Slack

Slack is the most full-featured messaging channel. Every DM thread is an isolated session with streaming replies, interactive Block Kit approval buttons, file/image/voice handling, and bidirectional sync with the dashboard.

Slack connects outbound via Socket Mode — no public URL, no inbound webhooks. It works from any machine that can reach slack.com.

Setup

From the dashboard (recommended)

Open Settings → Channels → Slack in the dashboard
Click Connect — the panel shows a one-click URL to create the Slack app with all scopes pre-filled
Follow the guided steps: create the app, generate the App Token (Socket Mode → toggle OFF then ON → connections:write → Generate), install to workspace, copy the Bot Token
Paste both tokens and your Slack Member ID into the dashboard panel
Click Save — the gateway restarts and connects

The dashboard validates tokens immediately and shows a green status badge when connected.

From the CLI

bash

kirocrew manifest --url    # opens Slack's "Create New App" page with scopes pre-filled
kirocrew setup             # prompts for App Token, Bot Token, and Member ID
kirocrew doctor            # verify
kirocrew restart

Or write tokens directly to ~/.kiro/crew/.env:

SLACK_APP_TOKEN=xapp-…
SLACK_BOT_TOKEN=xoxb-…
KIROCREW_OWNER_ID=U0…

Owner lock

The Slack gateway is locked to KIROCREW_OWNER_ID. Only your Slack Member ID can interact with the bot. Non-owner messages are silently dropped.

Interactive tool approval

When a tool call needs approval, Block Kit buttons appear inline:

Approve / Reject — racing with the dashboard (first wins)
Trust this command — session-scoped, exact match
Trust this tool — session-scoped, any args
YOLO — global 30-min auto-approve

Slash commands

Command	Purpose
`/kirocrew dashboard [duration]`	Presigned dashboard link (default 1h, max 6h)
`/kirocrew yolo`	Toggle auto-approve
`/kirocrew agent [name]`	Show/switch active agent
`/kirocrew channels`	Channel management modal
`/kirocrew sessions`	List sessions with resume buttons
`/kirocrew help`	List all sub-commands

The command name is configurable via slack.command (default: kirocrew).

Bang commands (owner-only)

Command	Purpose
`!dashboard [duration]`	Presigned dashboard link
`!yolo on\|off`	Toggle auto-approve
`!agent <name>\|off`	Switch/clear agent
`!ta <agent>\|off`	Thread-only agent override
`!stop`	Interrupt current turn
`!compact`	Compact session context

Keyword commands

Command	Purpose
`status`	Runtime stats
`spawn <task>` / `bg <task>`	Subagent (blocking / fire-and-forget)
`spawn list`	List subagents
`cron list` / `cron remove <id>`	Manage crons
`sessions`	List recent sessions
`run <path>`	Run a task spec

Channel modes

Beyond DMs, Crew can join group channels in three modes:

Mode	Behavior
`mention`	Respond only when @-mentioned; 50-msg rolling context (5-min TTL, in-memory)
`observe`	Silent unless @-mentioned; 200-msg context (1-week TTL, disk-persisted)
`off`	Ignore the channel

Only messages from authorized users are recorded in observe mode.

Dashboard ↔ Slack sync

The dashboard's 💬 button links a chat session to a Slack thread:

A new thread appears with a summary of recent messages
Messages sync bidirectionally in real time
The sessions command lists recent sessions with ▶️ Resume buttons

Reactions

Phase-aware emoji reactions: queued → thinking → coding → done. Customize:

json

{
  "slack": {
    "reactions": { "done": "sparkle", "thinking": "brain" },
    "reactions_enabled": true
  }
}

Set a phase to null to suppress it. Set reactions_enabled: false to disable all.

Files and images

Images → ACP vision channel
Text files → inlined
Voice memos → transcribed automatically
Binary files → file_send tool call

Home Tab

Block Kit view with live system status, cron jobs, active sessions, and recent lessons.

Configuration

Credentials in ~/.kiro/crew/.env:

SLACK_APP_TOKEN=xapp-…
SLACK_BOT_TOKEN=xoxb-…
KIROCREW_OWNER_ID=U0…

Settings in config.json:

Key	Default	Purpose
`slack.command`	`"kirocrew"`	Slash command name
`slack.reactions_enabled`	`true`	Phase emoji reactions
`slack.reactions`	(defaults)	Per-phase overrides
`slack.allowed_enterprise_ids`	`[]`	Enterprise Grid allowlist (empty = all)

Troubleshooting

Problem	Fix
Install App button greyed out	Use Features → OAuth & Permissions → Install to Workspace
No events received	Verify Socket Mode ON, events subscribed, Home Tab enabled, reinstall
`missing_scope` error	Add scope, reinstall, re-run `kirocrew setup`
Bot doesn't respond	Check `kirocrew doctor`; confirm gateway running
Dashboard shows 403	Token expired — `!dashboard` for a fresh link

Page updated: August 4, 2026

Interfaces

Discord