form. Squad replaces an app whose old token Slack no longer accepts. Squad says the app is already connected to this workspace. Cause: the app’s current tokens still work, so the app is connected. Fix: nothing to do. To change to other tokens, remove the app and connect it again. Squad says the tokens belong to two different Slack apps. Cause: you copied the tokens from two apps. Fix: copy the app-level token from Basic Information and the bot token from Install App of the same app. Squad says that is the bot’s own ID. Cause: you typed the app’s member ID. Fix: type your own member ID from your Slack profile. The error says this is the primary Slack app and other apps are still connected. Cause: the primary app is removed last. Fix: remove the other apps first, then remove this one.

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Messages when you connect an app

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Results of Verify connection

The Verify messages say to paste new tokens “here in Squad”. The card has no token field. Use the Connect an app form instead, as the troubleshooting entry about rejected tokens above describes. For list messages and messages that all channel screens share, see Messages on every channel screen. The list messages are “Slack member IDs start with U, e.g. U0123ABCDEF.” and “Keep at least one person — an empty list answers nobody.”