In order to develop on the next-generation platform, your workspace must be on a paid plan.
The Slack CLI is a set of tools critical to building next-generation Slack apps. This is your one-stop shop for those tools.
β¨ If you've not used the Slack CLI before, we recommend following our quickstart guide instead. We'll still get your wagon loaded up before you depart for the trail, but we'll also give you some additional guidance.
β€΅οΈ If you need to authorize the Slack CLI for use with continuous integrations and continuous deployments, jump down.
The minimum required CLI version for Enterprise Grid as of September 19th, 2023 is v2.9.0. If you attempt to log in with an older version, you'll receive a cli_update_required error from the Slack API. Run slack upgrade to get the latest version.
Run the automated installer from your terminal window:
curl -fsSL https://downloads.slack-edge.com/slack-cli/install.sh | bash
This will install the Slack CLI and all required dependencies, including Deno, the runtime environment for our next-generation platform. If you have VSCode installed, the VSCode Deno extension will be installed.
The installation script will detect existing binaries named slack and bail if
it finds one; it will not overwrite your existing slack binary.
If you want to install the CLI as anything other than slack, you can do so by
passing the -s argument to the installer script:
curl -fsSL https://downloads.slack-edge.com/slack-cli/install.sh | bash -s <your-preferred-alias>
The alias you use should come after any flags used in the installation script. For example, if you use both flags noted in the Quickstart to pass a version and skip the Deno installation, your install script might look like this:
curl -fsSL https://downloads.slack-edge.com/slack-cli/install.sh | bash -s -- -v 2.2.0 -d <your-preferred-alias>
Run the automated installer from Windows PowerShell:
irm https://downloads.slack-edge.com/slack-cli/install-windows.ps1 | iex
PowerShell is required for installing the Slack CLI on Windows machines; an alternative shell will not work.
This will install the Slack CLI and all required dependencies, including Deno, the runtime environment for our next-generation platform. If you have VSCode installed, the VSCode Deno extension will be installed.
1. Download and install Deno.
2. Verify that Deno is installed and in your path:
$ deno --version
deno 1.31.1* (release, x86_64-apple-darwin)
v8 10.*
typescript 4.*
The minimum version of Deno required for developing on the next-generation platform is currently at version 1.37.0.
3. Download and install
Git, a
dependency of the slack CLI.
4. Download the slack CLI installer for your environment.
The slack CLI is currently at version 2.14.0. See the changelog for details.
5. Add the slack CLI to your path.
Existing slack binary in path?
If you have another CLI tool in your path called slack, we recommend renaming our slack binary to a different name before adding it to your path.
Mac/Linux: Copy the CLI into any folder that is already in your
path (such as /usr/local/bin) or add a new folder to your path by
listing the folder you installed the CLI to in /etc/paths.
Windows: Copy the CLI into any folder that is already in your path, or add a
new folder to your path by listing the folder you installed the CLI to in
your Environment Variables. You may not have access to edit System variables,
so you might need to add it to your account's User variables. You can open the
Environment Variables dialog by pressing the Win+R keys to open the Run
window, and entering the following command: rundll32.exe sysdm.cpl,EditEnvironmentVariables.
6. Verify that slack is installed and in your path:
$ slack version
Using slack v2.14.0
7. Verify that all dependencies have been installed:
$ slack doctor
8. Download the VSCode extension for Deno (recommended, but optional).
β¨ For uninstallation instructions, refer to uninstalling the Slack CLI.
With the CLI installed, authorize the CLI in your workspace with the following command:
slack login
In your terminal window, you should see an authorization ticket in the form of a slash command, and a prompt to enter a challenge code:
$ slack login
π Run the following slash command in any Slack channel or DM
This will open a modal with user permissions for you to approve
Once approved, a challenge code will be generated in Slack
/slackauthticket ABC123defABC123defABC123defABC123defXYZ
? Enter challenge code
Copy the slash command and paste it into any Slack conversation in the workspace you will be developing in.
When you send the message containing the slash command, a modal will pop up, prompting you to grant certain permissions to the CLI. Click the Confirm button in the modal to move to the next step.
A new modal with a challenge code will appear. Copy that challenge code, and paste it back into your terminal:
? Enter challenge code eXaMpLeCoDe
β
You've successfully authenticated! π
Authorization data was saved to ~/.slack/credentials.json
π‘ Get started by creating a new app with slack create my-app
Explore the details of available commands with slack help
Verify that your CLI is set up by running slack auth list in your terminal
window:
$ slack auth list
myworkspace (Team ID: T123ABC456)
User ID: U123ABC456
Last updated: 2023-01-01 12:00:00 -07:00
Authorization Level: Workspace
You should see an entry for the workspace you just authorized. If you don't, get a new authorization ticket with slack login to try
again.
You're now ready to begin building next-generation Slack apps!
Once a day, the CLI checks for updates after running any command. When an update is available, a notification will be displayed with a link where you can find and download the new version.
Update notifications can be disabled using a command-line flag or an environment variable. When running any command, you can append the --skip-update or -s flag. Alternatively, you can set the SLACK_SKIP_UPDATE environment variable and assign it any value.
Setting up a CI/CD pipeline requires authorization using a service token. Service tokens are long-lived, non-rotatable user tokens β they won't expire, so they can be used to perform any Slack CLI action without the need to refresh tokens.
To get a service token, you'll use the slack auth token command to get a slackauthticket, which you'll copy and paste into your workspace to exchange for the service token. The service token will not be saved to your credentials.json file; instead, it is presented in the terminal for you to copy and paste for use in your CI/CD pipeline. Once copied, you'll use the slack login --auth <your-service-token> command to authorize your Slack CLI. Detailed instructions are below.
Since a service token obtained via the CLI is tied to the developer who requested it, it is recommended β especially for those who are part of large enterprises β to create a "Slack service account" within your workspace for the purpose of obtaining service tokens.
This "Slack service account" will be identical to other user accounts, but service tokens can now be associated with this account rather than an individual organization member. This can reduce the security risk of an individual developer's token being compromised, as well as lessening the dependence on a single individual for service token access and management.
Run the following command to get a slackauthticket:
slack auth token
Then, copy and paste the /slackauthticket <your-auth-ticket> slash command into the message composer anywhere within your Slack workspace.
Copy the given challenge code, and paste it into the Slack CLI prompt.
Securely store the given service token, as this authorization information will not be saved to your local credentials.json file.
Run the following command to authorize your Slack CLI with the service token:
slack --token <your-service-token>
The CLI will attempt to verify the token and use it to log in.
The --token global flag allows you to pass the service token with any Slack CLI command; for example:
slack deploy --token <your-service-token>
Run the following command to revoke a service token:
slack auth revoke --token <your-service-token>
Use the Slack CLI in tandem with our SDK to access our API, additional documentation, and code libraries. Click here to browse the source code on GitHub.
β¨ To start creating an app, check out the create or remove an app page.
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