intentkit-slack

Slack messaging adapter for IntentKit — channel messaging, reactions, and user lookup via the provider system.

Lets AI agents (like Claude via Dispatch) send messages, read channel history, add reactions, and look up users through MCP.

Install

npm install intentkit-slack

Slack App Setup

Before using this adapter, you need a Slack app with a bot token:

1. Create a Slack App at api.slack.com/apps > "Create New App" > "From scratch"
2. Add Bot Token Scopes under "OAuth & Permissions" > "Scopes" > "Bot Token Scopes":
   • chat:write — send messages
   • channels:read — list public channels
   • groups:read — list private channels the bot is in
   • channels:history — read public channel messages
   • groups:history — read private channel messages
   • reactions:write — add emoji reactions
   • users:read — look up user info
   • users:read.email — (optional) access user email addresses
3. Install to Workspace — click "Install to Workspace" and authorize
4. Copy the Bot Token — starts with xoxb-. This goes in your config
5. Invite the bot to channels it needs to access: /invite @YourBotName

Quick Start

import { defineFunction, IntentRegistry, createContext, serve, z } from 'intentkit';
import { createSlackProvider, type SlackClient } from 'intentkit-slack';

// Register your functions
const registry = new IntentRegistry().register(sendSlackMessage, listChannels, getMessages, addReaction);

// Create context (no database needed for Slack-only projects)
const context = await createContext({ events: true });

// Boot MCP server with Slack provider
await serve({
  name: 'my-slack-agent',
  registry,
  context,
  providers: [
    createSlackProvider({
      token: process.env.SLACK_BOT_TOKEN!,
      defaultChannel: '#general',
    }),
  ],
});

Configuration

| Option | Default | Description | |--------|---------|-------------| | token | -- | Slack Bot Token (xoxb-...) | | defaultChannel | -- | Default channel ID or name for posting | | name | 'slack' | Provider name in ctx.providers |

Using in Functions

Access the Slack client via ctx.providers.slack:

import { defineFunction, z } from 'intentkit';
import type { SlackClient } from 'intentkit-slack';

export const notifyChannel = defineFunction({
  name: 'notify_channel',
  intent: 'Send a notification to a Slack channel',
  permissions: ['slack:write'],
  requires: ['slack'],  // Validates provider exists at startup

  input: z.object({
    message: z.string(),
    channel: z.string().optional(),
  }),
  output: z.object({
    ts: z.string(),
    channel: z.string(),
  }),

  execute: async (input, ctx) => {
    const slack = ctx.providers.slack as SlackClient;
    const result = await slack.sendMessage({
      text: input.message,
      channel: input.channel,
    });

    return { ts: result.ts, channel: result.channel };
  },
});

Example Functions

The package includes 4 ready-to-use functions in functions/slack.ts:

| Function | Intent | Permission | |----------|--------|------------| | send_slack_message | Send a message to a channel or thread | slack:write | | list_channels | List available channels the bot can access | slack:read | | get_messages | Get recent messages from a channel or thread | slack:read | | add_reaction | Add an emoji reaction to a message | slack:write |

Import and register them:

import { sendSlackMessage, listChannels, getMessages, addReaction } from 'intentkit-slack/functions';

const registry = new IntentRegistry()
  .register(sendSlackMessage, listChannels, getMessages, addReaction);

SlackClient API

The full client interface for custom function implementations:

interface SlackClient {
  // Connection
  ping(): Promise<boolean>;

  // Messaging
  sendMessage(options: SendMessageOptions): Promise<SlackMessage>;
  getMessages(options: GetMessagesOptions): Promise<SlackMessage[]>;

  // Channels
  listChannels(limit?: number): Promise<SlackChannel[]>;

  // Reactions
  addReaction(channel: string, timestamp: string, emoji: string): Promise<void>;

  // Users
  getUser(userId: string): Promise<SlackUser>;
}

Claude Desktop Config

Add to ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "slack": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["path/to/your/serve.js"],
      "env": {
        "SLACK_BOT_TOKEN": "xoxb-your-bot-token"
      }
    }
  }
}

Architecture

Claude (Dispatch / Desktop)
    |  MCP tool call
IntentKit (serve + permissions + hooks)
    |  ctx.providers.slack
intentkit-slack (SlackClientImpl)
    |
@slack/web-api (WebClient)
    |  HTTPS
Slack API

The WebClient is HTTP-based and stateless -- no persistent connection is maintained. healthCheck() calls auth.test to verify the token. No cleanup is needed on shutdown since there is no connection to close.

License

MIT