Slack

Add your agent to Slack as a bot. Users can interact with it via direct messages, @mentions in channels, or slash commands.

Prerequisites

• A Slack workspace where you have admin permissions
• Your agent created and tested in thinnestAI

Setup

Step 1: Create a Slack App

1. Go to api.slack.com/apps
2. Click Create New App > From scratch
3. Name your app (e.g., "Acme AI Assistant")
4. Select your workspace
5. Click Create App

Step 2: Configure Bot Permissions

1. Go to OAuth & Permissions in the sidebar
2. Under Bot Token Scopes, add:
   • chat:write — Send messages
   • app_mentions:read — Read @mentions
   • channels:history — Read channel messages (for context)
   • im:history — Read DM history
   • im:write — Send DMs
3. Click Install to Workspace and authorize

Step 3: Get the Bot Token

After installing, copy the Bot User OAuth Token (starts with xoxb-).

Step 4: Configure Your Agent

1. Open your agent in thinnestAI
2. Go to the Deploy tab
3. Select Slack
4. Enter:
   • Bot Token — The xoxb- token from Slack
   • Signing Secret — Found in Basic Information > App Credentials
5. Click Save & Enable

Step 5: Set Event Subscriptions

1. In your Slack app settings, go to Event Subscriptions
2. Toggle Enable Events on
3. Set the Request URL to:

https://api.thinnest.ai/webhooks/slack/events

4. Under Subscribe to bot events, add:
   • app_mention — Responds when @mentioned in channels
   • message.im — Responds to direct messages
5. Click Save Changes

Step 6: Add Slash Command (Optional)

1. Go to Slash Commands in your Slack app settings
2. Click Create New Command
3. Configure:
   • Command: /ask (or your preferred command)
   • Request URL: https://api.thinnest.ai/webhooks/slack/commands/YOUR_AGENT_ID
   • Description: "Ask the AI assistant a question"
4. Click Save

How It Works

Event-Based (Mentions & DMs)

User @mentions bot or sends DM
        ↓
Slack sends event to /webhooks/slack/events
        ↓
thinnestAI verifies Slack signature
        ↓
Looks up agent by bot token match
        ↓
Extracts user info → auto-captures lead
        ↓
Routes message to agent (GraphExecutor)
        ↓
Agent responds → posted back to channel/DM

Slash Command

User types /ask What is our refund policy?
        ↓
Slack sends command to /webhooks/slack/commands/{agent_id}
        ↓
Agent processes the question
        ↓
Response posted as reply in the channel

Session Persistence

Each Slack user gets their own conversation session per channel.

Session ID format: slack_{user_id}_{channel_id}

Automatic Lead Capture

Every Slack user is automatically captured as a lead with:

• User ID: Slack user identifier
• Name: From slash commands (display name)
• Channel: Stored in custom fields
• Team ID: Workspace identifier in custom fields
• Platform: slack
• Deduplication: One lead per Slack user per agent

Agent Discovery

thinnestAI automatically matches Slack events to agents by finding agents with the matching bot_token in their configuration. This means one Slack app maps to one agent.

Security

• Signature verification: Every event is verified using the Slack signing secret and X-Slack-Signature header
• Challenge verification: Initial URL verification is handled automatically
• Event deduplication: Slack may send events multiple times — the platform handles this gracefully
• Token encryption: Bot tokens are encrypted at rest

Slash Command vs Events

Troubleshooting