Slack Integration
Connect Chatsby to Slack for real-time conversation notifications, team alerts, and human takeover. Monitor your AI agent directly from your workspace.
Slack Integration
The Chatsby Slack integration brings your AI agent's activity directly into the tool your team already lives in. Receive real-time notifications when new conversations start, get alerted when a visitor gives a low rating, monitor lead captures as they happen, and enable human agents to take over conversations without leaving Slack. This guide covers the complete setup process, notification configuration, human handoff workflows, and troubleshooting.
What the Slack Integration Does
| Capability | Description |
|---|---|
| Real-time notifications | Get Slack messages when key events occur in your Chatsby agent --- new conversations, escalations, low ratings, and lead captures |
| Channel routing | Send different notification types to different Slack channels for organized monitoring |
| Human takeover | Your team can respond to escalated conversations directly from Slack, seamlessly continuing where the AI left off |
| Conversation context | Every Slack notification includes the full conversation history so your team has the context they need to respond effectively |
Prerequisites
| Requirement | Details |
|---|---|
| Slack workspace | An active Slack workspace where you want to receive notifications |
| Slack admin or installer permissions | You need permission to install apps in your Slack workspace (or your workspace admin must approve the installation) |
| Chatsby agent | A trained, active agent with the Public toggle enabled |
Setup
Open Integrations Settings in Chatsby
Log in to your Chatsby dashboard. Navigate to the agent you want to connect, then go to the Settings tab and find the Integrations section.
Click Connect to Slack
Click the "Add to Slack" button. You will be redirected to Slack's OAuth authorization page.
Authorize the Chatsby App
On the Slack authorization page, review the permissions Chatsby is requesting. These include the ability to post messages to channels and read basic workspace information. Select the Slack workspace you want to connect and click Allow.
Select a Default Notification Channel
After authorization, you will be returned to the Chatsby dashboard. Select the Slack channel where you want notifications to be sent by default. You can choose an existing channel or create a new one (e.g., #chatsby-notifications or #customer-support).
Configure Notification Events
Choose which events should trigger Slack notifications. Toggle each event on or off based on your team's needs. See the Notification Events section below for details on each event type.
Save the Configuration
Click Save to finalize the integration. Chatsby will immediately begin sending notifications to your selected Slack channel.
Notification Events
You can configure which events trigger Slack notifications. Each event can be independently enabled or disabled, and can optionally be routed to a different Slack channel.
| Event | Description | When It Fires |
|---|---|---|
| New Conversation | A visitor starts a new chat with your agent | Immediately when the first message is sent |
| Escalation Requested | The visitor or the AI requests a human agent | When a conversation is flagged for human review |
| Low Rating Received | A visitor rates the conversation poorly | When a thumbs-down or low star rating is submitted |
| Lead Captured | The agent successfully collects contact information | When an email, phone number, or other contact detail is captured via an Action |
| Action Triggered | A custom Action defined in your agent fires | Whenever the specified Action executes during a conversation |
We recommend starting with Escalation Requested and Low Rating Received enabled. These are the highest-signal events that warrant immediate human attention. You can always expand to other events as your team's workflow evolves.
Notification Message Format
When an event fires, Chatsby sends a formatted Slack message to your configured channel. The message includes:
- Event type --- Clearly labeled at the top of the message (e.g., "New Conversation" or "Escalation Requested")
- Visitor information --- Name and email if captured, or "Anonymous Visitor" if unknown
- Conversation summary --- The last several messages exchanged between the visitor and the AI agent
- Direct link --- A clickable link to the full conversation in your Chatsby dashboard
- Action buttons --- For escalation events, a "Take Over" button that initiates the human handoff flow
Channel Selection and Routing Rules
For teams that want more granular control, you can route different event types to different Slack channels:
- #support-escalations --- Receive only escalation and low-rating notifications for your support team to act on immediately.
- #leads --- Receive only lead capture notifications so your sales team can follow up.
- #chatsby-all --- A catch-all channel for all events, useful for general monitoring and auditing.
To configure per-event channel routing, go to the Integrations > Slack section of your agent's settings and use the channel dropdown next to each event type.
Human Takeover Flow
When your AI agent encounters a question it cannot answer or a visitor explicitly asks for a human, the escalation flow works as follows:
- The AI flags the conversation --- The agent recognizes it cannot resolve the issue and informs the visitor that a team member will be connected.
- Slack notification is sent --- A notification appears in the configured Slack channel with the full conversation history and a "Take Over" button.
- A team member claims the conversation --- A human agent clicks "Take Over" in Slack. The Chatsby dashboard marks the conversation as human-handled.
- The human responds from the Chatsby dashboard --- The agent opens the conversation in the Chatsby dashboard and types their response, which is delivered to the visitor in real time via the chat widget.
Human takeover responses are currently managed through the Chatsby dashboard, not directly in Slack. The Slack notification serves as the alert mechanism and provides a direct link to the conversation.
Managing the Integration
Changing the Notification Channel
To change which Slack channel receives notifications, go to Settings > Integrations > Slack in your agent dashboard and select a different channel from the dropdown. Changes take effect immediately.
Disconnecting Slack
To disconnect the Slack integration entirely:
- Go to Settings > Integrations > Slack in your agent dashboard.
- Click Disconnect.
- Confirm the disconnection.
This stops all Slack notifications immediately. Your Slack workspace will no longer have the Chatsby app authorized. You can reconnect at any time by repeating the setup process.
Troubleshooting
Missing Notifications
| Possible Cause | Solution |
|---|---|
| Event not enabled | Go to Integrations > Slack and confirm the event type is toggled on |
| Channel was deleted or archived | Verify the configured channel still exists and is active in Slack |
| Slack permissions changed | Re-authorize the integration by disconnecting and reconnecting |
| Chatsby agent paused or private | Ensure your agent is active and set to Public |
Permissions Issues
If you see a "missing_scope" or "not_authorized" error during setup:
- Ensure you have permission to install apps in your Slack workspace. Some workspaces restrict app installations to administrators.
- Ask your Slack workspace admin to approve the Chatsby app from Slack Admin > Manage Apps.
- If your workspace uses Slack Enterprise Grid, the app may need to be approved at the organization level before individual workspaces can install it.
Duplicate Notifications
If you receive the same notification multiple times, check that you do not have the same event routed to multiple channels. Also verify that you have not connected the same Slack workspace to multiple Chatsby agents without intending to.
Security and Data Sharing
The Chatsby Slack integration shares the following data with your Slack workspace:
- Conversation messages --- The text content of messages exchanged between visitors and your AI agent (included in notification messages).
- Visitor information --- Name, email, and any other contact details captured during the conversation.
- Metadata --- Conversation timestamps, ratings, and agent identifiers.
Data is transmitted over encrypted HTTPS connections. Chatsby does not store Slack user tokens beyond what is necessary to send notifications. You can revoke access at any time by disconnecting the integration.
If your organization has strict data handling policies, consider routing notifications to a private Slack channel with restricted membership to limit who can see conversation data.
On this page
- What the Slack Integration Does
- Prerequisites
- Setup
- Notification Events
- Notification Message Format
- Channel Selection and Routing Rules
- Human Takeover Flow
- Managing the Integration
- Changing the Notification Channel
- Disconnecting Slack
- Troubleshooting
- Missing Notifications
- Permissions Issues
- Duplicate Notifications
- Security and Data Sharing