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Slack Integration

This tutorial integrates a Slack interface into Solace Agent Mesh, enabling interaction with the system directly from your Slack workspace and channels.

Learn about gateways

Read about Gateways before you start this tutorial.

Setting Up the Environment​

First, you need to install Solace Agent Mesh and Solace Mesh Agent (SAM) CLI, and then create a new Solace Agent Mesh project or create a new gateway plugin.

Creating the Slack App​

Next, create a Slack Application in your workspace.

  1. Go to the Slack Application website.
  2. Select Your Apps and click Create New App.
  3. Choose From a manifest and apply the following configuration.
    • You can customize the name and description, but keep the rest of the configuration and settings unchanged.
display_information:
  name: solace-agent-mesh-bot
  description: An app to integrate with Solace Agent Mesh
features:
  app_home:
    home_tab_enabled: false
    messages_tab_enabled: true
    messages_tab_read_only_enabled: false
  bot_user:
    display_name: Solace Agent Mesh
    always_online: false
oauth_config:
  scopes:
    bot:
      - app_mentions:read
      - bookmarks:read
      - channels:history
      - channels:join
      - channels:manage
      - channels:read
      - chat:write
      - chat:write.customize
      - chat:write.public
      - files:read
      - files:write
      - groups:history
      - groups:read
      - groups:write
      - im:history
      - im:read
      - im:write
      - links:read
      - links:write
      - mpim:history
      - mpim:read
      - mpim:write
      - pins:read
      - pins:write
      - reactions:read
      - reactions:write
      - reminders:read
      - reminders:write
      - team:read
      - usergroups:read
      - usergroups:write
      - users.profile:read
      - users:read.email
      - users:read
      - users:write
      - conversations.connect:read
      - conversations.connect:write
      - incoming-webhook
settings:
  event_subscriptions:
    bot_events:
      - app_mention
      - message.groups
      - message.im
  interactivity:
    is_enabled: true
  org_deploy_enabled: false
  socket_mode_enabled: true
  token_rotation_enabled: false

Then select Create to create your new App.

App-Level Tokens​

In your created App, select Basic Information under Settings. Scroll down to App-Level Tokens and click Generate Token and Scopes.

Provide your token a name, add all available scopes, and then click Generate.

Make note of the resulting application token (beginning with xapp-) - you need it in a future step.

Installing the App in Your Slack Workspace​

Next, select Install App under Settings and follow the installation flow to install the App in your workspace.

After installation, the bot token (beginning with xoxb-) is visible. Make note of this token.

Installing the Slack Gateway​

After configuring your Slack App, the next step is to add the Slack gateway to Solace Agent Mesh.

  1. Add the gateway plugin using Solace Agent Mesh (SAM) CLI:

    sam plugin add slack-bot --plugin sam-slack

    You can change slack-bot to any name you prefer for your gateway.

  2. Configure the required environment variables:

    The Slack interface requires two authentication tokens. Add these to your .env file in the project root directory using the tokens generated during Slack App setup:

    SLACK_BOT_TOKEN=xoxb-xxxxxxxxxx
    SLACK_APP_TOKEN=xapp-xxxxxxxxxx
tip

You can further customize the Slack gateway by updating the configs/gateways/slack-bot.yaml file. This file contains the configuration for the Slack gateway, including the initial status message, the gateway system purpose, and response format.

Running the Slack Gateway​

Launch the Slack gateway with:

sam run configs/gateways/slack-bot.yaml

For detailed information about available SAM CLI commands, see the Solace Agent Mesh CLI.

Testing the Installation​

To test your installation:

  1. Open your Slack workspace in the desktop app or browser.
  2. Find and click on the Solace Agent Mesh app under the Apps section.
  3. Send a test message by typing hello and click Enter.
  4. You should see:
    • A "Chatbot is thinking..." status message
    • A response from the chatbot within a few seconds