OpenClaw Slack Setup: 5 Proven Steps, Here's Exactly How

TLDR

Create a Slack app at api.slack.com/apps. Give it bot token scopes. Install it to your workspace. Tell your OpenClaw agent (previously known as Clawdbot and Moltbot) to use the bot token. Pair your account. Done.

Introduction

My team lives in Slack. When I connected OpenClaw there, the question became less "can you get me an answer" and more "which channel should I ask in."

Slack setup takes a few more steps than Telegram, but the logic is the same: create a bot, get a token, point OpenClaw at it. The extra steps are all in the Slack API console, and I'll walk you through each one.

If you need a server first, see How I Finally Got OpenClaw Running 24/7: $6/Month on DigitalOcean.

Table of Contents

• What You Will Need
• Step 1: Create a Slack App
• Step 2: Configure Bot Permissions
• Step 3: Get Your Bot Token
• Step 4: Configure OpenClaw
• Step 5: Pair and Send Your First Message
• Channel Access
• Troubleshooting
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Sources
• Conclusion

What You Will Need

Before starting:

1. OpenClaw installed and gateway running - See How I Finally Got OpenClaw Running 24/7 if you need a server.
2. A Slack workspace - Free tier works fine.
3. Permission to install apps - Workspace admin or App Manager permission. On free Slack, you are usually the admin.
4. About 10 minutes - There are more UI steps in the Slack console than other channels.

Step 1: Create a Slack App

Go to api.slack.com/apps and sign in with your Slack account.

1. Click Create New App
2. Select From scratch
3. Give it a name: OpenClaw works well
4. Select your workspace from the dropdown
5. Click Create App

You will land on the app configuration page. Keep this tab open - you will use it for the next three steps.

Step 2: Configure Bot Permissions

In the left sidebar, click OAuth & Permissions.

Scroll down to Scopes. Click Add an OAuth Scope under Bot Token Scopes and add these five:

• chat:write - Send messages
• app_mentions:read - Respond to @mentions in channels
• im:history - Read direct messages
• im:read - Access DM metadata
• im:write - Open DM conversations

That is the minimum set. Per the Slack Events API docs, channels:history and channels:read are needed if you want the bot to read channel messages beyond @mentions. Skip them for DM-only use.

Step 3: Get Your Bot Token

Back on OAuth & Permissions, scroll up to OAuth Tokens for Your Workspace.

Click Install to Workspace. Slack asks you to authorize the app. Click Allow.

After installation, you will see the Bot User OAuth Token. It starts with xoxb-.

Copy it. You need it in the next step.

Keep this token private. Anyone with it can post messages to your workspace as the bot.

Step 4: Configure OpenClaw

Tell your agent to configure the Slack channel:

"Enable Slack and set bot token to xoxb-YOUR-TOKEN-HERE"

Your agent will update your OpenClaw config and restart the Slack channel.

{
  "channels": {
    "slack": {
      "enabled": true,
      "botToken": "xoxb-YOUR-TOKEN-HERE",
      "signingSecret": "YOUR-SIGNING-SECRET"
    }
  }
}

openclaw gateway restart

Step 5: Pair and Send Your First Message

Go to your Slack workspace. Find the OpenClaw app in Apps in the sidebar. Click it to open a DM.

Send any message:

"Hello"

OpenClaw responds with a pairing code:

Your pairing code is: GHI789 Approve to continue.

Approve the pairing code by telling your agent: "Approve Slack pairing code GHI789"

Or use the CLI:

openclaw pairing approve slack GHI789

Once approved, message again and your AI responds. Your agent can help with anything from Slack just like from any other channel.

Channel Access

By default, OpenClaw responds only to @mentions in channels. This keeps the bot quiet in busy channels.

To add the bot to a channel:

1. Open the channel
2. Type /invite @OpenClaw
3. Mention it with @OpenClaw followed by your message

Example:

@OpenClaw summarize the last 10 messages here

For team-wide use without requiring @mentions, set channels.slack.respondToAll: true in your config. This makes OpenClaw respond to every message in channels it is in. I recommend testing this in a dedicated channel first.

Troubleshooting

Bot not responding in DMs

Check that the im:history and im:read scopes are added. Missing scopes are the leading cause of silent bots.

If scopes were added after initial install, you must reinstall the app to apply them. Go to OAuth & Permissions and click Reinstall to Workspace.

"Invalid scopes" error in gateway logs

Your bot token is missing required scopes. Check openclaw logs for the specific scope name. Add it in OAuth & Permissions > Bot Token Scopes, then reinstall.

Bot appears offline in Slack

This means the gateway is not running or the Slack channel failed to start. Check:

openclaw status
openclaw logs --follow

Look for Slack channel started in the logs. If you see an error instead, verify the bot token is correct.

For troubleshooting patterns that apply across OpenClaw channels, see Fix OpenClaw Telegram Errors: 401, Silent Bots, and Pairing Issues. The gateway restart and pairing patterns are the same.

Scopes not updating after adding them

After adding new scopes, reinstall the app. Slack does not automatically apply scope changes to existing installations. Always reinstall after scope changes.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Does this work on the free Slack plan?

Yes. Free Slack allows installing custom apps in your workspace. The only limitation is message history (90 days on free). OpenClaw itself has no Slack plan restrictions.

Q: Can multiple team members use the same OpenClaw bot?

Yes. Each user opens a DM with the bot and goes through the pairing flow. You (the admin) approve each pairing code. Or add users to channels.slack.allowFrom to pre-approve them. Per the OpenClaw pairing docs, each paired user gets isolated context.

Q: How is Slack different from Telegram for OpenClaw?

Telegram uses @BotFather to create bots and gives you a token directly. Slack requires creating an app in the API console and configuring scopes manually. Slack is more flexible (channels, @mentions, thread replies) but takes more setup. See OpenClaw Telegram Setup in 5 Minutes for comparison.

Q: Can I reply to Slack threads?

Yes. OpenClaw responds in threads when you @mention it in a thread. This keeps conversations organized.

Q: Do I need a public URL for the bot?

Only if you want to use HTTP webhooks. By default, OpenClaw uses Slack's Socket Mode, which maintains a persistent outbound connection. No public URL or port forwarding required. Socket Mode is the recommended setup for self-hosted OpenClaw.

Sources

1. OpenClaw Slack Documentation - Official channel configuration docs
2. Slack API Apps Console - Where you create and manage Slack apps
3. Slack Bot Token Types - Documentation on xoxb- token format
4. Slack Events API - Documentation on message event scopes
5. OpenClaw Configuration Reference - Slack config fields

Conclusion

You now have Slack connected to your OpenClaw agent.

1. Created a Slack app at api.slack.com/apps
2. Added the 5 required bot token scopes
3. Installed the app and copied the xoxb- bot token
4. Configured OpenClaw with the token
5. Paired your account and started chatting

Slack is my preferred channel for team use. The @mention model keeps AI responses contextual. The dedicated channel pattern keeps things organized.

Next: give your agent a memory layer with the OpenClaw Second Brain guide on EmergentWeirdness. Or if you want the simplest possible setup for personal use, start with OpenClaw Telegram Setup in 5 Minutes.