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Slack

Create a Slack app, map members to users, and invite the app to a channel. Slack is the only channel type.

~/.config/wardrik/config.yaml
channels:
  slack:
    type: slack
    token: ${SLACK_BOT_TOKEN}
    signing_secret: ${SLACK_SIGNING_SECRET}
    members: {U024BE7LH: user:default/@maria, U0G9QF9C6: user:default/@jon}

A Slack app

Section titled “A Slack app”
  1. At api.slack.com/apps, choose Create New App › From a manifest. Paste the manifest below. Change agents.example.com to the daemon's address.
  2. Choose Install to Workspace. Copy the Bot User OAuth Token (xoxb-...).
  3. Under Basic Information › App Credentials, copy the Signing Secret.
Slack app manifest
display_information:
  name: Wardrik
  description: Agents that answer in threads, and ask before they act.
features:
  app_home:
    home_tab_enabled: false
    messages_tab_enabled: true
    messages_tab_read_only_enabled: true
  bot_user:
    display_name: Wardrik
    always_online: true
oauth_config:
  scopes:
    bot:
      - channels:history
      - channels:read
      - chat:write
      - chat:write.public
      - groups:history
      - groups:read
      - reactions:write
      - users:read
settings:
  event_subscriptions:
    request_url: https://agents.example.com/v1/channels/slack/events
    bot_events:
      - app_uninstalled
      - channel_left
      - group_left
      - member_joined_channel
      - message.channels
      - message.groups
      - tokens_revoked
  interactivity:
    is_enabled: true
    request_url: https://agents.example.com/v1/channels/slack/actions
  org_deploy_enabled: false
  socket_mode_enabled: false
  token_rotation_enabled: false
  • slack in each URL is the channel's name in config.yaml.
  • Slack verifies the events URL on save, so the daemon must be reachable first.

Store both secrets, then restart the daemon:

echo "xoxb-..." | wardrik vault put SLACK_BOT_TOKEN --for api_key
echo "..." | wardrik vault put SLACK_SIGNING_SECRET --for signing_secret
wardrik stop && wardrik start

Copy each member ID from the Slack profile (Copy member ID) into members.

Testing with Socket Mode

Section titled “Testing with Socket Mode”

Socket Mode needs no public address. It's for testing.

  1. In the manifest, set socket_mode_enabled: true and remove both request_url lines.
  2. Under Basic Information › App-Level Tokens, create a token with connections:write (xapp-...).
  3. Set app_token instead of signing_secret:
channels:
  slack:
    type: slack
    token: ${SLACK_BOT_TOKEN}
    app_token: ${SLACK_APP_TOKEN}

Use a separate app per daemon. Slack distributes events across all of an app's connections.

Members

Section titled “Members”

members maps each Slack member ID to a daemon user. A member acts as that user, with that user's bindings. What members can do is in built-in rules.

  • An unmapped member is refused, with a message to ask an admin.
  • unmapped_members: allow maps them to user:slack:T0123/U024BE7LH. For small deployments.

Add an agent to a channel

Section titled “Add an agent to a channel”

List the channel in the agent's file, then /invite @Wardrik in Slack:

channels: [slack]

:wave: books answers here now. [Answer every message] [⋯]

  • With one agent available, it replies when mentioned. Answer every message makes it reply to each message, in its own thread.
  • With several, the bot posts a button per agent. With none, it posts how to make one available.
  • ⋯ has Use another agent and Stop answering here. Removing the bot also unbinds the channel.
  • A channel is available to the deployment's org, unless orgs assigns it to another.

Threads

Section titled “Threads”

maria: @Wardrik how much Barolo is left? :eyes: ↳ Wardrik: Two cases, both 2019.

  • Mention the bot to start a thread. Replies in the thread need no mention.
  • Each thread is a conversation, such as conversation: "slack.T0123.C024BE91L.1696.1234". Threads share the agent's definition and files.
  • :eyes: means the agent received the message. :white_check_mark: means it replied.
  • The thread's status shows the agent's current activity.
  • To post notices in a channel, set notify: "slack:#updates". See Send notices.

Approval messages

Section titled “Approval messages”

A pending call shows its tool, the policy message and its arguments, with Approve, Deny and a note field. Once resolved, the buttons are replaced with the result:

Denied deploy by @jon: Deploy to staging first, and show me the diff.

Who approves

Section titled “Who approves”

The member who started the turn can always approve its calls. Anyone else needs a binding (see Who can approve):

~/.config/wardrik/config.yaml
roles:
  approver: {rules: [{verbs: [approve, deny, decide], kinds: [agent], names: [books]}]}
bindings:
  - {org: default, role: approver, subjects: [user:default/@maria]}

A triggered turn has no member who started it. Use wardrik approval approve.

The app doesn't reply

Section titled “The app doesn't reply”

If the app was invited while the daemon was down, /remove @Wardrik and invite it again. Then check:

  • Event Subscriptions shows the request URL as verified;
  • wardrik doctor verifies the tokens with Slack;
  • wardrik logs.