Slack Help Agent POC

A Slack agent that uses the Real-Time Search (RTS) API to help users find solutions to past problems in a help channel.

Features

• Real-Time Search: Searches Slack messages in real-time using the RTS API
• Bot Mentions: Responds when @mentioned in channels
• Direct Messages: Handles direct messages for private queries
• Context-Aware: Returns relevant past conversations with solutions

Setup

Prerequisites

• Node.js (v14 or higher)
• npm or yarn
• Slack app with the following scopes:
  • assistant.search.context (for RTS API)
  • channels:history
  • channels:read
  • chat:write
  • im:write

Installation

1. Clone the repository

2. Install dependencies:

   npm install

3. Create a .env file with your Slack credentials:

   SLACK_BOT_TOKEN=xoxb-your-bot-token
   SLACK_USER_TOKEN=xoxp-your-user-token
   PORT=3000
   SLACK_WEBHOOK_URL=https://hooks.slack.com/services/YOUR/WEBHOOK/URL
   BOTS_TO_IGNORE=POC App,Demo Bot,Test Bot

Running the App

Development mode (with auto-reload):

npm run dev

Production mode:

npm start

The app will start on http://localhost:3000

Usage

In a Channel

1. Invite the bot to your help channel
2. Mention the bot with your problem:

   @Help-Agent My database connection is timing out
   

3. The bot will search for similar past problems and return relevant solutions

Direct Message

1. Open a direct message with the bot
2. Describe your problem:

   I'm getting a 404 error when accessing the API
   

3. The bot will search and return relevant past solutions

Testing the Webhook (Development Only)

The project includes a script for testing Slack webhook notifications. This is intended for development/testing purposes only.

Setup

1. Add your Slack incoming webhook URL to your .env file:

   SLACK_WEBHOOK_URL=https://hooks.slack.com/services/YOUR/WEBHOOK/URL

2. Run the deployment alert script with a test message:

   node scripts/send-deployment-alert.js "Test deployment tag 2.3.4 to staging failed"

   You can also test a failed deployment message:

   node scripts/send-deployment-alert.js "Deployment tag 2.3.4 failed on production successfully"

Note: This webhook testing script is for development purposes only and should not be used in production environments.

Project Structure

slack-poc/
├── .env                  # Environment variables (tokens)
├── .gitignore           # Git ignore file
├── package.json         # Dependencies
├── server.js            # Express server for Slack events
├── bot.js               # Bot logic for handling messages
├── rts-search.js        # Real-Time Search API integration
└── README.md            # Documentation

Technologies Used

• Slack Real-Time Search API: For searching messages in real-time
• Slack Bolt SDK: For Slack app integration
• Express: For HTTP server
• Node.js: Runtime environment

Hackathon Submission

This project is submitted for the Slack Agent Builder Challenge in the New Slack Agent track.

Technologies Used

• ✅ Real-Time Search API

Track

• New Slack Agent

Future Enhancements

• Integrate with an LLM to synthesize and summarize search results
• Add MCP Server integration for standardized tool access
• Implement feedback mechanism to improve search relevance
• Add support for file search (attachments, documents)
• Create a knowledge base from resolved issues