Configure

/slack-channel:configure

Overview

Configure the Slack channel with your bot token and app-level token. This is the single place tokens touch disk: the skill validates both token prefixes, writes them to the state directory's .env, and locks the file to owner-only permissions. It never echoes tokens back. The install walkthrough (/slack-channel:install Step 3) delegates here.

Prerequisites

• A Slack app already created (via /slack-channel:install Step 1 or manually at api.slack.com/apps) with:
  • the Bot User OAuth Token (xoxb-...) from OAuth & Permissions, and
  • the App-Level Token (xapp-..., scope connections:write) from Socket Mode settings.
• A writable home directory — state lives at ~/.claude/channels/slack/.

Usage

Pass both tokens as arguments, bot token first:

/slack-channel:configure <xoxb-bot-token> <xapp-app-token>

Instructions

1. Parse the two arguments from $ARGUMENTS:

   • First token must start with xoxb- (Bot User OAuth Token)
   • Second token must start with xapp- (App-Level Token)

2. If either token is missing or has the wrong prefix, show this error and stop:

   Error: Two tokens required.
     - Bot token (starts with xoxb-) from OAuth & Permissions
     - App token (starts with xapp-) from Socket Mode settings
   
   Usage: /slack-channel:configure xoxb-... xapp-...
   

3. Create the state directory if it doesn't exist:

   ~/.claude/channels/slack/
   

4. Write the .env file at ~/.claude/channels/slack/.env:

   SLACK_BOT_TOKEN=<bot-token>
   SLACK_APP_TOKEN=<app-token>
   

5. Set file permissions to owner-only:

   chmod 600 ~/.claude/channels/slack/.env
   

6. Confirm success:

   Slack channel configured.
   
   Start Claude with the Slack channel:
     claude --channels plugin:slack-channel@claude-code-plugins
   
   Or for development:
     claude --dangerously-load-development-channels server:slack
   
   Next: opt in a channel and pick its interaction mode with
   /slack-channel:access channel <id>  (defaults to mention-to-engage;
   pass --ambient for a dedicated bot channel). See ACCESS.md "Interaction modes".
   

Output

• On success: ~/.claude/channels/slack/.env written with both tokens and mode 0600, plus the confirmation block above (server start command and the pointer to channel opt-in). Tokens are never echoed.
• On failure: the two-token usage error from step 2 and no file changes.

Error Handling

• Missing token or wrong prefix — show the step-2 error block and stop; nothing is written. Bot tokens must start with xoxb-, app tokens with xapp-.
• Tokens swapped — the prefix check catches it; re-run with the bot token first.
• Existing .env — re-running overwrites it in place; this is the supported token-rotation path (Slack tokens are reusable; rotation happens at api.slack.com/apps).
• Revoked/invalid tokens — this skill only validates prefixes, not liveness. If the server later fails auth, run /slack-channel:install doctor (checks 4–5 test both tokens live against the Slack API).

Examples

Both flows are the same command — the second run simply overwrites .env:

# First-time setup (tokens copied from api.slack.com/apps)
/slack-channel:configure xoxb-1234567890-EXAMPLE xapp-1-A0EXAMPLE

# Rotation after regenerating tokens in the Slack UI — same command, overwrites .env
/slack-channel:configure xoxb-NEW-TOKEN xapp-NEW-TOKEN

Security

• Never echo the tokens back in the confirmation message
• Never log tokens to stdout or any file other than .env
• Always set 0o600 permissions on the .env file

Resources

• skills/install/SKILL.md — the full install lifecycle that delegates to this skill (Step 3) and the doctor that verifies token liveness
• skills/access/SKILL.md — the next step after configuring: channel opt-in and pairing
• ACCESS.md — interaction modes referenced in the confirmation message
• README.md — quick start, including Node.js and Docker server alternatives