How to Connect Your AI Chatbot to Slack: Step-by-Step Guide

Connecting your PalaChat chatbot to Slack lets your team get instant, AI-powered answers to questions directly inside Slack. Whether you are using it for internal knowledge management, B2B customer support, or team Q&A, the setup takes under 10 minutes.

This guide walks you through every step.

Prerequisites

Before you start, make sure you have:

• A PalaChat account with an active chatbot (knowledge base already trained)
• A Slack workspace where you have permission to install apps
• Your PalaChat chatbot's Integrations tab open in the dashboard

Step 1: Create a Slack App

Go to api.slack.com/apps and click Create New App

Select From scratch

Enter an app name — this will be the bot's display name in Slack (e.g. "Support Bot", "Knowledge Assistant", or your company name)

Select the Slack workspace you want to install it in

Click Create App

Step 2: Configure Bot Permissions

Your Slack app needs permission to read and send messages.

In the left sidebar, click OAuth & Permissions

Scroll down to Scopes and find the Bot Token Scopes section

Click Add an OAuth Scope and add the following scopes:

Scroll back up to the top of the page and click Install to Workspace

Click Allow to authorise the app

You will see a Bot User OAuth Token starting with xoxb- — copy this token and keep it safe

Step 3: Get Your Signing Secret

In the left sidebar, click Basic Information

Scroll down to the App Credentials section

Find the Signing Secret and click Show to reveal it

Copy the signing secret

Step 4: Connect in PalaChat

Go to your chatbot's Integrations tab in the PalaChat dashboard

Find the Slack section

Paste the Bot User OAuth Token (xoxb-...) in the first field

Paste the Signing Secret in the second field

Click Connect

You should see a green "Connected" badge with your workspace name

Step 5: Enable Event Subscriptions

This step tells Slack to forward messages to PalaChat so the chatbot can respond.

Go back to your Slack app settings at api.slack.com/apps

In the left sidebar, click Event Subscriptions

Toggle Enable Events to On

In the Request URL field, enter:

https://palachat.com/api/slack/webhook

Slack will send a verification request — wait for the green checkmark that says Verified

Scroll down to Subscribe to bot events and click Add Bot User Event

Add these three events:

Click Save Changes at the bottom of the page

Slack may prompt you to reinstall the app — click the link and approve the reinstallation

Step 6: Invite the Bot to a Channel

The bot can only respond in channels where it has been invited.

Open Slack and go to the channel where you want the bot to respond

Type the following command:

/invite @YourBotName

Replace YourBotName with the app name you chose in Step 1.

You should see a message confirming the bot has joined the channel

Step 7: Test the Bot

Send a message in the channel asking a question that your chatbot's knowledge base can answer. The bot will reply in a thread within a few seconds.

If the bot does not respond, check the following:

• The bot has been invited to the channel
• Event Subscriptions show the green Verified status
• All three bot events are subscribed (message.channels, message.groups, message.im)
• The correct Bot Token and Signing Secret are entered in PalaChat

Optional: Customise the Bot Profile

To make your bot look more professional in Slack:

Go to your Slack app settings

In the left sidebar, click Basic Information

Scroll down to Display Information

Upload an app icon (use your company logo)

Add a short description of what the bot does

Set a background colour that matches your brand

Tips for Using a Slack Chatbot

Use a clear bot name. Choose a name that tells users what the bot does, like "Support Bot" or "HR Assistant." Avoid generic names.

Train the knowledge base well. The bot can only answer questions based on the content you have uploaded to PalaChat. Upload FAQ documents, policies, product information, and any other content your team commonly asks about.

Set a specific system prompt. In your chatbot's settings, write a system prompt that matches the Slack context. For example: "You are the internal support assistant for ABC Company. Answer questions based on company policies and procedures. Be concise and professional."

Start with one channel. Deploy the bot in a single channel first, monitor the conversations in PalaChat's dashboard, and improve the knowledge base based on what people are asking.

Review conversation history. Check the conversation history in PalaChat regularly to identify gaps in your knowledge base and common questions that need better answers.

Common Questions

Can the bot respond to direct messages? Yes, if you added the im:history scope and the message.im event subscription. Does the bot respond to every message in the channel? Yes, the bot processes every user message in channels where it has been invited. It will not respond to messages from other bots. Can I use the same chatbot on Slack and my website? Yes. The chatbot uses the same knowledge base across all channels. Connecting to Slack does not affect your website widget or other channels. Can I disconnect Slack later? Yes. Go to the Integrations tab in PalaChat and click Disconnect under the Slack section. This does not affect other channels.

Getting Started

Ready to add an AI chatbot to your Slack workspace? Sign up for PalaChat — the Growth plan includes Slack integration, and setup takes under 10 minutes.

Already have a PalaChat account? Go to your chatbot's Integrations tab and connect Slack today.

Questions? Contact our team — we are happy to help.