Configure

/slack-channel:configure

Overview

Configure the Slack channel with its bot and app-level tokens. This is the only token-writing path: validate prefixes, write .env with owner-only permissions, never echo secrets, and return control to the install walkthrough.

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. Obtain them directly from the Slack app dashboard and avoid shell history or shared transcripts:

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

Authentication

• The xoxb- Bot User OAuth Token represents the installed bot and authorizes Web API calls within its granted bot scopes.
• The xapp- app-level token represents the Slack app and requires connections:write to open the Socket Mode WebSocket.
• Prefix checks establish token type, not validity. install doctor verifies liveness against Slack without printing the credential.
• Store tokens only in ~/.claude/channels/slack/.env; never commit them or include them in output, logs, screenshots, or issue reports.

Read references/official-auth.md when creating, rotating, revoking, or diagnosing either token type.

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, then make the directory owner-only before writing any secret-bearing file:

   mkdir -p ~/.claude/channels/slack
   # 0700 = owner may read/write/traverse; no group or other access
   chmod 700 ~/.claude/channels/slack
   

4. Pre-create the fixed candidate path with owner-only permissions, then use Write to replace its complete contents. This makes the file 0600 from the instant it exists, independent of the process umask:

   # 0600 = owner read/write; no group or other access
   install -m 600 /dev/null ~/.claude/channels/slack/.env.tmp
   

   Write this complete content to ~/.claude/channels/slack/.env.tmp:

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

5. Set the candidate file to owner-only, then atomically replace .env. If Write, chmod, or mv fails before replacement, remove only the exact candidate path ~/.claude/channels/slack/.env.tmp; leave the prior .env untouched.

   # 0600 = owner read/write; no group or other access
   chmod 600 ~/.claude/channels/slack/.env.tmp
   mv ~/.claude/channels/slack/.env.tmp ~/.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 atomically replaced 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 atomically replaces it; this is the supported token-rotation path (rotation happens at api.slack.com/apps).
• Write, permission, or move failure — remove only the fixed candidate ~/.claude/channels/slack/.env.tmp, leave the previous .env intact, and report only the failed stage without printing values.
• 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 (illustrative placeholders, not live credentials)
/slack-channel:configure xoxb-WORKSPACE-EXAMPLE xapp-APP-EXAMPLE

# 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
• Secure the state directory as 0700 before writing the candidate
• Always set 0600 on the candidate before atomically moving it into place

Safety justification

rm is permitted only to clean the single fixed candidate path ~/.claude/channels/slack/.env.tmp after a failed rotation. Never pass a variable, glob, directory, recursive flag, or any other path to rm; never remove the previous .env.

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