Slack

​

Overview

Slack works with Dovetail in two ways:

• As a source. A workspace admin creates a Slack source that imports messages from chosen Slack channels, so channels in Dovetail can analyze them alongside other customer feedback. See Use Slack as a source.
• As a connected app. Each user connects their own Slack account to share Dovetail content with rich previews, get updates about changes in their projects, and receive and reply to comments in Slack. See Set up Slack integration.

On the Enterprise plan, anyone in your organization can also query Dovetail and talk to Digital Twins in Slack. Dovetail agents can post weekly wraps and digests directly to Slack channels. See Chat in Slack and Teams. The Slack app is a connected app: each user connects their own Slack account. The exception is querying Dovetail in Slack, which a workspace admin connects once for the whole workspace. Learn more about connected apps →

---

​

Use Slack as a source

The Slack source imports messages from the Slack channels you choose, for example channels where your teams share customer feedback. Each top-level message becomes a data point, with its thread replies attached. Each Slack channel you select becomes a dataset. A workspace admin creates the Slack source once for the whole workspace, and channels then add its Slack channels. Learn more about Sources → Users who add the source’s data to channels don’t need to connect their own Slack account.

​

Before you start

​

In Dovetail

• A workspace admin creates the source. Other users can request it.
• The credentials you connect with are shared by the whole workspace. See Shared credentials for how to choose an account.
• Workspaces with the HIPAA add-on can’t connect Slack, so they can’t create a Slack source. See HIPAA.

​

In Slack

• Approval for the Dovetail app, if your Slack workspace requires it. Connecting installs the Dovetail Slack app. If your Slack workspace requires admin approval for new apps, ask a Slack admin or IT to approve it. See Slack’s guide to managing app approval.
• @dovetail in each private channel you want. The source can list and import a private channel only once @dovetail is a member of it. Public channels need no invitation.
• One Slack workspace per source. If your workspace already has a Slack source, add channels to it instead.

​

Create the Slack source

​

Authentication and permissions

Slack connects with OAuth, through the same Dovetail Slack app that provides notifications, link previews, comments, and querying Dovetail. See Requested permissions. To read a public channel, the source joins it as @dovetail, so @dovetail becomes a member of every public channel you select, including when you choose All channels. Apart from joining public channels, the source only reads from Slack: it doesn’t post, edit, or delete messages. The source runs on the Slack account of the user who connects it. If that user disconnects Slack in Settings → Connected apps, the source stops syncing until it’s reconnected. To change the account or credentials, see Reconnect a source.

​

Datasets

Each Slack channel you select becomes its own dataset and syncs on its own, so a problem with one Slack channel doesn’t stop the others. A channel in Dovetail can add some or all of the source’s Slack channels. The picker lists the Slack workspace’s public channels and the private channels @dovetail is a member of. Archived channels and direct messages aren’t listed. To add more Slack channels later, open the source and select Add channel. See Add datasets.

​

What gets imported

Each top-level message in a Slack channel becomes one data point, with the replies in its thread attached as its conversation thread. Messages posted by apps and bots are included.

​

Always imported

​

Imported when present

To rename the fields above or change their types, see Source fields. Need a field that isn’t on this list? Let us know.

​

Not imported

• Channel notices, such as people joining or leaving a channel.
• Files and images shared in messages.
• Individual reactions, meaning which emoji were used and who reacted. Only the reaction count is imported.
• Direct messages, group direct messages, and archived channels.

​

Sync behavior

The first import starts when the source is created. After that, the source syncs about every hour. See Manage a source.

• Posting date. The import period, and each later sync, match messages by when they were posted.

​

Troubleshooting

A Slack channel doesn’t appear in the picker. For a private channel, invite @dovetail to it in Slack, then open the picker again. Archived channels aren’t listed. Connecting Slack fails. If your Slack workspace requires admin approval for new apps, a Slack admin needs to approve the Dovetail app first. If a workspace admin has limited Slack connections to authorized subdomains, only a Slack workspace on that list can connect. See Restrict Slack connections to authorized subdomains. A message is missing. Check that it’s a top-level message in a Slack channel the source imports, and that it was posted within the import period. See Missing or outdated data. The source shows “The Dovetail Slack app is no longer in some channels.” Invite @dovetail to those channels again in Slack. The source shows “Some Slack channels were archived.” Unarchive the channels in Slack to resume importing them, or delete their datasets from the source. Deleting a dataset also deletes the messages it imported, in every channel that uses it. See Delete a dataset. The source shows “The Dovetail Slack app is missing a required scope.” A workspace admin needs to reinstall the Dovetail Slack app to grant the permission the source needs. Slack isn’t available when I set up a channel. See Troubleshoot sources.

​

Revoke access in Slack

A Slack admin can remove the Dovetail app from your Slack workspace. After that, the source can’t sync until it’s reconnected, and the Slack app features on the rest of this page stop working. Data the source has already imported stays in Dovetail. Removing @dovetail from a public channel doesn’t stop the source importing it, because the source joins the channel again at its next sync. To stop importing a Slack channel, delete its dataset, which also deletes the messages it imported. See Delete a dataset. To pause or delete the source in Dovetail, see Manage a source. To take its data out of one channel, see Channel setup.

---

​

Set up Slack integration

If Dovetail is an approved app for your Slack workspace, you can connect your Slack account to receive notifications, share data, and engage with comments from your Dovetail workspace.

• To do this, open Settings → Connected apps and find Slack under App connectors.
• From there, select Connect and continue to log in to your Slack account and review the requested permissions.

---

​

Reply to and like comments in Slack

If a user mentions you in a comment, you can reply and like that comment directly in Slack.

• To like (or dislike) a comment, just click on the Like button.
• To reply to a comment, click on Reply and enter your comment in the pop-up window, which will be sent directly to Dovetail once you click Post.

---

​

Share Dovetail data in Slack

When you share a link to a single video highlight or reel in Slack, the video will be available for your team to play right from Slack. If you are using the desktop or mobile app to play the highlight, you’ll need to authenticate first.

• To do this, copy the link provided in the player and paste it into your browser to log in to Dovetail
• Next, copy the one-time password (OTP) and enter this into the box in Slack.
• From there, the data from Dovetail will show in your relevant Slack channel.

When you share a Dovetail link in Slack, all the relevant information related to the link will be displayed directly in Slack for you and your colleagues to see. The supported links are data, tags, docs, readme, and contacts.

---

​

Ask questions to Dovetail in Slack

To ask Dovetail a question, mention @Dovetail followed by your question. The Dovetail app must already be in the channel. You can also send a question as a direct message to the app, without a mention.

• For example – @Dovetail what are our users’ top pain points?

Your question is posted in the channel, and Dovetail responds in a thread. To ask a follow-up, mention @Dovetail again in the thread. Dovetail uses the earlier messages in the thread as context, including messages posted by other apps. To talk to a Digital Twin, type @Dovetail + followed by the twin’s name and your question — for example, @Dovetail +Churned SMB customer What made you decide to cancel?. The twin stays in persona for the rest of the thread. Only people whose Slack account is linked to a Dovetail user can talk to a twin. See Talk to a Digital Twin in Slack or Teams. Where relevant, Dovetail will provide citations in the response, allowing users to trace evidence back to data within Dovetail. For anyone without a Dovetail account, they will be required to sign up before viewing any data in your Dovetail workspace.

---

​

Send scheduled summaries to Slack

Weekly wraps and other scheduled summaries are created with Dovetail agents, which post to Slack with the Send Slack message tool. See Send scheduled summaries to Slack for setup.

---

​

Use Dovetail as a Slack AI assistant

Dovetail is also available as a Slack AI assistant. With this, you can open a private thread in any channel to query Dovetail, and answers combine the data in your Dovetail workspace with any relevant knowledge in your Slack instance. If you don’t see Dovetail in your AI assistant menu, check that it’s enabled under Preferences → Navigation in your Slack workspace.

• Open a thread in a relevant channel and select the Dovetail icon from your AI assistant menu in Slack. This only works in channels that have the Dovetail integration added.
• From there, you can ask a question and follow-up questions.

The AI assistant requires a paid Slack plan. Using Dovetail as a Slack AI assistant is subject to our current privacy policy.

---

​

Manage your Slack connection

​

Notifications

You can stop receiving notifications in Slack. To do this, go to Settings → Notification settings. From there, you can then turn the Slack notifications on or off. See Notification settings.

​

Disconnect

You can disconnect your Slack account from Dovetail at any time. To do this, go to Settings → Connected apps, select Configure next to Slack, and remove your connection. See Disconnect an app. Workspace admins can also remove other users’ connections. See Connected apps. If you connected your workspace’s Slack source, it uses your Slack connection, so disconnecting also stops the source from syncing until it’s reconnected. See Reconnect a source.

---

​

Restrict Slack connections to authorized subdomains

Admins can allowlist specific Slack subdomains users can connect their Dovetail account to. By restricting the Slack integration to authorized subdomains, admins can ensure that only approved workspaces can be linked. This helps mitigate the risk of sensitive information being unintentionally shared with external or unauthorized environments.

• To do this, open Settings → Connected apps and select Configure next to Slack.
• From there, select Security settings, then enter authorized subdomains users can use to connect their Slack integration to, in the form subdomain.slack.com. Adding subdomains disconnects any user whose Slack workspace isn’t on the list.

---

​

Requested permissions

When you connect your Slack account to Dovetail, you will grant Dovetail access to:

• View content and info about channels and conversations: View messages, emoji reactions, and other content in public channels, private channels, and direct messages that Dovetail has been added to, and view basic information about public channels and the private channels Dovetail has been added to.
• View content and info about your workspace: View people in your workspace and view the name, email domain, and icon for workspaces Dovetail is connected.
• Perform actions in channels and conversations: Send messages as @dovetail, embed video player URLs and show link previews from dovetailapp.com and dovetail.com, join public channels in your workspace, start direct messages with people, upload, edit, and delete files as Dovetail, view messages that directly mention @dovetail in conversations that the app is in.
• Perform actions in your workspace: Add the slash command /dovetail that people can use.

​

FAQs