Slack Agent Guide
Last updated Sep 24th, 2026
Overview
The Common Room Slack Agent lets you work with Common Room data without leaving Slack. @mention Common Room in a Slack channel or thread, ask a question in plain language, and get a Slack-formatted answer drawn from your Common Room workspace.
The agent supports two ways of working:
- Ask a question in a channel. Ask a freeform question about a prospect, account, or book of business, such as "What do we know about Acme?" or "Who are my warmest fintech leads?"
- Take action on a thread. Reply in a thread, such as a Spark notification, and @mention Common Room to get follow-ups, a drafted message, or added account and signal context. The agent reads the thread to ground its answer.
You can also message the agent directly from the Common Room app's Messages tab in Slack.
The Slack Agent is a separate app from Common Room's community Slack integration, which stays in place. The community integration ingests a community workspace as a signal. The Slack Agent is installed in your internal Slack workspace so your team can use Common Room from Slack. To connect a community workspace, see the Slack Community Integration Guide.
Why it matters
Signals are only valuable if someone acts on them. Many reps spend their day in Slack, not in Common Room. The Slack Agent brings Common Room intelligence to the place reps already work, so they can research an account, get context on a signal, or draft a follow-up in the same thread where the signal arrived.
What the Slack Agent is not
- A full Common Room experience inside Slack. Use the Common Room app for list building, reporting, and configuration.
- A new notification system. The agent works alongside your existing Spark notifications.
Availability and requirements
| Requirement | Details |
|---|---|
Common Room plan | Included with your Common Room subscription at no added cost. Usage limits may apply. |
Slack plan | A paid Slack plan is required to access AI Agents via the app container. Other features from Slack applications installed from the marketplace may still work on free Slack plans unless otherwise noted. [Needs confirmation: whether the Slack Agent works at all on a free Slack plan] |
Common Room admin | Setup starts from inside Common Room and is visible to admins only. |
Slack permissions | You authorize the app through Slack OAuth. A Slack workspace admin or owner must approve the install to ensure proper permissions. |
Rep access | Users need a Common Room seat to use the agent. |
Connect the Slack Agent
An admin completes setup once per Slack workspace. No engineering help is needed.
- Open setup in Common Room. Go to Settings → Signals & Integrations → Slack.
- Click Add workspace to connect Slack.
- Authorize the app in Slack. Review the requested authorization and approve.
- Choose where the agent can be used. The agent is usable in public channels and can be invited to any public or private channel for use there as well.
Add the agent to a channel
If you @mention the agent in a public channel it is not yet a member of, Slack prompts you to invite it. Once invited, the agent can respond in that channel.
Manage or remove the integration
Admins can view, modify, or remove the integration from a management screen in Common Room. If you connect a Slack workspace that is already connected, Common Room shows the existing connection instead of creating a duplicate.
Using the Slack Agent
| Where | How to use it | What the agent uses as context |
|---|---|---|
Channel | @mention Common Room with a question in a channel the agent can access | Your question only (no prior thread context) |
Thread (such as a Spark notification) | Reply in the thread and @mention Common Room | Your question plus the thread's messages, up to a message limit |
Messages tab | Open the Common Room app in Slack and message it directly | Context from the thread that invoked it, or your question only if it was asked outside of a thread |
In a channel, the agent posts its answer in a thread under your message.
Example prompts
- Account research: "What do we know about Acme?"
- Prioritization: "Who are my warmest fintech leads?"
- On a Spark notification: Ask for suggested follow-ups, a drafted message, or more context on the account and signal.
Actions the agent can take
The agent can read Common Room data and write to Common Room using our MCP tooling. It can create contacts, log activity, and manage segments.
The agent is built to assist: it drafts messages, surfaces context, and suggests follow-ups, and you take the action.
How responses look
Responses use Slack-supported formatting. A typing or "thinking" indicator may show while the agent works.
Data handling, privacy, and limits
| Topic | What to know |
|---|---|
Slack message content | The agent reads thread and channel content only to answer your request. Slack message text is not stored, exported, or backed up. Only metadata (such as event IDs, channel and thread references, and counts) is kept. |
AI model training | Slack data is not used to train AI models. |
Which channels the agent reads | The agent only reads channels it is a member of. It does not join all public channels automatically after install. |
Private channels | Private channels are supported but require a user to invite the agent to the channel. |
Who can see what | The agent should only share Common Room data the requester already has access to, and will not expose private content to non-members. |
Unclear questions | The agent asks a clarifying question or declines requests outside its scope. |
Errors | If a request fails, the agent returns a readable error without technical details. |
AI accuracy | This technology uses LLMs and can make mistakes. Treat answers as directional and informative rather than stated truth. |
Model, data tenancy, and residency | Common Room uses several foundation models with a Zero Data Retention (ZDR) policy across all of them. |
Usage limits | Per-plan limits may apply to prevent abuse or excessive requests to the underlying AI. |
FAQ
Why didn't the agent respond when I @mentioned it?
The agent can only read messages in channels it has access to. In a channel it isn't a member of, Slack prompts you to invite it. The agent also won't respond to users who don't have a Common Room seat (matched on email).
Does the Slack Agent replace my Spark notifications?
No. Spark notifications continue as they are today. The agent lets you act on them from the thread.
Does it cost extra?
It is included with your Common Room subscription. A paid Slack plan is required for some AI Agent capabilities.
Is this the same app as the Common Room community Slack integration?
No. The community integration is a separate app that ingests community Slack activity as a signal, and it stays in place. The Slack Agent does not ingest or store your Slack messages.
Does Common Room store my Slack messages?
No. Message content is read only to answer a request and is not retained. Only metadata is kept.
What happens if the app's Slack authorization fails or is revoked?
The agent returns an error, and Common Room prompts you to reauthorize.
What happens if an admin disconnects the workspace?
The agent stops working in that workspace. Requests in progress will fail.
Can I use slash commands or shortcuts?
Not at launch. The agent works through @mentions and the Messages tab. Natural language is sufficient for most requests.
Can I install the app from the Slack Marketplace?
Yes.
Where do I get help?
Contact Common Room support if you have any issues using the agent.
