Slack Api
When to Use This Skill
USE when:
- Building notification systems for CI/CD pipelines
- Creating interactive bots for team workflows
- Automating incident response and alerting
- Building approval workflows with interactive messages
- Integrating external services with Slack channels
- Creating slash commands for common operations
- Building internal tools with modal dialogs
- Implementing scheduled message automation
DON'T USE when:
- Microsoft Teams is the primary platform (use teams-api)
- Simple one-way notifications only (use incoming webhooks directly)
- Need email-based workflows (different domain)
- Slack Enterprise Grid with complex org requirements
- Real-time gaming or high-frequency updates (consider WebSockets)
Prerequisites
Slack App Setup
# 1. Create a Slack App at https://api.slack.com/apps
# 2. Choose "From scratch" and select your workspace
# Required Bot Token Scopes (OAuth & Permissions):
# - chat:write - Post messages
# - chat:write.public - Post to channels without joining
# - channels:read - List public channels
# - channels:history - Read channel messages
# - groups:read - List private channels
*See sub-skills for full details.*
### Python Environment Setup
Create virtual environment
python -m venv slack-bot-env source slack-bot-env/bin/activate # Linux/macOS
slack-bot-env\Scripts\activate # Windows
Install Slack Bolt SDK
pip install slack-bolt slack-sdk
Install additional dependencies
*See sub-skills for full details.*
Local Development with ngrok
# Install ngrok
brew install ngrok # macOS
# Or download from https://ngrok.com/download
# Authenticate ngrok
ngrok config add-authtoken YOUR_AUTH_TOKEN
# Start tunnel for local development
ngrok http 3000
*See sub-skills for full details.*
## Version History
| Version | Date | Changes |
|---------|------|---------|
| 1.0.0 | 2026-01-17 | Initial release with comprehensive Slack API patterns |
## Resources
- [Slack API Documentation](https://api.slack.com/)
- [Bolt for Python](https://slack.dev/bolt-python/)
- [Block Kit Builder](https://app.slack.com/block-kit-builder/)
- [Slack App Manifest](https://api.slack.com/reference/manifests)
- [Socket Mode](https://api.slack.com/apis/connections/socket)
- [Events API](https://api.slack.com/events-api)
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*This skill provides production-ready patterns for Slack bot development, enabling powerful team automation and interactive workflows.*
## Sub-Skills
- [1. Basic Slack Bot with Bolt](1-basic-slack-bot-with-bolt/SKILL.md)
- [2. Block Kit Messages](2-block-kit-messages/SKILL.md)
- [3. Interactive Components and Actions](3-interactive-components-and-actions/SKILL.md)
- [4. Modals and Views](4-modals-and-views/SKILL.md)
- [5. Slash Commands](5-slash-commands/SKILL.md)
- [6. Webhooks and Incoming Messages](6-webhooks-and-incoming-messages/SKILL.md)
- [GitHub Actions Integration (+1)](github-actions-integration/SKILL.md)
- [1. Rate Limiting (+3)](1-rate-limiting/SKILL.md)
- [Common Issues (+1)](common-issues/SKILL.md)