Slack Agent with Chat SDK

This guide shows how to run a Slack bot using:

• Chat SDK for Slack webhooks, thread subscriptions, and interactive actions
• VoltAgent for AI reasoning and tool calling
• Next.js route handlers for webhook hosting
• Redis for Chat SDK state persistence

info

Use the ready-made example: examples/with-chat-sdk.

1. Create the project from example

npm create voltagent-app@latest -- --example with-chat-sdk
cd with-chat-sdk
pnpm install

2. Configure environment variables

Copy the env template:

cp .env.example .env.local

Set these values:

OPENAI_API_KEY=your_openai_api_key
SLACK_BOT_TOKEN=xoxb-your-bot-token
SLACK_SIGNING_SECRET=your-signing-secret
REDIS_URL=redis://localhost:6379

3. Create and configure your Slack app

Open api.slack.com/apps, create a new app, and use this manifest:

display_information:
  name: VoltAgent Chat SDK Bot
  description: Slack bot built with Chat SDK and VoltAgent
features:
  bot_user:
    display_name: VoltAgentBot
    always_online: true
oauth_config:
  scopes:
    bot:
      - app_mentions:read
      - channels:history
      - channels:read
      - chat:write
      - groups:history
      - groups:read
      - im:history
      - im:read
      - mpim:history
      - mpim:read
      - reactions:read
      - reactions:write
      - users:read
settings:
  event_subscriptions:
    request_url: https://your-domain.com/api/webhooks/slack
    bot_events:
      - app_mention
      - message.channels
      - message.groups
      - message.im
      - message.mpim
  interactivity:
    is_enabled: true
    request_url: https://your-domain.com/api/webhooks/slack
  org_deploy_enabled: false
  socket_mode_enabled: false
  token_rotation_enabled: false

Then install the app to your workspace and collect:

• Bot User OAuth Token (xoxb-...) -> SLACK_BOT_TOKEN
• Signing Secret -> SLACK_SIGNING_SECRET

4. Run locally and expose webhook URL

Start Next.js:

pnpm dev

Expose local port 3000 with Volt Tunnel:

pnpm volt tunnel 3000

Then update both Slack URLs:

• Event Subscriptions -> Request URL
• Interactivity -> Request URL

Both should point to:

https://your-tunnel-url/api/webhooks/slack

5. Test the bot

1. Invite the bot to a channel: /invite @VoltAgentBot
2. Mention the bot in a channel or thread
3. The bot subscribes to the thread and sends a welcome card
4. Send follow-up messages in that thread and get VoltAgent-generated responses
5. Click the buttons to trigger hello and info action handlers

6. How the example is wired

• lib/agent.ts: VoltAgent Agent plus getCurrentTime tool
• lib/bot.ts: Chat SDK adapter setup, mention/subscribed/action handlers
• app/api/webhooks/[platform]/route.ts: dynamic webhook route with waitUntil

If Slack credentials are missing, the webhook route returns a clear runtime error instead of failing the build.