Channels
Slack Channel Reader
By OpenClaw plugin — Read messages and threads from Slack channels. Auto-reads botToken from gateway config.
Configuration Example
{
"ok": true,
"channel": "C12345678",
"message_count": 50,
"has_more": false,
"messages": [
{
"ts": "1713200000.000100",
"user": "U12345678",
"text": "Hello team!",
"thread_ts": null,
"reply_count": 0,
"reactions": [{ "name": "thumbsup", "count": 3 }]
}
]
}README
# Slack Channel Reader — OpenClaw Plugin
Read messages and threads from Slack channels directly from your OpenClaw agent.
---
## What It Does
This plugin exposes two tools to OpenClaw agents:
- **`slack_read_channel`** — Fetch the message history of any Slack channel your bot has access to.
- **`slack_read_thread`** — Fetch all replies in a specific Slack thread.
Use it to monitor conversations, summarize discussions, trigger workflows based on channel activity, or give your agent context from Slack.
---
## Required Slack App Scopes
Your Slack Bot Token must have the following OAuth scopes:
| Scope | Purpose |
|---|---|
| `channels:history` | Read messages in public channels |
| `groups:history` | Read messages in private channels the bot is a member of |
| `im:history` | Read direct messages the bot is part of |
| `mpim:history` | Read group DMs the bot is part of |
| `channels:read` | List and look up channel info |
---
## Creating a Slack App & Getting a Bot Token
1. Go to [https://api.slack.com/apps](https://api.slack.com/apps) and click **Create New App**.
2. Choose **From scratch**, give it a name, and select your workspace.
3. In the left sidebar, go to **OAuth & Permissions**.
4. Under **Bot Token Scopes**, add all the scopes listed above.
5. Scroll up and click **Install to Workspace**, then **Allow**.
6. Copy the **Bot User OAuth Token** — it starts with `xoxb-`.
7. Add the bot to any channel it needs to read: in Slack, open the channel → **Integrations** → **Add an App**.
---
## Configuration
`SLACK_BOT_TOKEN` is **optional** when Slack is already configured in your OpenClaw gateway.
| Variable | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|
| `SLACK_BOT_TOKEN` | ❌ Optional | Slack Bot OAuth token (`xoxb-...`). If not set, the plugin automatically reads the token from `channels.slack.botToken` in the OpenClaw gateway config. |
**Token resolution order:**
1. `SLACK_BOT_TOKEN` config/env var (if explicitly set)
2. `openclaw config get channels.slack.botToken` (automatic — no setup needed if Slack is already connected)
---
## Tools
### `slack_read_channel`
Read message history from a Slack channel.
**Parameters:**
| Parameter | Type | Required | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| `channel` | string | ✅ | — | Channel ID (e.g. `C12345678`) or name (e.g. `#general` or `general`) |
| `limit` | number | ❌ | `50` | Number of messages to return (max: 200) |
| `oldest` | string | ❌ | — | Unix timestamp — only fetch messages after this time |
| `latest` | string | ❌ | — | Unix timestamp — only fetch messages before this time |
**Returns:**
```json
{
"ok": true,
"channel": "C12345678",
"message_count": 50,
"has_more": false,
"messages": [
{
"ts": "1713200000.000100",
"user": "U12345678",
"text": "Hello team!",
"thread_ts": null,
"reply_count": 0,
"reactions": [{ "name": "thumbsup", "count": 3 }]
}
]
}
```
---
### `slack_read_thread`
Read all replies in a Slack thread.
**Parameters:**
| Parameter | Type | Required | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| `channel` | string | ✅ | — | Channel ID containing the thread |
| `thread_ts` | string | ✅ | — | Timestamp of the parent (root) message |
| `limit` | number | ❌ | `100` | Max replies to return (max: 1000) |
**Returns:**
```json
{
"ok": true,
"channel": "C12345678",
"thread_ts": "1713200000.000100",
"reply_count": 5,
"messages": [
{
"ts": "1713200000.000100",
"user": "U12345678",
"text": "Has anyone looked at the deploy logs?",
"is_root": true
},
{
"ts": "1713200500.000200",
"user": "U87654321",
"text": "Yes — looks like a timeout issue.",
"is_root": false
}
]
}
```
---
## Example Use Cases
- **Channel summarizer** — Read the last 100 messages from `#engineering` and generate a daily summary.
- **Thread monitor** — Watch a specific thread for new replies and alert when a decision is made.
- **Incident tracker** — Pull messages from `#incidents` between two timestamps to build a timeline.
- **Cross-platform awareness** — Give an agent full context from a Slack discussion before it takes action.
- **Q&A assistant** — Read thread replies to understand resolved questions before answering new ones.
---
## Error Handling
If the API returns an error, both tools return:
```json
{ "error": "<slack_error_code>", "messages": [] }
```
Common Slack errors:
| Error | Cause |
|---|---|
| `not_in_channel` | Bot is not a member of the channel |
| `channel_not_found` | Invalid channel ID or name |
| `missing_scope` | Bot token lacks the required scope |
| `invalid_auth` | Token is invalid or revoked |
---
## License
MIT — © Ocana Viva
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