Python Slack Bot Guide

This guide demonstrates how to create a Slack bot using the slack-bolt framework (built on top of slack-sdk). It uses Socket Mode, which allows your bot to receive events without exposing a public HTTP endpoint (no need for ngrok or static IPs during development).

Modules Used:

slack_bolt: The official framework for building Slack apps.
slack_sdk: The underlying client for the Slack API.
python-dotenv: To securely manage tokens.

Prerequisites

Go to api.slack.com/apps and create a new app ("From scratch").
Socket Mode: Go to "Socket Mode" in the sidebar, enable it, and generate an App-Level Token (name it socket_token). It starts with xapp-. Copy this.
Event Subscriptions:
- Go to "Event Subscriptions", toggle "Enable Events".
- Expand "Subscribe to bot events" and add app_mention and message.channels.
OAuth & Permissions:
- Go to "OAuth & Permissions".
- Under "Scopes" > "Bot Token Scopes", ensure app_mentions:read, chat:write, and channels:history are added.
- Scroll up and click "Install to Workspace".
- Copy the Bot User OAuth Token. It starts with xoxb-.

Installation

pip install slack_bolt slack_sdk python-dotenv

Setup

Create a .env file in your project directory:

SLACK_BOT_TOKEN=xoxb-your-bot-token
SLACK_APP_TOKEN=xapp-your-app-level-token

The Code

Save this as slack_bot.py.

import os
from dotenv import load_dotenv
from slack_bolt import App
from slack_bolt.adapter.socket_mode import SocketModeHandler

# 1. Load Environment Variables
load_dotenv()

# 2. Initialize the App
app = App(token=os.environ.get("SLACK_BOT_TOKEN"))

# --- Event Listeners ---

@app.message("hello")
def message_hello(message, say):
    """
    Listens for messages containing "hello" and responds.
    """
    # say() sends a message to the channel where the event was triggered
    say(f"Hey there <@{message['user']}>!")

@app.event("app_mention")
def handle_app_mention_events(body, say):
    """
    Listens for mentions (@BotName) and responds.
    """
    say("You mentioned me?")

@app.command("/echo")
def repeat_text(ack, respond, command):
    """
    Listens for a slash command /echo (must be created in Slack App settings).
    """
    # Acknowledge command request
    ack()
    respond(f"You said: {command['text']}")

if __name__ == "__main__":
    print("⚡️ Bolt app is running!")
    # 3. Start Socket Mode
    SocketModeHandler(app, os.environ["SLACK_APP_TOKEN"]).start()

Usage

Run the script:
```
python slack_bot.py
```
In Slack, invite the bot to a channel (/invite @YourBotName).
Type hello or mention the bot (@YourBotName) to see it respond.

programming/python/python

Created: March 17, 2026 • Last Modified: January 28, 2026

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