Current configuration
Your Slack connector is currently configured with the shared, legacy central Slack app managed by Glean. In this configuration:- The connector was originally set up using a central Slack app, not a customer‑owned custom app.
- Real‑time search (RTS) is not yet wired through the dedicated RTS Slack app for this connector.
New configuration after the upgrade
After you complete this upgrade:- You keep the existing Slack connector that was set up with the central Slack app, and
- You add a new customer‑owned custom Slack app and authorize the RTS Slack app, both linked to the same Slack instance.
- Create a new custom Slack app that points to your legacy Slack instance.
- Copy the app’s Client ID, Client secret, and Signing secret into Glean.
- Authorize Glean to access your Slack workspace using this custom app and the RTS Slack app.
- The original connector continues to exist, but
- RTS and the new custom Slack app are configured through the Additional App setup flow, and future behavior is driven by this combined setup rather than by the central app alone.
What changes for end users
After this upgrade, Slack search in Glean uses a hybrid connector that blends real-time results from Slack with Glean’s own Slack connector behind the scenes. End users will see a single, unified Slack results section — not two separate connectors. For tips on how to search effectively in this new experience, see Slack hybrid search best practices.Hybrid Slack search experience
- Glean uses a hybrid Slack connector that combines Slack Real-Time Search with Glean’s native Slack connector behind the scenes.
- Depending on how your organization is configured, Slack results in Glean may include both real-time results from Slack and additional context or coverage from Glean’s Slack index.
- End users still see a single Slack results section in Search and Assistant; they do not need to choose between connectors.
Upgrade window and temporary downtime
When you upgrade from the legacy Central App to Slack RTS, there is a short window where Glean in Slack may be partially unavailable:- Backend processing: Internal configuration syncs typically take around 10 minutes.
- Channel invitations: Because Slack rate-limits how quickly bots can be invited to channels, upgrading a large number of channels takes longer.
- For most customers, the channel invitation process typically completes within an additional 20 minutes.
- Inconsistent responses: Gleanbot may temporarily fail to respond or show intermittent behavior.
- Dual-app activity: You may see both the legacy app and the new RTS app responding to messages briefly as the transition completes.
- Broken Slack Actions: Interactive components from Glean Assistant or Agents may fail or show “broken” options in Slack share settings.
Note: This behavior is expected during the upgrade window and does not affect your indexed data or long-term search functionality.
Important: Once you start the RTS upgrade, do not modify or uninstall your legacy Slack app. The legacy app is responsible for inviting the new RTS bot into your channels—a process that is rate-limited by Slack. Removing or changing the legacy app too early will interrupt this sync and may leave the new bot missing from your channels. Wait until Glean confirms the upgrade is complete before making any changes to the old app.
Before upgrading to Slack Real Time Search (RTS)
- Confirm your current Slack connector type (Central App, Custom App, or Enterprise Grid) and follow the specific upgrade guide for that version. If your current setup is a single-workspace Slack central app, ensure you select the Slack Real Time Search (single workspace) connector, not the Enterprise version. Using the incorrect guide or connector type will result in setup failures.
- Choose a low-traffic window (typically 30–60 minutes) for the upgrade. Notify your Slack admins that Gleanbot and Slack search results may be intermittently unavailable or show “dual-app” responses during this time.
- Decide on a test group strategy (for example, IT/support or Slack-heavy teams) to validate performance before a full org-level rollout.
- Ensure you have the necessary Slack Workspace Admin or Org Owner permissions. You will need the permissions to authorize the new RTS app and manage manifest changes.
Slack central app upgrade steps
1. Confirm your current configuration
Before starting, verify that you are currently using the Slack Central setup:- In the Glean Admin Console, navigate to Data Sources.
- Search for your existing Slack data source and click Setup.
- Review the configuration fields:
- Central App Setup: You should see a basic configuration with Slack domain and Slack ID fields.
- Custom Instance: If you see additional fields like Client Secret or App-Level Token, you are on a Slack custom instance and should refer to the Custom App upgrade guide instead.
- Slack Enterprise Grid (Discovery API): If you see fields such as Slack Enterprise domain (for example,
yourdomain.enterprise.slack.com) and Slack Enterprise ID (starts withE), your connector is using Slack Enterprise Grid. Use the Slack Enterprise Grid (Discovery API) App Upgrade Guide instead.
2. Reauthorize your Slack Central App
You must refresh the connection for your existing Central app before adding RTS:- On the existing Slack data source setup page, click Authorize.
- Click Allow on the Slack authorization screen.
- Wait for the success message confirming your Slack Central app is successfully reauthorized.
3. Upgrade your Existing Slack Custom Instance
Before you add and authorize the Slack Real-Time Search (RTS) data source (steps 4–6), you must finish updating your existing Slack custom instance in this step. If you authorize RTS before this upgrade is complete, Slack can create an extra RTS app or surface confusing
app not enabled or integration errors. Always complete this step and confirm it succeeds before you move on to step 4.- Navigate to your existing Slack instance’s setup page.
- Select the Additional App tab and follow the instructions to create a new custom Slack app.
-
Input your new app’s Client ID, Client secret, and Signing secret into Glean.
- Click Authorize.
- Once this upgrade is complete, continue with Step 4: Add the Slack Real-Time Search (RTS) data source.
4. Add the Slack Real-Time Search (RTS) data source
- Click Add Data Source in the Glean Admin Console.
- Search for Slack and select Slack Real-Time Search.
5. Configure Slack identifiers
Locate and enter the specific identifiers for your Slack workspace:- Slack Domain: Click your workspace name (top-left). The domain is the text before
.slack.com(e.g., if the URL isacme.slack.com,acmeis your domain.) You need to enter this value in the Slack domain field in Glean. - Slack Team ID: Look at your browser’s address bar. The page URL should look like
https://app.slack.com/client/T12345678/.... The ID starting with T immediately following/client/is your Slack Team ID (e.g.,T12345678). You need to enter this value into the Slack team ID field in Glean.
These must exactly match the values in your primary central Slack data source.
6. Authorize and finalize
- Click Authorize on the Slack RTS setup page.
- Once authorized, click Start Sync.
- Wait for the synchronization process to complete. You have now successfully migrated to Slack RTS.
You can expect to see the Slack RTS connector show only a small number of records being “synced.” For more information, see Expected Admin crawl status for RTS.
7. (Optional) Configure a test group
Roll out RTS safely by starting with a subset of users before expanding to the entire organization. After setting up the Slack RTS connector:- In Admin Console > Data sources > Slack Real Time Search > Overview navigate to the Settings section.
- Under Visibility in Glean, select Visible to test group only.
-
Choose an existing test group or create a new test group. For more information, see Test groups for data sources.
- Pilot cohort: IT, Support, or identified power users.
- Slack-heavy teams: Engineering or Customer Success.
- Each user must still perform a one-time Slack authorization (see end-user section).
- Once validated, you can switch visibility to Visible to all users.
Guidelines for test users
Ask your pilot users to:- Use Glean for your normal Slack‑related searches and questions for 1–2 weeks.
- When something looks off, capture:
- The exact query you ran
- What you expected to see
- What you actually saw (screenshot if possible)
- Whether you were in Search, Assistant, or Gleanbot
8. End-user authorization
After you complete the steps above, each end-user must authorize the Slack app once to see permission‑aware Slack results (including private channels, DMs, and group DMs). Until a user authorizes, Slack Real Time Search is not used for that user’s Slack results. End users will see a Slack authorization banner on the Search, Home pages, and Slack channels to connect Slack Real Time Search.Slack Admin App Approval
If your Slack workspace has Admin App Approval enabled, end users who attempt to authorize the Glean app may be blocked by a pending‑request gate instead of completing the OAuth flow directly. A Slack workspace admin must approve the Glean Marketplace app before end users can complete authorization:- As a Slack admin, go to the Slack Admin > Manage Apps page and view the list of pending app requests. For more information, see Manage app approval for your workspace.
- Locate the pending request for the Glean Marketplace app.
- Approve at least one user’s request. Once approved, access typically propagates to other users in the workspace.
To understand how the Slack authorization banner behaves:
- Non-dismissible authorization banner: The Slack authorization banner cannot be dismissed and will remain visible until you have completed all required Slack authorizations. If your organization uses Slack, you may still see the banner until the dual authorization is complete.
- No reauthorization needed: If you have already authorized Slack as part of a previous migration (for example, authorizing both the RTS Marketplace app and the custom app), you will not be asked to authorize again.
When do users see the Slack RTS authorization prompt?
You will be prompted to authorize when:- Use Glean in Slack (for example, run
/gleanor mention@Glean) for the first time after RTS is enabled. - Run a search in Glean where Slack results would be shown (from the Home or Search page).
- Connect Slack Real Time Search from Your settings > Data sources > Slack Real Time Search.
- Home page experience
- Search experience
- Slack channel
- In Glean, go to Your settings > Data sources.
- Locate Slack Real Time Search.
- Click Connect or Re-authorize and complete the Slack sign-in flow.
- See a dedicated Slack section in search results containing messages and threads.
- Receive Slack-sourced content within Assistant and Gleanbot responses.
- Note: Users can re-trigger authorization at any time via their Glean Settings page.
Minimizing channel noise from bot joins
To reduce visible channel-join noise during migration, you can temporarily turn off Slack’s join/leave messages. For details, see Slack connector changes: Gleanbot impacts and FAQ and Slack’s help article on managing join and leave messages.Limitations and functionality differences
- Applies only to central‑app Slack connectors: This upgrade flow is intended for Slack connectors that were originally created using the central Slack app. Other setups, such as those that already use a custom Slack app or the Slack Enterprise Grid / Discovery API connector, have different upgrade paths and are not covered here.
- Additional App setup does not configure Gleanbot on the new app: The Additional App setup tab guides admins through creating a new custom Slack app, entering its Client ID, Client secret, and Signing secret, and authorizing Glean to access Slack. This flow creates a custom Slack app “without Gleanbot,” so it does not enable Gleanbot or other bot‑driven interactive features on the new app.
- There is no way to partially upgrade Glean in Slack. Once you complete the Slack RTS setup, the Gleanbot migration job runs for your entire workspace, even if Slack RTS search is only visible to a test group.
If you do not complete this upgrade by Slack’s deadline
For tenants still on the legacy central app after Slack’s deprecation date:- Glean in Slack may stop working altogether.
- Agents that use Slack Actions may stop working.
- Self-serve migration to RTS will not be possible. Glean Support can help fix some issues (for example, updating Slack actions in agents), but we cannot automatically restore your previous Glean in Slack configuration, such as adding Gleanbot back to all of the channels where it was previously present.