Slack

Manage Slack workspaces — send messages, manage channels, search conversations, handle files, create reminders, and automate team communication via the Slack API.

This skill uses ClawLink for hosted connection flows and credentials so you do not need to configure Slack API access yourself.

Setup in 3 Steps

Step 1: Install	Step 2: Pair Account	Step 3: Connect Slack
		App-specific connection GIF coming soon
Run the install command in OpenClaw	Sign in and approve the device	Open the dashboard and connect Slack

How It Works

┌─────────────────┐     ┌──────────────┐     ┌──────────────────┐
│   OpenClaw      │────▶│   ClawLink   │────▶│   Slack Web API  │
│   (User Chat)   │     │   (OAuth)    │     │                  │
└─────────────────┘     └──────────────┘     └──────────────────┘
         │                       │                       │
         │  1. Install Plugin    │                       │
         │  2. Pair Device       │                       │
         │  3. Connect Slack     │                       │
         │                       │  4. Secure Token      │
         │                       │  5. Proxy Requests    │
         │                       │                       │
         ▼                       ▼                       ▼
   ┌──────────┐           ┌──────────┐           ┌──────────┐
   │  SKILL   │           │ Dashboard│           │  Slack   │
   │  File    │           │ Auth     │           │ Workspace│
   └──────────┘           └──────────┘           └──────────┘

Install

Install the verified ClawLink plugin from ClawHub. After the user confirms, complete the full setup so ClawLink tools are visible in the next OpenClaw chat.

openclaw plugins install clawhub:clawlink-plugin
openclaw config set tools.alsoAllow '["clawlink-plugin"]' --strict-json
openclaw gateway restart

Then tell the user: "OpenClaw has been restarted. Send /new as a standalone message to start a fresh chat, then ask for Slack again."

Quick Start

# List all channels
clawlink_call_tool --tool "slack_list_all_channels" --params '{}'

# Send a message
clawlink_call_tool --tool "slack_send_message" --params '{"channel": "C0123456789", "text": "Hello from OpenClaw!"}'

# Find a user
clawlink_call_tool --tool "slack_find_user_by_email_address" --params '{"email": "colleague@company.com"}'

Authentication

All Slack tool calls are authenticated automatically by ClawLink using the user's connected Slack workspace OAuth token.

No API token is required in chat. ClawLink stores the OAuth token securely and injects it into every Slack Web API request on the user's behalf.

Getting Connected

1. Install the ClawLink plugin (see Install above).
2. Pair the plugin with clawlink_begin_pairing if it is not configured yet.
3. Open https://claw-link.dev/dashboard?add=slack and connect Slack.
4. Call clawlink_list_integrations to verify the connection is active.

Connection Management

List Connections

clawlink_list_integrations

Response: Returns all connected integrations. Look for slack in the list.

Verify Connection

clawlink_list_tools --integration slack

Response: Returns the live tool catalog for Slack.

Reconnect

If Slack tools are missing or the connection shows an error:

1. Direct the user to https://claw-link.dev/dashboard?add=slack
2. After they confirm, call clawlink_list_integrations to verify
3. Then call clawlink_list_tools --integration slack

Security & Permissions

• Access is scoped to the Slack workspace connected during OAuth setup and the permissions granted.
• All write operations require explicit user confirmation. Before executing any message send, channel create, or delete call, confirm the target resource and intended effect with the user.
• Destructive actions (delete channel, delete file, delete message) are marked as high-impact and must be confirmed.
• Message sends to external channels or DMs should be confirmed before posting.

Tool Reference

Messages

Channels

Conversations & History

Users

Files

Reactions

Reminders

Pins & Stars

Canvases

Team & Admin

Emoji

Calls

Code Examples

Send a message to a channel

clawlink_call_tool --tool "slack_send_message" \
  --params '{
    "channel": "C0123456789",
    "text": "Deployment complete! Version 2.1.0 is live."
  }'

Reply to a thread

clawlink_call_tool --tool "slack_send_thread_reply" \
  --params '{
    "channel": "C0123456789",
    "thread_ts": "1234567890.123456",
    "text": "I will take care of this by end of day."
  }'

Create a channel

clawlink_call_tool --tool "slack_create_channel" \
  --params '{
    "name": "project-alpha",
    "is_private": false
  }'

Schedule a reminder

clawlink_call_tool --tool "slack_create_a_reminder" \
  --params '{
    "text": "Weekly team sync",
    "time": "tomorrow at 10am"
  }'

Find a user and send them a DM

clawlink_call_tool --tool "slack_find_user_by_email_address" \
  --params '{
    "email": "alex@company.com"
  }'

Upload a file to a channel

clawlink_call_tool --tool "slack_upload_file_to_channel" \
  --params '{
    "channel": "C0123456789",
    "content": "File content here",
    "filename": "report.csv",
    "title": "Q1 Report"
  }'

Discovery Workflow

1. Call clawlink_list_integrations to confirm Slack is connected.
2. Call clawlink_list_tools --integration slack to see the live catalog.
3. Treat the returned list as the source of truth. Do not guess or assume what tools exist.
4. If the user describes a capability but the exact tool is unclear, call clawlink_search_tools with a short query and integration slack.
5. If no Slack tools appear, direct the user to https://claw-link.dev/dashboard?add=slack.

Execution Workflow

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  READ OPERATIONS (Safe)                                     │
│  list → get → search → find → call                         │
│                                                             │
│  Example: Find channel → Get history → Show messages       │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
                              │
                              ▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  WRITE OPERATIONS (Require Confirmation)                    │
│  describe → preview → confirm → call                        │
│                                                             │
│  Example: Preview message → User approves → Send message    │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

1. For unfamiliar tools, ambiguous requests, or any write action, call clawlink_describe_tool first.
2. Use the returned guidance, schema, whenToUse, askBefore, safeDefaults, examples, and followups to shape the call.
3. Prefer read, list, search, and get operations before writes when that reduces ambiguity.
4. For writes or anything marked as requiring confirmation, call clawlink_preview_tool first.
5. Execute with clawlink_call_tool. Pass confirmation only after the preview matches the user's intent.
6. If the tool call fails, report the real error. Do not invent results or restate the failure as a missing capability unless the live catalog supports that conclusion.

Notes

• slack_fetch_conversation_history returns messages from the main channel timeline only — threaded replies require slack_fetch_message_thread_from_a_conversation.
• Channel IDs (C*/G*) are required for most Slack tools — use slack_find_channels to resolve display names to IDs.
• Message scheduling accepts natural language times (e.g., "in 15 minutes", "every Thursday at 2pm") or Unix timestamps.
• DMs and MPDMs use channel IDs starting with D or G respectively.
• File uploads are limited by Slack's constraints; large files may need to be uploaded to a file host first.
• Rate limits apply to many endpoints (~1-2 requests/second for list operations); honor Retry-After headers.

Error Handling

Troubleshooting: Tools Not Visible

1. Check that the ClawLink plugin is installed:

   openclaw plugins list
   

2. If the plugin is installed but tools are missing, tell the user to send /new as a standalone message to reload the catalog.
3. If a fresh chat does not help, run:

   openclaw config set tools.alsoAllow '["clawlink-plugin"]' --strict-json
   openclaw gateway restart
   

4. After restart, tell the user to send /new again and retry.

Troubleshooting: Invalid Tool Call

1. Ensure the integration slug is exactly slack.
2. Use clawlink_describe_tool to verify parameter names and types before calling.
3. For write operations, always call clawlink_preview_tool first.
4. Resolve channel names to IDs using slack_find_channels before calling tools that require a channel ID.

Troubleshooting: Empty Results

1. slack_fetch_conversation_history returns empty — the tool only fetches the main timeline, not threaded replies. Use slack_fetch_message_thread_from_a_conversation with the parent message's thread_ts.
2. slack_find_channels returns empty — the channel may be private or the bot may not be a member. Use the channel ID directly if known.
3. slack_list_all_users returns incomplete results — this may reflect guest account visibility settings, not a real absence.

Resources

• Slack API Documentation
• Slack Web API Reference
• Slack Rate Limits
• ClawLink: https://claw-link.dev
• ClawLink Docs: https://docs.claw-link.dev/openclaw
• ClawLink Verification: https://claw-link.dev/verify

Powered by ClawLink — an integration hub for OpenClaw