Rowboat integrates with Slack via Composio to enable AI-powered interactions with your workspace.
Overview
The Slack integration allows you to:
- Send messages to channels and DMs
- Search message history
- List channels and users
- View conversation history
- Execute advanced Slack actions
The Slack integration uses Composio for OAuth and tool execution. Prerequisites
Before using Slack tools, always check if Slack is connected:
slack-checkConnection({})
Check Connection
slack-checkConnection({})
List Users
slack-listUsers({ limit: 100 })
List Channels
slack-listChannels({
types: "public_channel,private_channel",
limit: 100
})
List DM Conversations
slack-getDirectMessages({ limit: 50 })
Get Conversation History
slack-getChannelHistory({
channel: "C01234567",
limit: 20
})
Search Messages
slack-searchMessages({
query: "in:@username",
count: 20
})
in:@alice - Messages in DMs with Alicefrom:@bob - Messages from Bobin:#engineering - Messages in #engineering channelhas:link - Messages containing linkshas:attachment - Messages with attachmentsafter:2024-01-01 - Messages after a date
Send a Message
slack-sendMessage({
channel: "C01234567",
text: "Hello team!"
})
Always show the draft message to the user before sending. Never send messages without user confirmation.
Common Actions
| Tool | Slug | Description |
|---|
| Send Message | SLACK_SEND_MESSAGE | Posts a message to a channel, DM, or group |
| Search Messages | SLACK_SEARCH_MESSAGES | Workspace-wide message search |
| List Channels | SLACK_LIST_ALL_CHANNELS | Lists all conversations |
| Find User by Email | SLACK_FIND_USER_BY_EMAIL_ADDRESS | Finds a user by email |
| Add Reaction | SLACK_ADD_REACTION_TO_AN_ITEM | Adds emoji reaction |
| Pin Item | SLACK_PINS_AN_ITEM_TO_A_CHANNEL | Pins a message |
Channel Management
| Tool | Slug | Description |
|---|
| Create Channel | SLACK_CREATE_CHANNEL | Creates a public or private channel |
| Archive Channel | SLACK_ARCHIVE_A_PUBLIC_OR_PRIVATE_CHANNEL | Archives a channel |
| Rename Channel | SLACK_RENAME_A_SLACK_CHANNEL | Renames a channel |
| Invite to Channel | SLACK_INVITE_USERS_TO_A_SLACK_CHANNEL | Invites users by ID |
User Management
| Tool | Slug | Description |
|---|
| List All Users | SLACK_LIST_ALL_USERS | Retrieves all users |
| Get User Details | SLACK_RETRIEVE_DETAILED_USER_INFORMATION | Gets user info by ID |
| Set User Presence | SLACK_MANUALLY_SET_USER_PRESENCE | Sets presence (active/away) |
Files & Attachments
| Tool | Slug | Description |
|---|
| Upload File | SLACK_UPLOAD_OR_CREATE_A_FILE_IN_SLACK | Uploads files |
| List Files | SLACK_LIST_FILES_WITH_FILTERS_IN_SLACK | Lists files |
| Share File Publicly | SLACK_ENABLE_PUBLIC_SHARING_OF_A_FILE | Creates public URL |
Execute Custom Action
slack-executeAction({
toolSlug: "SLACK_SEND_MESSAGE",
input: {
channel: "C01234567",
text: "Hello!"
}
})
slack-listAvailableTools({ search: "conversation" })
Prefer using the pinned tool catalog slugs to avoid redundant discovery calls.
Workflows
Find the Most Recent DM with Someone
Search messages first
slack-searchMessages({
query: "in:@Alice",
count: 1
})
Get exact DM history (optional)
// Find user ID
const users = await slack-listUsers({});
const alice = users.find(u => u.name === 'alice');
// Find DM channel
const dms = await slack-getDirectMessages({});
const dmChannel = dms.find(dm => dm.user === alice.id);
// Get history
await slack-getChannelHistory({
channel: dmChannel.id,
limit: 20
});
Send a Message
Draft the message
Show the draft to the user:I'll send this message to #engineering:
"Team, the deployment is scheduled for 3pm today."
Wait for approval
Only after user confirmation, send the message:await slack-sendMessage({
channel: "C01234567",
text: "Team, the deployment is scheduled for 3pm today."
})
Cross-Reference with Knowledge Base
// Search Slack for mentions
const messages = await slack-searchMessages({
query: "from:@alice project alpha",
count: 10
});
// Check knowledge base for notes about Alice
const notes = searchKnowledgeBase('alice');
// Combine context for response
const context = {
slackMessages: messages,
personalNotes: notes,
};
Best Practices
Always Show Drafts
Never send Slack messages without user confirmation. Always show the draft first.
// ❌ Bad: Sending without approval
await slack-sendMessage({ ... });
// ✅ Good: Show draft first
console.log('I\'ll send: "Hello team!"');
// Wait for user approval...
await slack-sendMessage({ ... });
Summarize, Don’t Dump
// ❌ Bad: Dumping all messages
const history = await slack-getChannelHistory({ channel, limit: 100 });
return history; // Overwhelming
// ✅ Good: Summarize key points
const history = await slack-getChannelHistory({ channel, limit: 20 });
const summary = extractKeyPoints(history);
return `Recent discussion covered: ${summary}`;
Use Search for Speed
// ❌ Slow: List all DMs then filter
const dms = await slack-getDirectMessages({ limit: 100 });
const aliceDm = dms.find(dm => dm.user === aliceId);
const history = await slack-getChannelHistory({ channel: aliceDm.id });
// ✅ Fast: Search directly
const messages = await slack-searchMessages({
query: "in:@alice",
count: 10
});
Error Handling
If a Slack operation fails:
- Verify tool slug - Try
slack-listAvailableTools to get the correct slug
- Check connection - Use
slack-checkConnection to verify auth
- Inform the user - Provide specific error messages
try {
await slack-sendMessage({ ... });
} catch (error) {
// Check if still connected
const connected = await slack-checkConnection({});
if (!connected) {
return "Slack is not connected. Please reconnect from settings.";
}
return `Failed to send message: ${error.message}`;
}
Configuration
The Slack skill is defined in the core package:
// apps/x/packages/core/src/application/assistant/skills/slack/skill.ts
const skill = String.raw`
# Slack Integration Skill
You can interact with Slack to help users communicate with their team.
## Prerequisites
Before using Slack tools, ALWAYS check if Slack is connected:
\`\`\`
slack-checkConnection({})
\`\`\`
// ... tool definitions ...
`;
export default skill;
// apps/x/packages/core/src/application/assistant/skills/slack/tool-catalog.ts
export const slackToolCatalog: SlackToolDefinition[] = [
{
name: "Send Message",
slug: "SLACK_SEND_MESSAGE",
description: "Posts a message to a channel, DM, or group."
},
// ... 112 more tools
];
Privacy & Security
- OAuth Authentication: Secure token-based auth via Composio
- Scoped Access: Only accesses what the user authorizes
- No Storage: Messages are not stored by Rowboat
- Read-Only by Default: Most operations are read-only
- MCP - Model Context Protocol for custom tools
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