Slack Integration

Overview

The Slack integration connects Friender Assess to your workspace via OAuth 2.0, granting read-only access to channel metadata and user presence data. Our observation agents analyze communication patterns — message volume, channel activity, reaction frequency, and response cadence — to map how information flows through your organization.

Friender never reads message content. We collect only structural metadata: timestamps, channel names, participant counts, and reaction totals. This is sufficient to identify communication bottlenecks, siloed teams, and coordination patterns without exposing sensitive conversations.

Prerequisites

• Slack workspace admin access — you must be a Workspace Owner or Workspace Admin to authorize third-party OAuth applications
• A Friender Assess account with an active assessment engagement
• The workspace must be on a Slack Pro, Business+, or Enterprise Grid plan (free workspaces have limited API access)
• If your workspace uses Slack Enterprise Grid, you may also need Org Admin approval for cross-workspace installations

Setup Steps

Step 1: Navigate to the Integrations Dashboard

From your Friender Assess dashboard, open the left sidebar and click Integrations. You'll see a list of all available tool connections with their current status.

Step 2: Click "Connect Slack"

Find the Slack card in the Communication section and click the Connect Slack button. This will initiate the OAuth flow and redirect you to Slack's authorization page.

Step 3: Authorize the OAuth Connection

On Slack's authorization page, review the requested permissions and click Allow. Friender requests the following OAuth scopes:

• channels:read — list public channels and their metadata (name, topic, member count, creation date)
• users:read — list workspace members and their basic profile information (display name, timezone, status)
• reactions:read — read reaction metadata on messages (emoji type and count, not message content)
• team:read — read basic workspace information (name, domain, icon)

These scopes are strictly read-only. Friender cannot post messages, join channels, modify workspace settings, or access private channels unless explicitly included in the next step.

Step 4: Select Channels

After authorization, you'll be redirected back to the Friender dashboard where you can select which channels to include in the assessment. You can choose:

• All public channels — recommended for the most comprehensive analysis
• Specific channels — select individual channels if you want to limit the scope
• Channel groups — filter by prefix (e.g., all channels starting with #eng- or #team-)

Private channels and DMs are never included unless you explicitly opt in at the channel level. Even when included, only metadata is collected — never message content.

Step 5: Confirm & Start Collection

Review your channel selections and click Confirm. Data collection begins immediately and typically takes 2-4 hours for the initial historical backfill, depending on workspace size. You'll see a progress indicator on the integrations dashboard.

What Data Is Collected

The Slack integration collects only structural metadata. Here is a complete list of data points:

• Message timestamps — when messages are posted (not their content)
• Channel names & metadata — channel name, topic, purpose, member count, and creation date
• Reaction counts — total reactions per message and emoji type distribution
• Thread participation — number of thread replies and unique participants per thread
• User activity patterns — message frequency by time of day and day of week (aggregated, not per-user tracking)
• Response cadence — median time between a message and its first reply in threads

The following data is never collected:

• Message text or content of any kind
• File uploads or shared links
• Direct messages (unless explicitly opted in)
• User profile photos or email addresses
• Slack Connect (external organization) data

Permissions Required

The table below summarizes the OAuth scopes and their purposes:

Scope                Purpose
channels:read        List channels and metadata
users:read           List members and timezones
reactions:read       Reaction counts and emoji types
team:read            Workspace name and domain

All scopes are read-only. You can revoke Friender's access at any time from Slack Admin > Manage Apps > Friender Assess. Revoking access immediately stops all data collection.

Troubleshooting

OAuth Authorization Fails

If the OAuth redirect fails or you see an "access denied" error, verify that you have Workspace Admin or Owner permissions. Guest accounts and standard members cannot authorize third-party apps. Check with your Slack admin if your workspace restricts app installations.

No Channels Appear After Connection

This usually indicates that the channels:read scope was not granted during authorization. Disconnect the integration from the Friender dashboard and reconnect, ensuring you approve all requested scopes during the OAuth flow.

Data Collection Stalls

For large workspaces (5,000+ members), the initial backfill can take up to 12 hours due to Slack API rate limits. If collection appears stuck for more than 24 hours, contact hello@joinfriender.com with your workspace domain and we'll investigate.

Enterprise Grid Restrictions

Enterprise Grid workspaces may require Org Admin approval before third-party apps can be installed. If you see a "pending admin approval" message, ask your Org Admin to approve the Friender Assess app from the Enterprise Admin dashboard.

Need help? Return to the Integration Setup overview or contact us at hello@joinfriender.com.