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Slack Integration on Localhost

This guide helps you set up Slack integration with your development environment using a local server exposed via ngrok.

1. Create a Slack App

  1. Visit https://api.slack.com/apps and click Create New App.
  2. Choose From scratch.
  3. Provide a name for your app and select your workspace.

2. Add Bot Scopes

  1. Go to OAuth & Permissions → Scopes.
  2. Under Bot Token Scopes, add the scopes that your app needs, for example:
  3. chat:write — allows sending messages
  4. files:write — allows uploading files
  5. Click Save Changes.

3. Install the App to Your Workspace

  • Navigate to Install App in the left sidebar.
  • Click Install to Workspace and authorize.

4. Update Environment Variables

  1. Go to the Basic Information section of your app.
  2. Copy the following values: SLACK_CLIENT_ID SLACK_CLIENT_SECRET SLACK_SIGNING_SECRET
  3. Add these to your .env file:
SLACK_CLIENT_ID=your-client-id
SLACK_CLIENT_SECRET=your-client-secret
SLACK_SIGNING_SECRET=your-signing-secret

5. Install ngrok

  1. Download and install ngrok from https://ngrok.com/download.
  2. Start your Django server with a public URL using:

invoke runserver --public
3. This will expose your local server and generate a public HTTPS URL like: 
https://abc123.ngrok.io

6. Update Redirect URLs in Slack App

  1. In your Slack app, go to OAuth & Permissions.
  2. Under Redirect URLs, add:

https://<your-ngrok-subdomain>.ngrok.io/slack/oauth_redirect
3. Click Save URLs.

7. Set Up Slack Events Endpoint

  1. Go to Event Subscriptions in your Slack app.
  2. Toggle Enable Events.
  3. Set the Request URL to:

https://<your-ngrok-subdomain>.ngrok.io/slack/events
4. Under Subscribe to Bot Events, add: - message.channels - message.im - Click Save Changes.

8. Update Local Django Settings

In your settings.py:

SITE_URL_ROOT = "https://<your-ngrok-subdomain>.ngrok.io"

ALLOWED_HOSTS = [
    "localhost",
    "127.0.0.1",
    "<your-ngrok-subdomain>.ngrok.io"
]

CSRF_TRUSTED_ORIGINS = [
    "https://<your-ngrok-subdomain>.ngrok.io"
]

9. Configure Messaging Provider in Open Chat Studio

  1. Go to Team Settings → Messaging Providers.
  2. Click Add, and select Slack as the provider type.
  3. Click Connect Slack — you'll be redirected to Slack's authorization screen.

10. Authorize in Slack

  • Slack may auto-select a workspace. If the correct workspace isn't shown: Open the link in Incognito mode or clear cookies.
  • You'll be redirected to your ngrok URL (not localhost).
  • Log back into Open Chat Studio if prompted.
  • Navigate again to Team Settings → Messaging Providers and complete the Slack setup.

✅ Done!

Your Slack app is now integrated with your local development environment!