Slack

Slack integration uses Socket Mode, which means Talon opens a persistent WebSocket connection to Slack rather than requiring a publicly accessible webhook URL. This makes setup much easier for local or home-server deployments.

You will end up with two tokens: an app-level token (prefixed xapp-) for the Socket Mode connection, and a bot token (prefixed xoxb-) for sending messages.

Setup

1. Create a Slack App

Go to api.slack.com/apps and click Create New App.

Choose From scratch, give your app a name, and select the workspace you want to install it in.

2. Enable Socket Mode and Get the App Token

In the left sidebar, click Socket Mode and toggle it on.

You will be prompted to generate an app-level token. Give the token a name (e.g. talon-socket) and click Generate. Copy the token — it starts with xapp-.

Note

The app-level token (xapp-) is separate from the bot token (xoxb-). Both are required. The app token manages the socket connection; the bot token sends and reads messages.

3. Add Bot Scopes

In the left sidebar, click OAuth & Permissions.

Scroll to Bot Token Scopes and add the following scopes:

Scope	Purpose
chat:write	Send messages
channels:history	Read messages in public channels
groups:history	Read messages in private channels
im:history	Read direct messages
mpim:history	Read group direct messages
channels:read	List channels
im:read	List direct message conversations

4. Enable Event Subscriptions

In the left sidebar, click Event Subscriptions and toggle Enable Events on.

Under Subscribe to bot events, add:

• message.channels
• message.groups
• message.im
• message.mpim

Click Save Changes.

5. Install to Workspace

In the left sidebar, click OAuth & Permissions and click Install to Workspace.

After authorizing, copy the Bot User OAuth Token — it starts with xoxb-.

6. Add to Config

{
  "channels": {
    "slack": {
      "accounts": {
        "my-workspace": {
          "bot_token": "xoxb-...",
          "app_token": "xapp-..."
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

Restart Talon. The bot will appear online in your Slack workspace and respond to direct messages and any channel it has been invited to.

Configuration Fields

Field	Required	Description
bot_token	Yes	Bot User OAuth Token, starts with xoxb-
app_token	Yes	App-level token for Socket Mode, starts with xapp-
allow_from	No	List of Slack user IDs allowed to message the bot
model	No	Override the default AI model for this account

Restricting Access

Slack user IDs can be found by clicking on a user’s profile in Slack, clicking the three-dot menu, and selecting Copy member ID.

{
  "channels": {
    "slack": {
      "accounts": {
        "my-workspace": {
          "bot_token": "xoxb-...",
          "app_token": "xapp-...",
          "allow_from": ["U01234ABCDE"]
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

Tip

To use the bot in a public or private channel (not just DMs), invite it with /invite @your-bot-name inside that channel.

Multiple Workspaces

Each Slack workspace requires its own app installation and tokens. Add an entry under accounts for each workspace:

{
  "channels": {
    "slack": {
      "accounts": {
        "engineering": {
          "bot_token": "xoxb-111...",
          "app_token": "xapp-111..."
        },
        "personal": {
          "bot_token": "xoxb-222...",
          "app_token": "xapp-222..."
        }
      }
    }
  }
}