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Slack integration is optional but recommended for receiving notifications from agents. You must be a workspace admin or have permission to install apps.
Buster uses a Slack App to send messages to your workspace when agents complete tasks, detect issues, or need to notify your team.

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Installing the Slack App

1

Connect Slack

In the Buster web app, go to Settings → Integrations → Slack and click Connect Slack.
2

Choose workspace

Select the Slack workspace where you want Buster to post messages.
3

Authorize

Click Allow to complete the OAuth flow. You’ll be redirected back to the Buster dashboard with “Connected” status.
4

Select default channel

Choose a default channel for notifications.

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Enabling Slack in Agents

To use Slack notifications, add slack_tool to your agent’s tools: 
name: my_agent

prompt: |
  If issues found, send alert to #data-team on Slack.

triggers:
  - event: pull_request

tools:
  include:
    - slack_tool
Without tools.include: [slack_tool], the agent cannot send Slack messages even if the integration is configured.

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Using Slack in Prompts

Reference Slack channels in your agent prompts to send notifications: 
prompt: |
  Check for data quality issues.
  
  If issues found, send message to #data-alerts:
  "⚠️ Data quality issue detected in orders table
   
   Null rate: 15% (threshold: 5%)
   
   Investigation needed."

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Message Formatting

Agents can use Slack’s mrkdwn formatting: 
prompt: |
  Send to #data-team:
  
  "*Daily Summary*
  :white_check_mark: All checks passed
  :warning: 2 warnings in staging
  
  View details: <https://dashboard.example.com|Dashboard>"
Text formatting:
  • *bold text* — Bold
  • _italic text_ — Italic
  • ~strikethrough~ — Strikethrough
  • `code` — Inline code
  • code block — Code block
Common emoji:
CodeEmoji
:white_check_mark:✅
:warning:⚠️
:x:❌
:rocket:🚀
:rotating_light:🚨
:bar_chart:📊
:eyes:👀
Links: 
<https://example.com|Link text>
User mentions: 
<@U123ABC> or @username

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Channel Requirements

The Buster bot must be invited to channels before it can post:
  1. Open the Slack channel
  2. Type /invite @Buster
  3. The bot can now post to that channel
For private channels, make sure to invite the Buster bot before referencing the channel in agent prompts.

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Example Agents

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Alert Agent

name: data_alerts

prompt: |
  Monitor for critical data issues.
  
  If null rate > 10%, send to #data-incidents:
  ":rotating_light: *Critical Alert*
   
   Table: orders
   Issue: Null rate at 15%
   Threshold: 10%
   
   <https://dashboard.example.com/orders|View dashboard>"

triggers:
  - event: scheduled
    cron: "0 * * * *"

tools:
  include:
    - slack_tool

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Weekly Report

name: weekly_report

prompt: |
  Generate weekly documentation report.
  
  Send to #data-documentation:
  "*Weekly Documentation Report*
   
   :bar_chart: *Coverage*
   - Models: 85% documented
   - Columns: 72% documented
   
   :warning: *Needs Attention*
   - dim_customers: Missing 5 column descriptions
   - fct_orders: No model description
   
   :rocket: *Improved This Week*
   - Added docs to 12 models
   - 45 new column descriptions"

triggers:
  - event: scheduled
    cron: "0 9 * * 1"  # Monday 9 AM UTC

tools:
  include:
    - slack_tool

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Troubleshooting

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Messages Not Appearing

If messages aren’t showing up in Slack:
1

Verify Buster is invited

Open the channel and check if Buster appears in the member list. If not, type /invite @Buster.
2

Check channel name

Ensure your agent prompt uses the correct channel name (including #).
3

Verify slack_tool is enabled

Check that your agent includes the Slack tool:
tools:
  include:
    - slack_tool
4

Check connection status

Verify Slack shows as “Connected” in Settings → Integrations → Slack.
5

Check run logs

View the agent run in the Buster web app to see if there were any errors sending the message.

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Reconnecting Slack

If the Slack connection is broken:
  1. Go to Settings → Integrations → Slack
  2. Click Disconnect
  3. Click Connect Slack to re-authorize
  4. Re-invite the bot to channels if needed