Clawdbot Slack Integration: Multi-Channel AI That Works Where You Work

OpenClaw integrates with Slack so your personal AI assistant is available where your team works. This guide covers Slack-specific setup and best practices.

How It Works

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                      Your Inbox                                  │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│                                                                 │
│   📱 WhatsApp      ──────►                                      │
│   💬 Telegram      ──────►    🦞 OpenClaw    ◄──────  💬 Slack  │
│   🎮 Discord       ──────►      Gateway                         │
│   💌 iMessage      ──────►                                      │
│                                                                 │
│   One AI. All your channels.                                    │
│                                                                 │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Your assistant responds on Slack just like any other channel—same context, same skills, same personality.

Prerequisites

• OpenClaw installed: npm install -g openclaw@latest
• Gateway running: openclaw gateway --port 18789

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., "OpenClaw" or your assistant's name)
4. Select your workspace

Add Bot Token Scopes

Go to OAuth & Permissions → Scopes → Bot Token Scopes and add:

• app_mentions:read — Receive mentions
• chat:write — Send messages
• channels:history — Read channel messages
• groups:history — Read private channel messages
• im:history — Read DMs
• im:write — Send DMs

Enable Socket Mode

Go to Socket Mode → Enable Socket Mode.

This generates an App-Level Token (starts with xapp-). Copy it.

Install to Workspace

Go to Install App → Install to Workspace.

Copy the Bot User OAuth Token (starts with xoxb-).

Step 2: Configure OpenClaw

Set environment variables:

export SLACK_BOT_TOKEN=xoxb-your-token
export SLACK_APP_TOKEN=xapp-your-token

Or add to ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json:

{
  channels: {
    slack: {
      botToken: "xoxb-your-bot-token",
      appToken: "xapp-your-app-token",
      dm: {
        policy: "pairing",  // or "open"
        allowFrom: [],      // Empty = pairing required
      },
    },
  },
}

Step 3: Restart Gateway

openclaw gateway restart

Your Slack bot should now be online and responding.

Using Slack

Mentions in Channels

Mention your bot to get a response:

@openclaw what's the status of the deployment?

Direct Messages

DM the bot directly. If you're not on the allowlist, you'll receive a pairing code.

Thread Replies

The assistant responds in threads to keep conversations organized.

DM Security

By default, Slack DMs use pairing mode:

1. Unknown user DMs your bot
2. Bot sends a pairing code
3. Approve: openclaw pairing approve slack <code>
4. User is allowlisted

To allow open DMs (not recommended for public workspaces):

{
  channels: {
    slack: {
      dm: {
        policy: "open",
        allowFrom: ["*"],
      },
    },
  },
}

Chat Commands

These commands work in Slack just like other channels:

| Command | Description | |---------|-------------| | /status | Show model, tokens, cost | | /new | Reset conversation | | /compact | Summarize context | | /think high | Enable extended thinking | | /verbose on | Show detailed responses |

Slack-Specific Actions

OpenClaw can use Slack-specific tools:

• Send messages to channels or users
• React to messages with emoji
• Read channel history for context
• Create threads for organized discussions

Multi-Workspace Support

You can connect multiple Slack workspaces by running separate Gateway instances or using the multi-tenant configuration.

Troubleshooting

Bot not responding?

1. Check tokens: Both SLACK_BOT_TOKEN and SLACK_APP_TOKEN are required
2. Verify Socket Mode is enabled
3. Check Gateway logs: openclaw gateway --verbose

Not receiving mentions?

Ensure you've added the required scopes and reinstalled the app after adding them.

DM issues?

Run openclaw doctor to check DM policies.

Next Steps

• Security Guide — Best practices
• Multi-Channel Setup — Add more channels
• Skills — Extend capabilities
• Slack Docs — Full reference