> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://signalpilot.ai/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Slack Integration

> Connect SignalPilot to Slack to bring team discussions and data context into your investigations

# Slack Integration

SignalPilot integrates with Slack to surface relevant team discussions during data investigations. Find out what your team said about a metric drop, who owns a data pipeline, or what decisions were made about data definitions.

## What Slack Integration Provides

| Context Type            | What You Get                              | Example Use                               |
| ----------------------- | ----------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------- |
| **Channel Discussions** | Recent messages about data topics         | "What did the team say about conversion?" |
| **Thread Context**      | Full conversation threads                 | "Show me that revenue discussion"         |
| **Mentions**            | References to metrics, tables, dashboards | "Who mentioned the orders table?"         |
| **Decisions**           | Key decisions about data definitions      | "What did we decide about active users?"  |

***

## Setup

<Steps>
  <Step title="Create a Slack App">
    1. Go to [api.slack.com/apps](https://api.slack.com/apps)
    2. Click **Create New App** → **From scratch**
    3. Name it "SignalPilot" and select your workspace
  </Step>

  <Step title="Configure OAuth Scopes">
    Under **OAuth & Permissions**, add these Bot Token Scopes:

    * `channels:history` - Read messages in public channels
    * `channels:read` - List public channels
    * `search:read` - Search messages
    * `users:read` - Resolve user names

    <Note>
      For private channels, add `groups:history` and `groups:read`, then invite the bot to each channel.
    </Note>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Install to Workspace">
    1. Click **Install to Workspace**
    2. Authorize the permissions
    3. Copy the **Bot User OAuth Token** (starts with `xoxb-`)
  </Step>

  <Step title="Configure SignalPilot">
    Add to your `signalpilot.config.json`:

    ```json theme={null}
    {
      "mcp_servers": {
        "slack": {
          "type": "slack",
          "bot_token": "${SLACK_BOT_TOKEN}",
          "channels": ["data-team", "analytics", "data-incidents"]
        }
      }
    }
    ```
  </Step>
</Steps>

***

## Using Slack Context

### Finding Relevant Discussions

When investigating a metric change, SignalPilot automatically searches Slack:

```
You: "Why did conversion drop 8% last week?"

SignalPilot: Searching Slack for recent conversion discussions...

Found 3 relevant threads:

1. #data-team (Tuesday): "Heads up - we deployed the new checkout flow"
2. #analytics (Wednesday): "Seeing conversion numbers look off"
3. #data-incidents (Wednesday): "Hotfix deployed for checkout tracking"

Insight: The drop appears related to a checkout deployment with tracking issues.
```

### Asking About Decisions

Surface past team decisions without manual searching:

```
You: "How do we define 'active user' again?"

SignalPilot: Searching Slack for 'active user' definition...

Found in #data-team (3 weeks ago):
"Active user = logged in within 30 days with at least 1 action"
Documentation: notion.so/data-definitions/active-user
```

### Finding Data Owners

Identify who to ask about specific data:

```
You: "Who owns the attribution model?"

SignalPilot: Searching Slack for attribution model ownership...

Based on recent discussions:
- @marketing_analyst: Primary owner (mentioned 12 times)
- @data_engineer: Maintains the pipeline (mentioned 5 times)
- #marketing-analytics: Main channel for attribution discussions
```

***

## Slack Commands

| Command                  | Description                        |
| ------------------------ | ---------------------------------- |
| `@slack search <term>`   | Search messages for a term         |
| `@slack channel <name>`  | Get recent messages from a channel |
| `@slack thread <url>`    | Get full thread context            |
| `@slack mentions <term>` | Find who mentioned a topic         |

***

## Privacy & Security

* SignalPilot only searches channels the bot is invited to
* Messages are fetched on-demand and not stored
* All searches are logged locally for audit purposes
* DMs and private channels require explicit bot invitation

***

## Best Practices

<Steps>
  <Step title="Focus on Data Channels">
    Configure only channels where data discussions happen. This improves search relevance and speed.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Use Consistent Terminology">
    Encourage your team to use consistent names for metrics and tables. "MRR" is easier to search than various phrasings.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Document Decisions">
    When Slack surfaces a decision, add it to your team's documentation. Slack is for discovery, not long-term storage.
  </Step>
</Steps>

***

## Related Resources

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Jira Integration" icon="list-check" href="/docs/integrations/collaboration/jira">
    Combine with Jira for ticket context
  </Card>

  <Card title="dbt Integration" icon="diagram-project" href="/docs/integrations/dbt-integration">
    Add data lineage to Slack discussions
  </Card>

  <Card title="Context Aggregation" icon="plug" href="/docs/deep-dives/context-aggregation">
    How Slack fits into the MCP architecture
  </Card>
</CardGroup>