Slack

Status: ✅ Supported (OpenClaw only)

Mode: Socket Mode (default) — outbound WebSocket, no public endpoint needed.

Slack channel allows your agent to operate as a bot in Slack workspaces, responding to mentions, DMs, and thread messages.

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Token Model

Socket Mode requires two tokens:

Token	Prefix	Secret Name	Purpose
Bot Token	xoxb-	SLACK_BOT_TOKEN	Authenticates bot actions (send messages, read channels)
App Token	xapp-	SLACK_APP_TOKEN	Authenticates the WebSocket connection to Slack

Both tokens use SecretRef objects in config and fall back to environment variables.

Env Fallback

For the default account, tokens resolve from environment if not in config:

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

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Setup

Step 1: Create a Slack App

1. Go to https://api.slack.com/apps/new
2. Choose From a manifest
3. Select your workspace
4. Paste this manifest:

{
  "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
    }
  },
  "oauth_config": {
    "scopes": {
      "bot": [
        "app_mentions:read",
        "channels:history",
        "channels:read",
        "chat:write",
        "im:history",
        "im:read",
        "im:write",
        "mpim:history",
        "mpim:read",
        "mpim:write",
        "reactions:read",
        "reactions:write",
        "users:read",
        "pins:read"
      ]
    }
  },
  "settings": {
    "socket_mode_enabled": true,
    "event_subscriptions": {
      "bot_events": [
        "app_mention",
        "message.channels",
        "message.im",
        "message.mpim",
        "reaction_added",
        "member_joined_channel"
      ]
    }
  }
}

5. Click Create

Step 2: Generate App-Level Token

This is the xapp- token required for Socket Mode.

1. Go to Basic Information (sidebar) > App-Level Tokens
2. Click Generate Token and Scopes
3. Name it: socket-mode
4. Add scope: connections:write
5. Click Generate
6. Copy the token — it starts with xapp-
7. Save this — you'll enter it as SLACK_APP_TOKEN during configuration

Step 3: Install App to Workspace

1. Go to OAuth & Permissions (sidebar)
2. Click Install to Workspace
3. Authorize the app
4. Copy the Bot User OAuth Token — it starts with xoxb-
5. Save this — you'll enter it as SLACK_BOT_TOKEN during configuration

Step 4: Invite Bot to a Channel

In Slack, go to the channel where you want the bot and type:

@OpenClaw

Slack will prompt you to invite the bot to the channel.

Step 5: Get Your User ID

1. In Slack, click your profile picture (top right)
2. Click ⋯ (three dots) > Copy Member ID
3. The ID starts with U (e.g., U01ABC2DEF)
4. This goes in the allowFrom list during configuration

Step 6: Configure in Clawrium

clm agent configure <agent-name>
# Select "slack" when prompted for channel
# Enter your Bot Token, App Token, and User ID

Or reconfigure just the channels stage:

clm agent configure <agent-name> --stage channels

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Configuration Structure

After setup, the Slack config in your agent's openclaw.json looks like:

{
  "channels": {
    "slack": {
      "enabled": true,
      "mode": "socket",
      "botToken": {
        "source": "env",
        "provider": "default",
        "id": "SLACK_BOT_TOKEN"
      },
      "appToken": {
        "source": "env",
        "provider": "default",
        "id": "SLACK_APP_TOKEN"
      },
      "allowFrom": ["U01ABC2DEF"],
      "groupPolicy": "allowlist",
      "dmPolicy": "pairing"
    }
  }
}

Field	Type	Default	Description
enabled	bool	true	Enable Slack channel
mode	string	"socket"	Connection mode (Socket Mode)
botToken	SecretRef	—	Bot token reference (xoxb-...)
appToken	SecretRef	—	App-level token reference (xapp-...)
allowFrom	string[]	[]	User IDs allowed to interact with the bot
groupPolicy	string	"allowlist"	Group access policy: open, allowlist, disabled
dmPolicy	string	"pairing"	DM access policy: pairing, allowlist, open, disabled

SecretRef Object

Tokens use SecretRef objects instead of plaintext values. The secret value is stored in Clawrium's encrypted secrets storage, not in config files.

{
  "source": "env",
  "provider": "default",
  "id": "SLACK_BOT_TOKEN"
}

At runtime, OpenClaw resolves the token from the environment file written by Clawrium.

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Access Control

DM Policy (dmPolicy)

Policy	Behavior
pairing (default)	New DM users must approve via clm pairing approve slack <code>
allowlist	Only users in allowFrom can DM
open	Anyone can DM (requires allowFrom: ["*"])
disabled	No DMs allowed

Group Policy (groupPolicy)

Policy	Behavior
allowlist (default)	Bot only responds in explicitly allowed channels
open	Bot responds in all channels it's invited to
disabled	No channel responses

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Troubleshooting

Bot not responding in channels

• Verify groupPolicy is not disabled
• Check bot is invited to the channel (@OpenClaw in channel)
• Verify app_mentions:read and channels:history scopes are enabled

Bot not responding to DMs

• Check dmPolicy — default is pairing, new users must be approved first
• Run clm pairing list slack to see pending approvals

Socket Mode not connecting

• Verify both SLACK_BOT_TOKEN and SLACK_APP_TOKEN are set
• Check that Socket Mode is enabled in Slack app settings
• Verify the App-Level Token has connections:write scope

"Invalid bot token format" error

• Bot token must start with xoxb- and contain only alphanumeric characters and hyphens
• Copy the full token from OAuth & Permissions in Slack app settings

"Invalid app token format" error

• App token must start with xapp-1- followed by alphanumeric and hex characters
• Copy the full token from Basic Information > App-Level Tokens

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