Supported connection methods
Slack integration supports two connection methods. Choose the one that fits your deployment requirements.| Method | Description | When to use |
|---|---|---|
| Standard Bot | Connect via OAuth using the official Slack app provided by Admina | Fastest path to onboarding / you do not want to manage a Slack app yourself |
| Custom Bot | Create your own Slack app and connect by entering a Bot User OAuth Token and Signing Secret | You want to manage the app’s permissions and branding yourself / your organization restricts installation of public apps |
The conversational experience (channel mentions, threaded replies, DMs) is identical for both methods.
Prerequisites
- You must have the Admin role in AI Helpdesk.
- You must have admin permissions in the Slack workspace (permission to install apps).
- For Custom Bot, you also need permission to create apps in Slack API (Your Apps).
Connect with Standard Bot
The standard method that connects the official Slack app from Admina using OAuth.Open integration settings
Select Settings from the left navigation and open the Integrations tab.
In the Messaging section, click Add connection and choose Slack — Standard Bot.
Authenticate with Slack
You are redirected to Slack’s OAuth authorization page.
Sign in to Slack and select the workspace you want to connect.
Review bot permissions
Review the permissions requested by the AI Helpdesk Slack app and click Allow.The main permissions requested are as follows.
| Permission | Purpose |
|---|---|
channels:read / groups:read | Read channel information |
chat:write | Send messages |
im:read / im:write | Read and write direct messages |
users:read / users:read.email | Retrieve user info and match email addresses |
app_mentions:read | Detect mentions of the bot |
Connect with Custom Bot
This method connects by creating your own Slack app and entering its Bot User OAuth Token (shown as “Bot Token” on the form) and Signing Secret into AI Helpdesk.Required information
| Item | Where to obtain |
|---|---|
| Bot User OAuth Token | OAuth & Permissions page of your Slack App |
| Signing Secret | Basic Information page of your Slack App |
Open integration settings and choose Custom Bot
In the Settings > Integrations > Messaging section of AI Helpdesk, click Add connection and choose Slack — Custom Bot.A form appears for entering the Bot User OAuth Token and Signing Secret. You will gather these values in the following steps.
Create a new Slack app
Go to Slack API (Your Apps) and click Create New App.Then select the workspace where you want to install the app.
Configure the app with the provided manifest
Paste the following manifest into the From a manifest editor, review the configuration on the confirmation screen, and submit.
Copy the Signing Secret
Open Basic Information in your Slack App.
Copy the Signing Secret from the App Credentials section.
Copy the Bot User OAuth Token
Open the OAuth & Permissions page and click Install to Workspace in the OAuth Tokens section.Once the OAuth flow completes, a Bot User OAuth Token (starting with
xoxb-) is issued. Copy the value.Using the bot
After connecting, the bot is added to your Slack workspace.- Standard Bot: the default display name is Admina AI Helpdesk (you can rename it — see the Tip below).
- Custom Bot: the display name is whatever you configured when creating your Slack app.
Ask questions via direct message
Send a question to the bot in a direct message to receive an AI response.Mention the bot in a channel
Mention the bot in a channel to receive an AI response in a thread. Continue replying within the thread to keep the same session going.Disconnect a Slack workspace
Troubleshooting
“Access denied” during OAuth authorization (Standard Bot) Third-party app installation may be restricted in your Slack workspace. Contact your Slack workspace admin and ask them to grant app installation permissions. If granting permission is difficult, consider connecting via Custom Bot instead. “Invalid credentials” (Custom Bot)- Verify that the Bot User OAuth Token starts with
xoxb-. - Verify that the Signing Secret contains no extra whitespace or line breaks.
- Confirm that the Slack App is correctly installed in the workspace.
/invite @<bot-name> in that channel. For Standard Bot, the default name is @Admina AI Helpdesk. If you renamed it, or if you are using Custom Bot, use the name configured for your app in the workspace.

