Ask in Slack.Keep the work in Scout.
Ask in a Slack channel; the work runs in Scout, and its card follows it to the end.
Private preview · the Slack bridge is not in the public Scout repository yet
Use supported agents you have installed, authenticated and connected.
# project-helpIllustration@Scout investigate the failing test in our configured project. Report findings before edits.
The retry lost its original reference. The findings are ready in this thread.
Follow up in the same thread.
Scout runs Slack
No
Slack is a host surface, not a harness
Replies reach your open session
Not documented
The guide doesn't say. Follow the returned ref.
Start here
- 01 · Connect
Get one route working
Check the prerequisites and access gates, then get one documented route working before asking for work.
Follow the setup → - 02 · Try
Your first useful task
After private-preview access and bridge setup, ask Scout in Slack to investigate one failing test in a specified project.
Name the project and keep the request small. Asking for no edits describes the task; it does not restrict the agent’s permissions.
- 03 · Read
Wait for the answer
Keep the returned reference. Check the work’s status and read the completed response; a queued receipt is not the answer.
Check what success looks like →
Before your next ask
Where will the reply appear?
Follow the task card and reply in the existing Slack thread. Bridge access and setup are required.
What if the answer hasn’t arrived?
Inspect the existing task before submitting another one. A wait timeout does not establish that work failed. If it needs access or input, resolve that condition before continuing.
How do I follow up?
Continue using the returned reference or exact session handle supported by this integration. Keep it with the findings so your next question follows the same work.
Can Scout run this integration, or only receive asks from it?
These are separate capabilities. Check the supported directions on this page. Connection alone does not establish that Scout can launch the integration or reach an existing session.
Set it up
Fastest
Give this to your agent
Connect yourself to Scout for me. Read openscout.app/slack/agents.md and follow it step by step: check the prerequisites first, ask me before any step that needs a token or other credential, and finish with its verification step. Tell me what you verified.
- reads agents.md
- checks prerequisites
- asks before any credential
- runs the verification
You need
- Permission to create and install an app in the target Slack workspace.
- Access to the private OpenScout source that contains packages/slack, with dependencies installed and scout doctor passing. The public oscout/scout repository does not include it, and the installed scout CLI has no slack command. Ask the Scout operator for access.
- A Slack app-level xapp token with connections:write and an installed bot xoxb token, stored through a secure local secret facility.
Set up the bridge (private preview)
Start hereRequest access first; the bridge isn't public yet.
- 01
Check the broker and generate the manifest
From the private Scout source checkout run these commands. Use the generated manifest as the source of truth; do not hand-maintain a different scope list. It subscribes to app_mention and message.im over Socket Mode and registers /scout and /scout-settings.
scout doctor bun run slack:manifest - 02
Create and install the Slack app
Create an app from the manifest in Slack app management. The workspace administrator must approve creation and installation. Generate an app-level token with connections:write and obtain the bot token.
- 03
Provide secrets and start the bridge
Supply SLACK_APP_TOKEN and SLACK_BOT_TOKEN through your secure local environment. Do not paste tokens into commands, screenshots, chat, or committed files. Run the doctor, then keep the bridge supervised.
bun run slack:doctor bun run slack:start - 04
Configure a channel and try a request
Invite Scout to the channel, run /scout-settings to select the local project and optional harness, then ask for a small review. Continue in Scout’s response thread.
/scout review the latest changes and report findings; do not edit files
Done when
- The bridge doctor passes, Slack acknowledges the request, and the task card follows the Scout flight to a terminal result.
- A follow-up in that thread should use the existing conversation binding.
If it breaks
- No response in the channel
- Check the supervised bridge process, doctor output, app installation, and channel membership. Never include xapp/xoxb tokens in the diagnostic report.
- Wrong project or harness
- Run /scout-settings in that channel and inspect its configured project, branch, and harness. Slack is a host surface, not a --harness value.
- Workspace installation blocked
- Stop and ask the workspace administrator to approve the app. Do not use a different workspace without the operator’s choice.
Where it stops
- Private preview: the bridge source (packages/slack) is not published in the public Scout repository, so only operators with access to the private source can follow this guide.
- Socket Mode does not require a public webhook or MCP gateway. It also rules out a public Slack Marketplace listing under current Slack policy.
- Events: app_mention and message.im, plus the /scout and /scout-settings slash commands. Slack's Agents & AI Apps surface (split view, assistant threads) is not used.
- Slack workspace-admin approval remains a human action.
- Successful coding work is ready for review; it does not authorize merge or release.
- High-trust local developer pilots. Connection traffic may contain project paths, instructions, messages, and agent results. Data and privacy.