Chapter 9: Slack & Discord Setup

Slack and Discord are where most development teams spend their working hours. Connecting OpenClaw to these platforms means your AI agents are already inside the tools your team uses — no context switching, no new apps to open. This chapter covers complete setup for both.

Part 1: Slack

How OpenClaw Connects to Slack

OpenClaw uses Slack's Socket Mode for receiving events, which means:

No public HTTPS URL required — works behind NAT/firewalls
Real-time event delivery via WebSocket connection
Works in both development (local machine) and production (cloud server)

For production with webhooks instead of Socket Mode, you can switch to HTTP mode (covered at the end of this section).

Step 1: Create a Slack App

Go to api.slack.com/apps
Click Create New App → From scratch
Name it (e.g., OpenClaw) and select your workspace
Click Create App

Step 2: Enable Socket Mode

In the left sidebar, click Socket Mode
Toggle Enable Socket Mode to On
Enter a token name: openclaw-app-token
Click Generate
Copy the App-Level Token (starts with xapp-)

Step 3: Configure Bot Permissions

Go to OAuth & Permissions
Under Bot Token Scopes, add:
- app_mentions:read — respond when mentioned
- chat:write — send messages
- channels:history — read messages in public channels
- im:history — read direct messages
- im:read — receive direct message events
- im:write — send direct messages
- channels:read — list channels
Click Install to Workspace
Copy the Bot User OAuth Token (starts with xoxb-)

Step 4: Enable Event Subscriptions

Go to Event Subscriptions
Toggle Enable Events to On
Under Subscribe to bot events, add:
- app_mention — when someone @mentions the bot
- message.im — direct messages to the bot

Step 5: Configure openclaw.json

{
  "channels": {
    "slack": {
      "enabled": true,
      "botToken": "${SLACK_BOT_TOKEN}",
      "signingSecret": "${SLACK_SIGNING_SECRET}",
      "appToken": "${SLACK_APP_TOKEN}",
      "mode": "socket",
      "respondToMentions": true,
      "respondToDMs": true,
      "respondToThreads": true
    }
  }
}

Set environment variables:

export SLACK_BOT_TOKEN="xoxb-xxxxxxxx-xxxxxxxx-xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx"
export SLACK_SIGNING_SECRET="xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx"
export SLACK_APP_TOKEN="xapp-1-xxxxxxxx-xxxxxxxxxx-xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx"

Find the Signing Secret in: App Settings → Basic Information → App Credentials.

Step 6: Invite the Bot to Channels

In any Slack channel where you want OpenClaw active:

/invite @OpenClaw

Step 7: Allowlist Setup

Slack allowlists use Slack user IDs (format: U01ABCDE123). Find a user's ID by clicking their name → profile → three dots → Copy member ID.

{
  "workspaces": [
    {
      "id": "dev-team",
      "channels": ["slack"],
      "agent": "claude-sonnet",
      "allowlist": ["U01ABCDE123", "U02FGHIJ456"]
    }
  ]
}

To allow all workspace members:

{
  "allowlist": ["*"]
}

Slack Usage Patterns

Direct message the bot: Send a DM to @OpenClaw — the bot responds in the DM thread.

Mention the bot in a channel:

@OpenClaw review this PR and summarize the changes

Thread replies: When respondToThreads: true, the bot responds in the same thread — keeps channels clean.

Slack HTTP Mode (Alternative)

For environments where Socket Mode is not preferred:

{
  "channels": {
    "slack": {
      "mode": "http",
      "webhookPath": "/webhooks/slack",
      "port": 3001
    }
  }
}

Requires your gateway to have a public HTTPS URL. Configure it in Slack under Event Subscriptions → Request URL.

Part 2: Discord

How OpenClaw Connects to Discord

OpenClaw uses a Discord Bot via the discord.js library. The bot connects via a persistent WebSocket connection (Discord Gateway) — no public URL required.

Step 1: Create a Discord Application

Go to discord.com/developers/applications
Click New Application
Name it OpenClaw and click Create

Step 2: Create a Bot User

In the left sidebar, click Bot
Click Add Bot → Yes, do it!
Under Token, click Reset Token and copy the bot token
Under Privileged Gateway Intents, enable:
- Message Content Intent (required to read message text)
- Server Members Intent (required for allowlist matching by username)

Step 3: Set Bot Permissions

Go to OAuth2 → URL Generator
Under Scopes, check: bot
Under Bot Permissions, check:
- Read Messages/View Channels
- Send Messages
- Read Message History
- Use Slash Commands
Copy the generated URL and open it to invite the bot to your server

Step 4: Configure openclaw.json

{
  "channels": {
    "discord": {
      "enabled": true,
      "token": "${DISCORD_BOT_TOKEN}",
      "respondToMentions": true,
      "respondToDMs": true,
      "prefix": "!ai",
      "allowedChannelIds": ["1234567890123456789"]
    }
  }
}

Set environment variable:

export DISCORD_BOT_TOKEN="MTxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx.xxxxxx.xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx"

Discord Configuration Options

Option	Type	Description
`respondToMentions`	boolean	Respond when @mentioned
`respondToDMs`	boolean	Respond to direct messages
`prefix`	string	Text prefix to trigger bot (e.g., `!ai`)
`allowedChannelIds`	array	Limit to specific channel IDs (empty = all channels)
`ignoreBots`	boolean	Ignore messages from other bots (default: true)

Step 5: Discord Allowlist

Discord allowlists use numeric user IDs. Find a user's ID: right-click their name → Copy User ID (requires Developer Mode in Discord settings).

{
  "workspaces": [
    {
      "id": "discord-dev",
      "channels": ["discord"],
      "agent": "claude-sonnet",
      "allowlist": ["123456789012345678", "987654321098765432"]
    }
  ]
}

Discord Usage Patterns

Mention the bot:

@OpenClaw write unit tests for the AuthService class

Use a prefix: If prefix: "!ai" is set:

!ai explain the difference between TCP and UDP

DM the bot: Send a direct message — the bot responds without needing a channel mention.

Discord Slash Commands

OpenClaw can register slash commands with Discord for a polished user experience:

openclaw discord register-commands

This registers:

/ask [question] — ask the AI a question
/reset — reset your conversation session
/status — check gateway status

Slash commands show up in Discord's autocomplete menu.

Troubleshooting

Slack

Problem	Solution
Bot not responding to DMs	Ensure `im:history` and `im:read` scopes are granted
Bot not responding to mentions	Ensure `app_mention` event is subscribed and bot is in channel
Socket mode disconnects	Check App Token is valid; regenerate if expired
`invalid_auth` error	Regenerate Bot Token; re-install app to workspace

Discord

Problem	Solution
Bot online but not responding	Check Message Content Intent is enabled
Slash commands not showing	Run `openclaw discord register-commands` again
Bot cannot see messages	Missing `Read Messages` permission in server channel
Token invalid	Regenerate token in Discord Developer Portal

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature	Slack	Discord
Setup difficulty	Medium	Easy
Business account needed	Free tier available	No
Socket Mode (no public URL)	Yes	Yes (WebSocket)
Thread support	Yes	No (channels only)
Slash commands	Yes	Yes (native)
DM support	Yes	Yes
File sharing	Yes	Yes
Best for	Work teams	Communities, gaming, OSS

Next: Chapter 10 — Microsoft Teams & Google Chat — Enterprise messaging platform integration.