Slackbot Ask Starbridge Install

Note: if you’re looking for how to push data from Starbridge to Slack, check out our article on Zapier Integration.

The Ask Starbridge Slackbot integration enables your team to interact with Starbridge directly from Slack.

This document provides technical details about the installation process, the Slack integration’s permissions, scope, and data access policies.

Install Ask Starbridge in Slack (admins only)

A Starbridge user has to initiate and complete the Slack installation from the Starbridge platform. We recommend adding your Slack workspace admin to Starbridge and having them complete the installation directly.

To add Starbridge to your Slack workspace:

1. Open the Slack install flow

   Go to Settings → Integrations, or click the Slack installation button in the left navigation.

   
2. Approve Slack permissions

   Click Allow to review app permissions and enable Starbridge in Slack.

   

   This only needs to be completed once per Slack workspace. Note that the Slackbot can only be installed in one Slack workplace per organization - please choose to install it in the Workspace it will be used in.

3. Add Starbridge to a channel

   Add Starbridge to a channel your team uses so it’s easy to @mention: open the channel → Integrations → Add an app → select Starbridge.

Privacy & data access philosophy

The Ask Starbridge Slack integration is scoped to the bare minimum needed for the chatbot to:

• Send messages in response to user requests
• Listen for user invocations so it can respond
• Utilize earlier conversation exchanges to respond intelligently
• Identify the Slack user to ensure they have a Starbridge account

The Slackbot does not store direct message conversation history, and cannot access Slack messages outside of channels or private messages it’s been added to.

Bot token scopes

The Ask Starbridge Slack integration requests the following OAuth bot token scopes. Each scope is limited to its specific purpose.

Send messages

chat:write

• Allows the bot to send messages in channels, threads, and direct messages

• Used to deliver responses to user queries

assistant:write

• Enables the bot to send messages using Slack AI Assistant capabilities

• Provides enhanced formatting and interaction patterns

Listen for user interactions

app_mentions:read

• Used to detect when users explicitly @mention the bot in channels so it can respond

• The bot only sees messages where it’s directly mentioned

im:read

• Used to detect when a user sends a direct message to the bot

• Enables 1:1 conversations between users and the bot

mpim:read

• Used to detect activity in group DMs the bot is part of

• Often used to know when the bot is added to a conversation and send an introduction message

Read conversation context

im:history

• Used only to subscribe to direct message events sent to the bot

• Important: The bot does not read or store messages in DMs beyond what’s needed for real-time response

• This permission is required by Slack’s API architecture but is not used to access historical conversations

Identify the user

users:read

• Used to identify the Slack user interacting with the bot and associate them with a Starbridge account

users:read.email

• Used to verify the Slackbot installer’s identity

• Determines whether the user has an active Starbridge seat

• Required for account authentication and authorization

What the bot cannot do

• Cannot access channels it hasn’t been invited to - The bot only sees messages in channels or conversations where it’s explicitly added
• Cannot read message history - The bot does not store or access historical conversations
• Cannot monitor workspace activity - The bot only responds to direct invocations via @mentions or direct messages
• Cannot access private information - The bot has no access to private channels, DMs between other users, or workspace metadata beyond what’s necessary for user identification

Installation & setup

When you install the Ask Starbridge Slackbot:

1. Authorization

   You’ll be prompted to review and approve the bot token scopes listed above.

2. User verification

   The bot will verify your email address matches an active Starbridge account.

3. Workspace connection

   The bot will be connected to your Slack workspace with the minimal permissions required.

Security & compliance

• Minimal Scope - We request only the permissions necessary for core functionality
• No Data Storage - Direct message conversation history is not stored by Starbridge
• User Authentication - We identify whether a user is connected to a Starbridge account in order to deliver personalized functionality and enforce feature-level access controls

💡 Best Practice

After you’ve set up the Slack integration for your Slack workspace, share out a message to your team so they know how to use Ask Starbridge in Slack!

Example below:

How to add the app
Click “+ Add apps” in Slack

1. Search for Starbridge
2. Install the app

How to use it
 The Starbridge Slack app works the same way as the “Ask Starbridge” functionality in the Starbridge portal. You can use it to:

• Ask questions about any SLED account
• Prep for meetings quickly
• Surface key account insights while you’re on a call
• Research accounts without leaving Slack

When available, Starbridge will also include a Sources link at the bottom of its response so you can easily reference where the information is coming from.