LEANN/docs/slack-setup-guide.md

# Slack Integration Setup Guide

This guide provides step-by-step instructions for setting up Slack integration with LEANN.

## Overview

LEANN's Slack integration uses MCP (Model Context Protocol) servers to fetch and index your Slack messages for RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation). This allows you to search through your Slack conversations using natural language queries.

## Prerequisites

1. **Slack Workspace Access**: You need admin or owner permissions in your Slack workspace to create apps and configure OAuth tokens.

2. **Slack MCP Server**: Install a Slack MCP server (e.g., `slack-mcp-server` via npm)

3. **LEANN**: Ensure you have LEANN installed and working

## Step 1: Create a Slack App

### 1.1 Go to Slack API Dashboard

1. Visit [https://api.slack.com/apps](https://api.slack.com/apps)
2. Click **"Create New App"**
3. Choose **"From scratch"**
4. Enter your app name (e.g., "LEANN Slack Integration")
5. Select your workspace
6. Click **"Create App"**

### 1.2 Configure App Permissions

#### Bot Token Scopes

1. In your app dashboard, go to **"OAuth & Permissions"** in the left sidebar
2. Scroll down to **"Scopes"** section
3. Under **"Bot Token Scopes"**, click **"Add an OAuth Scope"**
4. Add the following scopes:
   - `channels:read` - Read public channel information
   - `channels:history` - Read messages in public channels
   - `groups:read` - Read private channel information
   - `groups:history` - Read messages in private channels
   - `im:read` - Read direct message information
   - `im:history` - Read direct messages
   - `mpim:read` - Read group direct message information
   - `mpim:history` - Read group direct messages
   - `users:read` - Read user information
   - `team:read` - Read workspace information

#### App-Level Tokens (Optional)

Some MCP servers may require app-level tokens:

1. Go to **"Basic Information"** in the left sidebar
2. Scroll down to **"App-Level Tokens"**
3. Click **"Generate Token and Scopes"**
4. Enter a name (e.g., "LEANN Integration")
5. Add the `connections:write` scope
6. Click **"Generate"**
7. Copy the token (starts with `xapp-`)

### 1.3 Install App to Workspace

1. Go to **"OAuth & Permissions"** in the left sidebar
2. Click **"Install to Workspace"**
3. Review the permissions and click **"Allow"**
4. Copy the **"Bot User OAuth Token"** (starts with `xoxb-`)

## Step 2: Install Slack MCP Server

### Option A: Using npm (Recommended)

```bash
# Install globally
npm install -g slack-mcp-server

# Or install locally
npm install slack-mcp-server
```

### Option B: Using npx (No installation required)

```bash
# Use directly without installation
npx slack-mcp-server
```

## Step 3: Configure Environment Variables

Create a `.env` file or set environment variables:

```bash
# Required: Bot User OAuth Token
SLACK_BOT_TOKEN=xoxb-your-bot-token-here

# Optional: App-Level Token (if your MCP server requires it)
SLACK_APP_TOKEN=xapp-your-app-token-here

# Optional: Workspace-specific settings
SLACK_WORKSPACE_ID=T1234567890  # Your workspace ID (optional)
```

## Step 4: Test the Setup

### 4.1 Test MCP Server Connection

```bash
python -m apps.slack_rag \
  --mcp-server "slack-mcp-server" \
  --test-connection \
  --workspace-name "Your Workspace Name"
```

This will test the connection and list available tools without indexing any data.

### 4.2 Index a Specific Channel

```bash
python -m apps.slack_rag \
  --mcp-server "slack-mcp-server" \
  --workspace-name "Your Workspace Name" \
  --channels general \
  --query "What did we discuss about the project?"
```

### 4.3 Real RAG Query Example

This example demonstrates a successful Slack RAG integration query against the Sky Lab Computing workspace's "random" channel. The system successfully retrieves actual conversation messages and performs semantic search with high relevance scores, including finding specific LEANN announcements.

**Key Features Demonstrated:**
- **Real Slack Integration**: Successfully connects to Slack via MCP server
- **Actual Message Retrieval**: Fetches real conversation history including specific announcements
- **Working RAG Pipeline**: Complete index building, search, and response generation
- **High Relevance Search**: Successfully finds and retrieves LEANN announcement messages
- **Challenging Query**: Demonstrates ability to find specific content within conversation history

### Screenshots

![Sky Random RAG - Real Slack Integration](videos/slack_integration.png)

![Sky Random RAG - Real Slack Integration Results](videos/slack_integration_2.png)

### Prerequisites

- Bot is installed in the Sky Lab Computing workspace and invited to the target channel (run `/invite @YourBotName` in the channel if needed)
- Bot token available and exported in the same terminal session

### Commands

1) Set the workspace token for this shell

```bash
export SLACK_MCP_XOXP_TOKEN="xoxb-***-redacted-***"
```

2) Run a real query against the "random" channel by channel ID (C0GN5BX0F)

```bash
python -m apps.slack_rag \
  --mcp-server "slack-mcp-server" \
  --workspace-name "Sky Lab Computing" \
  --channels C0GN5BX0F \
  --max-messages-per-channel 1000 \
  --query "What is LEANN about?"
```

Expected: The system should retrieve the LEANN announcement message from Yichuan Wang, which contains:

```
Yichuan Wang Aug 8th at 3:27 PM
We'd like to share LEANN — a local RAG system with a 97% smaller index that lets you chat with all your emails, file system, and more. It's fully Claude Code–compatible via a built-in semantic search MCP server.

:loudspeaker: Tweet: https://x.com/YichuanM/status/1953886752240013803 (reposts appreciated :raised_hands:)
:computer: Code: https://github.com/yichuan-w/LEANN (stars/shares welcome) (edited)

X (formerly Twitter)X (formerly Twitter)
Yichuan Wang (@YichuanM) on X
1/N :rocket: Launching LEANN — the tiniest vector index on Earth!
Fast, accurate, and 100% private RAG on your MacBook.
0% internet. 97% smaller. Semantic search on everything.
Your personal Jarvis, ready to dive into your emails, chats, and more.
:link: Code: https://t.co/QwkYx1t0oa
```

This demonstrates the system's ability to find and retrieve specific announcements about LEANN from the conversation history.

3) Optional: Ask a broader question

```bash
python test_channel_by_id_or_name.py \
  --channel-id C0GN5BX0F \
  --workspace-name "Sky Lab Computing" \
  --query "What is LEANN about?"
```

Notes:
- If you see `not_in_channel`, invite the bot to the channel and re-run.
- If you see `channel_not_found`, confirm the channel ID and workspace.
- Deep search via server-side “search” tools may require additional Slack scopes; the example above performs client-side filtering over retrieved history.

## Common Issues and Solutions

### Issue 1: "users cache is not ready yet" Error

**Problem**: You see this warning:
```
WARNING - Failed to fetch messages from channel random: Failed to fetch messages: {'code': -32603, 'message': 'users cache is not ready yet, sync process is still running... please wait'}
```

**Solution**: This is a common timing issue. The LEANN integration now includes automatic retry logic:

1. **Wait and Retry**: The system will automatically retry with exponential backoff (2s, 4s, 8s, etc.)
2. **Increase Retry Parameters**: If needed, you can customize retry behavior:
   ```bash
   python -m apps.slack_rag \
     --mcp-server "slack-mcp-server" \
     --max-retries 10 \
     --retry-delay 3.0 \
     --channels general \
     --query "Your query here"
   ```
3. **Keep MCP Server Running**: Start the MCP server separately and keep it running:
   ```bash
   # Terminal 1: Start MCP server
   slack-mcp-server

   # Terminal 2: Run LEANN (it will connect to the running server)
   python -m apps.slack_rag --mcp-server "slack-mcp-server" --channels general --query "test"
   ```

### Issue 2: "No message fetching tool found"

**Problem**: The MCP server doesn't have the expected tools.

**Solution**:
1. Check if your MCP server is properly installed and configured
2. Verify your Slack tokens are correct
3. Try a different MCP server implementation
4. Check the MCP server documentation for required configuration

### Issue 3: Permission Denied Errors

**Problem**: You get permission errors when trying to access channels.

**Solutions**:
1. **Check Bot Permissions**: Ensure your bot has been added to the channels you want to access
2. **Verify Token Scopes**: Make sure you have all required scopes configured
3. **Channel Access**: For private channels, the bot needs to be explicitly invited
4. **Workspace Permissions**: Ensure your Slack app has the necessary workspace permissions

### Issue 4: Empty Results

**Problem**: No messages are returned even though the channel has messages.

**Solutions**:
1. **Check Channel Names**: Ensure channel names are correct (without the # symbol)
2. **Verify Bot Access**: Make sure the bot can access the channels
3. **Check Date Ranges**: Some MCP servers have limitations on message history
4. **Increase Message Limits**: Try increasing the message limit:
   ```bash
   python -m apps.slack_rag \
     --mcp-server "slack-mcp-server" \
     --channels general \
     --max-messages-per-channel 1000 \
     --query "test"
   ```

## Advanced Configuration

### Custom MCP Server Commands

If you need to pass additional parameters to your MCP server:

```bash
python -m apps.slack_rag \
  --mcp-server "slack-mcp-server --token-file /path/to/tokens.json" \
  --workspace-name "Your Workspace" \
  --channels general \
  --query "Your query"
```

### Multiple Workspaces

To work with multiple Slack workspaces, you can:

1. Create separate apps for each workspace
2. Use different environment variables
3. Run separate instances with different configurations

### Performance Optimization

For better performance with large workspaces:

```bash
python -m apps.slack_rag \
  --mcp-server "slack-mcp-server" \
  --workspace-name "Your Workspace" \
  --max-messages-per-channel 500 \
  --no-concatenate-conversations \
  --query "Your query"
```
---

## Troubleshooting Checklist

- [ ] Slack app created with proper permissions
- [ ] Bot token (xoxb-) copied correctly
- [ ] App-level token (xapp-) created if needed
- [ ] MCP server installed and accessible
- [ ] Environment variables set correctly
- [ ] Bot invited to relevant channels
- [ ] Channel names specified without # symbol
- [ ] Sufficient retry attempts configured
- [ ] Network connectivity to Slack APIs

## Getting Help

If you continue to have issues:

1. **Check Logs**: Look for detailed error messages in the console output
2. **Test MCP Server**: Use `--test-connection` to verify the MCP server is working
3. **Verify Tokens**: Double-check that your Slack tokens are valid and have the right scopes
4. **Community Support**: Reach out to the LEANN community for help

## Example Commands

### Basic Usage
```bash
# Test connection
python -m apps.slack_rag --mcp-server "slack-mcp-server" --test-connection

# Index specific channels
python -m apps.slack_rag \
  --mcp-server "slack-mcp-server" \
  --workspace-name "My Company" \
  --channels general random \
  --query "What did we decide about the project timeline?"
```

### Advanced Usage
```bash
# With custom retry settings
python -m apps.slack_rag \
  --mcp-server "slack-mcp-server" \
  --workspace-name "My Company" \
  --channels general \
  --max-retries 10 \
  --retry-delay 5.0 \
  --max-messages-per-channel 2000 \
  --query "Show me all decisions made in the last month"
```