BusyBot

Reference · Credentials

Slack API credentials

Used by 2 BusyBot nodes.

Type slackApi 2 fields

The Slack credential holds an OAuth token from a Slack app you create — a bot token (`xoxb-`) for most automation, or a user token (`xoxp-`) to act as a person. The trigger additionally needs the signing secret that verifies incoming requests really came from Slack.

Fields

FieldTypeRequiredNotes
Access Token
accessToken		 password Yes Slack Bot User OAuth Token (starts with xoxb-) or User OAuth Token (starts with xoxp-)
Signing Secret
signatureSecret		 password No Slack Signing Secret used to verify the authenticity of incoming webhook requests. Found in your Slack App settings under Basic Information > App Credentials.

Getting your credentials

  1. Go to api.slack.com/apps and create a new app in your workspace.
  2. Under OAuth & Permissions, add the Bot Token Scopes the workflow needs — for example chat:write to post, channels:read to list channels, files:write to upload. Add User Token Scopes only if you genuinely need the app to act as a person.
  3. Install the app to the workspace and copy the Bot User OAuth Token, which begins with xoxb-.
  4. Paste it into the credential’s Access Token field.
  5. For the Slack trigger, copy the Signing Secret from Basic Information → App Credentials into Signature Secret.
  6. Invite the bot to any private channel it needs to reach — installing the app is not the same as being in a channel.

Permissions and scopes

Slack scopes are granular and additive. Adding a scope after installation requires reinstalling the app, which issues a new token — remember to update the credential when you do.

Bot tokens are the right default: they act as the app, survive the departure of the person who installed them, and are scoped independently of any human account. A user token inherits a person’s full access and dies with their account.

Troubleshooting

  • missing_scope — the named scope was not granted. Add it under OAuth & Permissions, reinstall, and update the token.
  • not_in_channel — the bot has not been invited to that channel. Installation does not imply membership.
  • channel_not_found on a private channel — same cause: the bot cannot see private channels it is not a member of.
  • Trigger rejects every request — the signing secret is missing or belongs to a different app.
  • invalid_auth after adding a scope — reinstalling issues a new token; the old one no longer applies.

Frequently asked questions

Bot token or user token?

A bot token (`xoxb-`) for almost everything — it acts as the app, is scoped independently and survives people leaving. Use a user token (`xoxp-`) only when the action genuinely has to appear as a specific person.

Why does Slack say not_in_channel?

Installing the app to the workspace does not put the bot in any channel. Invite it to each channel it needs, private ones especially.

What is the signing secret for?

Verifying that requests hitting the Slack trigger genuinely came from Slack. It is found under Basic Information → App Credentials and is separate from the OAuth token.

I added a scope and now nothing works.

Adding scopes requires reinstalling the app, which issues a new token. Copy the new one into the credential.

Nodes that use Slack API

One credential works across every node below — create it once and reuse it.

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