Initialize a Socket-Mode Connection

Slack's Socket Mode allows Slack apps to use Slack's Events API and interactive features — without the AutoKitteh server having to expose public webhooks for incoming HTTP callbacks from Slack. Instead, AutoKitteh initiates a stateful WebSocket connection.

Overview

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When should you use "Socket Mode"?

• AutoKitteh projects that need to be deployed behind a firewall, or have security constraints that don't allow exposing static HTTP endpoints
• AutoKitteh projects that require special Slack permissions and events (either broader or narrower than the AutoKitteh server's generic OAuth-based Slack app)
• AutoKitteh projects that require custom slash commands

When should you not use "Socket Mode"?

• AutoKitteh projects without the limitations above, i.e. the AutoKitteh server's generic OAuth-based Slack app is configured and sufficient, so there's no need to create another Slack app from scratch

• Production-grade, high-availability AutoKitteh projects

  Attention

  There are production risks and limitations associated with "Socket Mode" connections:

  • WebSocket connections need to remain open all the time, unlike HTTP requests to a passive webhook which are transactional:

    • This limits the total number of available connections per server

    • This precludes stateless failover and load balancing across servers

  • Ensuring that AutoKitteh doesn't miss Slack events while refreshing a WebSocket connection requires more than one WebSocket connections per Slack connection - this is not implemented yet in AutoKitteh

  • Supporting high loads of incoming Slack events requires a dynamic pool of WebSocket connections - this is not implemented yet in AutoKitteh

  • Slack allows no more than 10 open WebSocket connections per app at the same time

Create a Slack App

1. Click here: create a new Slack app

2. Select the option "From an app manifest"

   

3. Pick a workspace to develop the app in, and click the green "Next" button

   

4. Switch from JSON to YAML

   

5. Replace the default app manifest YAML with this:

display_information:
  name: AutoKitteh Demo App

features:
  bot_user:
    display_name: AutoKitteh
    always_online: true
  slash_commands:
    - command: /autokitteh
      description: Send command to AutoKitteh
      should_escape: true
    - command: /ak
      description: Send command to AutoKitteh
      should_escape: true

oauth_config:
  scopes:
    bot:
      - app_mentions:read
      - bookmarks:read
      - bookmarks:write
      - channels:history
      - channels:manage
      - channels:read
      - chat:write
      - chat:write.customize
      - chat:write.public
      - commands
      - dnd:read
      - groups:history
      - groups:read
      - groups:write
      - im:history
      - im:read
      - im:write
      - mpim:history
      - mpim:read
      - mpim:write
      - reactions:read
      - reactions:write
      - users.profile:read
      - users:read
      - users:read.email

settings:
  event_subscriptions:
    bot_events:
      - app_home_opened
      - app_mention
      - app_uninstalled
      - channel_archive
      - channel_created
      - channel_deleted
      - channel_history_changed
      - channel_id_changed
      - channel_left
      - channel_rename
      - channel_unarchive
      - group_archive
      - group_deleted
      - group_history_changed
      - group_left
      - group_rename
      - group_unarchive
      - im_history_changed
      - member_joined_channel
      - message.channels
      - message.groups
      - message.im
      - message.mpim
      - reaction_added
      - reaction_removed
      - tokens_revoked
  interactivity:
    is_enabled: true
  org_deploy_enabled: false
  socket_mode_enabled: true
  token_rotation_enabled: false

6. You may edit these details within the YAML app manifest:

   • display_information.name
   • features
     • bot_user.display_name
     • slash_commands - add/edit/remove commands according to your preferences
   • oauth_config.scopes.bot - remove any scopes (i.e. permissions) that you don't want AutoKitteh to have
     • Warning: don't remove the scope users:read, AutoKitteh requires it to determine Slack app IDs by calling the API method bots.info
   • settings.event_subscriptions.bot_events - add/remove bot events according to your preferences

7. Click the green "Next" button

8. Click the green "Create" button

   

Install the Slack App

1. Click the green "Install to Workspace" button

   

2. Click the green "Allow" button

   

Post-Creation Settings

1. In the app's "Basic Information" page, scroll down to the "App-Level Tokens" section

   

2. Click the "Generate Token and Scopes" button

   
   • Type a name for the token
   • Click the "Add Scope" button
   • Select the connections:write scope
   • Click the green "Generate" button

3. Click the "Copy" button to copy the app-level token (xapp-...) for later, and click the "Done" button

   

4. Click "Install App" under "Settings" in the left panel, and then click the "Copy" button to copy the bot token (xoxb-...) for later

   

5. Click "App Home" under "Features" in the left panel

   

6. Scroll down the page to the "Show Tabs" section, and check the checkbox "Allow users to send Slash commands and messages from the messages tab"

   

Initialize an AutoKitteh Connection

1. Paste the bot token (xoxb-...) from step 4 in the Post-Creation Settings section above

2. Paste the app-level token (xapp-...) from step 3 in the Post-Creation Settings section above

3. Click the "Save Connection" button