Slack Automation Overview Interact with Slack workspaces for channel management, message reading, and content analysis. All operations are read-only unless creating channels. Quick Decision Tree What do you need? │ ├── Search for channels by name │ └── references/search.md │ └── Script: scripts/slack_search.py search │ ├── Read messages from a channel │ └── references/fetch-news.md │ └── Script: scripts/fetch_slack_news.py │ ├── Create a new channel │ └── references/create-channel.md │ └── Script: scripts/create_slack_channel.py │ └── Categorize/analyze messages └── references/categorize.md └── Script: scripts/categorize_slack_messages.py Environment Setup

Required in .env

SLACK_BOT_TOKEN

xoxb-your-bot-token

Required Bot Scopes

Scope

Purpose

channels:read

List public channels

channels:history

Read public channel messages

groups:read

List private channels

groups:history

Read private channel messages

channels:manage

Create channels

Common Usage

Search Channels

python scripts/slack_search.py search

"internal"

--limit

10

Read Channel Messages

python scripts/slack_search.py

read

"internal-client"

--days

7

Create Channel

python scripts/create_slack_channel.py

"project-alpha"

--private

Channel Naming Pattern

For client channels:

internal-{client-name}

e.g.,

internal-microsoft

,

internal-acme-corp

Cost

Free - Slack API has no per-request cost. Rate limited to ~50 requests/minute.

Security Notes

Credential Handling

Store

SLACK_BOT_TOKEN

in

.env

file (never commit to git)

Bot tokens start with

xoxb-

- never expose in logs or output

Rotate tokens via Slack App settings if compromised

Use environment variables, not hardcoded values

Data Privacy

Messages may contain sensitive internal communications

Avoid storing message content in persistent logs

Use message links/IDs for references instead of copying content

Consider data retention policies for exported messages

User profiles include PII (names, emails, profile photos)

Access Scopes

Request minimum required scopes for your use case:

channels:read

- List public channels (read-only)

channels:history

- Read public channel messages (read-only)

groups:read

- List private channels bot is in (read-only)

groups:history

- Read private channel messages (read-only)

channels:manage

- Create channels (write access)

Bot can only access channels it has been invited to

Review scopes at: Slack App Settings > OAuth & Permissions

Compliance Considerations

Audit Logging

Slack Enterprise Grid provides audit logs for compliance

Message Retention

Follow your organization's data retention policies

GDPR

Message content may contain EU user PII

eDiscovery

Exported messages may be subject to legal holds

Internal Communications

Treat Slack data as confidential

Channel Privacy

Private channel access requires explicit invitation Troubleshooting Common Issues Issue: Channel not found Symptoms: "channel_not_found" error when reading or posting Cause: Invalid channel ID, bot not in channel, or private channel Solution: Verify channel ID is correct (use slack_search.py search ) Invite the bot to the channel ( /invite @botname ) Check if channel is private - bot needs explicit invitation Ensure channel hasn't been archived or deleted Issue: Missing permissions / scope errors Symptoms: "missing_scope" or "not_allowed_token_type" error Cause: Bot token missing required OAuth scopes Solution: Go to Slack App Settings > OAuth & Permissions Add required scopes: channels:read , channels:history , etc. Reinstall the app to workspace after adding scopes Verify using the correct bot token (starts with xoxb- ) Issue: Token expired or invalid Symptoms: "invalid_auth" or "token_revoked" error Cause: OAuth token expired, revoked, or incorrectly configured Solution: Reauthorize the bot in Slack App settings Regenerate the bot token if revoked Check .env for correct SLACK_BOT_TOKEN value Verify no whitespace or special characters in token Issue: Rate limited Symptoms: "ratelimited" error or 429 status code Cause: Too many API requests in short period Solution: Add delays between requests (1-2 seconds) Reduce batch size for bulk operations Implement exponential backoff on retries Slack allows ~50 requests/minute for most endpoints Issue: Private channel access denied Symptoms: Can't read private channel despite having scopes Cause: Bot not added to the private channel Solution: Have a channel member invite the bot: /invite @botname Ensure groups:read and groups:history scopes are added Verify bot has been reinstalled after adding scopes Resources references/search.md - Channel search and message reading references/fetch-news.md - Fetch news from channels references/create-channel.md - Create new channels references/categorize.md - AI message categorization Integration Patterns Slack to Newsletter Skills: slack-automation → content-generation Use case: Summarize internal news for weekly newsletter Flow: Fetch messages from news/announcements channels Categorize and filter relevant content Generate formatted newsletter section via content-generation Slack and Meeting Context Skills: slack-automation → transcript-search Use case: Find related meetings when researching Slack discussions Flow: Search Slack for client name or topic Extract date ranges and participant names Search transcript-search for related meeting recordings Slack Reports to Drive Skills: slack-automation → google-workspace Use case: Archive categorized Slack summaries to Google Drive Flow: Fetch and categorize messages from internal channels Generate formatted report document Upload to Google Drive via google-workspace