How to Connect Personal Slack
Link your personal Slack account so CRHQ agents can read your channels, search messages, and act as you — not as the bot.
Overview
Personal Slack gives agents access to your Slack identity. Instead of acting as the bot, agents can:
- Read channels you're a member of (even ones the bot isn't in)
- Search your message history
- Send messages that appear as you
- Access your DMs and group messages
This is separate from the Bot connection. The bot is a shared workspace tool — Personal is your individual account.
Bot vs Personal
| Bot | Personal | |
|---|---|---|
| Identity | Appears as the bot (@Operator) | Appears as you |
| Access | Only channels the bot has been invited to | Any channel you're a member of |
| Use case | Team automation, responding to @mentions | "Read my Slack", "send as me", "check my DMs" |
| Who connects | One person installs for the whole workspace | Each user connects their own account |
| Trigger | @mention or DM the bot | Ask your agent in a CRHQ conversation |
Connect Your Personal Account
1. Open the Slack Connector
Navigate to Settings > Connectors and click the Slack card.
2. Go to the Personal Tab
Select the Personal tab in the Slack modal.
3. Click Connect
Click Connect Personal Account. Slack will open an authorization window.
4. Authorize
Slack will show the permissions being requested — reading channels, sending messages on your behalf, etc. These are scoped to your account. Click Allow.
5. Verify
Back in CRHQ, the Personal tab will show your connected account with a green status indicator.
What Agents Can Do
Once your personal account is connected, agents with the Slack skill can act as you. Here are some examples:
Reading messages:
"Check my Slack — any new messages in #engineering?" "What did Sarah say in the design channel today?" "Read my latest DMs"
Searching:
"Search my Slack for messages about the Q1 budget" "Find messages from John about the API migration"
Sending messages:
"Post in #general: Team standup moved to 10am tomorrow" "Reply to that thread saying I'll handle it"
Accessing private channels:
"What's the latest in #leadership?" (if you're a member but the bot isn't)
The agent uses your personal token, so it has access to everything you can see in Slack — including private channels and DMs.
When to Use Personal vs Bot
Use Personal when:
- You ask an agent to "check my Slack" or "read my messages"
- You need access to channels where the bot isn't invited
- You want messages to appear from your name
- You're working with private channels or DMs
Use Bot when:
- Team members @mention the bot for shared tasks
- You want automated responses in public channels
- You need a dedicated bot presence in the workspace
You can have both connected simultaneously. The agent decides which to use based on context — or you can be explicit: "Using my personal Slack, check the #design channel."
Privacy & Security
What does the agent access?
Only what you authorize and only when you ask. The agent doesn't passively monitor your Slack — it reads messages on demand during conversations.
Is my token shared?
No. Your personal token is encrypted with AES-256-GCM on your dedicated satellite server. It's never sent to CRHQ's central servers or shared with other users.
Can other users see my messages?
No. Your personal Slack token is tied to your CRHQ account. Other users on the same satellite cannot access your Slack through the agent — they'd need to connect their own personal account.
Can I disconnect?
Yes, anytime. Go to Settings > Connectors > Slack > Personal tab and click Disconnect. Your stored token is immediately deleted from the server.
You can also revoke access from Slack directly at your workspace's Manage Apps settings.
Troubleshooting
Agent says "No Slack user credentials found"
Your personal account isn't connected. Go to Settings > Connectors > Slack > Personal tab and click Connect Personal Account.
Agent can't access a channel
Make sure you are a member of that channel in Slack. The personal token gives agent access to everything you can see — but not channels you haven't joined.
"missing_scope" error
The Slack app may not have the required user scopes. If you're using a custom Slack app, verify your app manifest includes the user scopes listed in the custom app guide. If using the default CRHQ app, try disconnecting and reconnecting.
Messages appear from the bot instead of me
The agent may be using the bot connection instead of your personal account. Be explicit in your request: "Using my personal Slack account, send a message to #general."