The easiest way to connect OpenClaw to Slack

June 27, 2026Claworc Team

Tags:integrations

Slack is where most teams already talk, so it’s the natural place to put an OpenClaw agent to work. Once connected, your agent can read the channels you invite it to, answer mentions, hold threaded conversations, react to messages, and work files — all from inside Slack.

The whole setup takes a few minutes and no code. Slack lets you create an app from a manifest — a single JSON file that declares the app’s name, scopes, and events all at once. Below is that manifest, pre-filled with everything OpenClaw needs. Just give your bot a name and a description, copy it, and follow the steps.

1. Build your manifest

Type a name and description — the manifest updates live. When it looks right, hit Copy.

Bot name Bot description

app-manifest.json Copy

Tip

The name and description are what your teammates see in Slack, so make the description something human — e.g. “AI agent that drafts replies and summarizes channels.” You can change both later from the app’s Basic Information page.

2. Create the app from your manifest

Head to api.slack.com/apps and click Create New App. In the dialog that appears, choose From a manifest.

Next, pick the workspace where you want the agent to live, then click Next. Slack will show the manifest editor — delete the sample JSON, paste the manifest you copied above, and click Next, then Create.

That’s the app created. Two short steps left: generating the tokens OpenClaw uses to connect.

3. Generate an app-level token

OpenClaw talks to Slack over a WebSocket (Socket Mode), which needs an app-level token.

1. Open Basic Information in the left sidebar.
2. Scroll down to App-Level Tokens and click Generate Token and Scopes.
3. Give the token a name (anything works, e.g. “socket”) and add the connections:write scope.
4. Click Generate.

Copy the token that starts with xapp- and keep it somewhere safe — you’ll paste it into OpenClaw.

4. Install the app and get your OAuth token

1. Open Install App in the left sidebar.
2. Click Install to <your workspace> and approve the requested permissions.

Slack returns a Bot User OAuth Token that starts with xoxb-. That’s the second and final token OpenClaw needs.

You now have both tokens:

Token	Starts with	Where you got it
App-level token	xapp-	Basic Information → App-Level Tokens
Bot OAuth token	xoxb-	Install App

With both tokens in hand, you’re ready to hand them off to OpenClaw.

Pro tip: share the bot with your team

On the app’s Collaborators tab you can add other members of your Slack workspace as collaborators. They’ll be able to open the app’s settings and adjust scopes, tokens, or events if anything needs tweaking later — so you’re not the only person who can maintain the bot.

Ask OpenClaw to configure the connection

Here’s the beautiful part: OpenClaw can update itself. You don’t have to dig through config files or wire the tokens in by hand — just tell your agent to do it.

Open the instance in the Claworc chat UI and send a message with both keys, for example:

Configure the Slack connection. Here are the keys: xapp-… & xoxb-…

OpenClaw takes it from there — it sets up the connection with the tokens you provided. Once it’s done, invite the bot to a channel with /invite @YourBot and it’s live.

Direct messages need pairing first

Direct messages are gated by OpenClaw’s pairing authorization. The first time someone sends it a direct message, that message isn’t processed: instead, they get a short, one-time approval code, and the request sits pending until you say yes. You need to go to the Terminal tab in Claworc and run the commands:

• openclaw pairing list slack list the pending requests.
• openclaw pairing approve slack <CODE> approve a specific user.

It’s a small one-time step per person, and it keeps your agent’s private channel firmly under your control.