Set up Slack sidebar integration

The Glean app in Slack lets users access Glean from the Slack sidebar, chat with Glean in a direct message, and run supported agents without leaving Slack. Users can open Glean from Slack's top bar, select the Chat tab, and choose a chat mode or an agent.

This page covers making Glean available in the Slack sidebar. For connector setup, app authorization, and migration from a custom Slack app, see the Slack setup guides. For a Slack app used as an agent service credential, see Set up a Slack service credential.

Before you begin

Before you configure top-bar visibility, confirm the following:

• A Slack admin installed and approved the Glean app in the relevant workspace or organization.
• You have Slack admin permission to manage installed apps.
• For Enterprise Grid, an Org Owner deployed the app to each workspace where users need access.

Connector setup and top-bar visibility are separate. Follow the Slack setup guides to configure the Slack connector, Slack Real Time Search (RTS), and any custom app required for indexing or migration.

note

Admin installation and per-user Slack RTS authorization are separate. A user may need to authorize Slack RTS for results from private channels, direct messages, and group direct messages. Neither per-user RTS authorization nor the initial identity crawl controls top-bar visibility. RTS authorization is also not required for chat or response modes to appear.

Make Glean available to users in the sidebar

After a Slack admin installs the Glean app, configure its visibility for users. The top-bar setting controls discoverability but does not install or authorize the app.

Single workspace

1. Open your Slack workspace Settings & Permissions.
2. Expand Integrations, then select Manage integrations.
3. On the Installed apps page, search for and open Glean.
4. Select App Settings.
5. Next to Show Glean on Slack's top bar, select Edit.
6. Select Enabled, then select Save.

Enterprise Grid

1. In Slack, open Tools & settings → Organization settings.
2. Select Integrations → Installed apps.
3. Search for and open the organization-approved Glean app.
4. Select App Settings.
5. Next to Show Glean on Slack's top bar, select Edit.
6. Select All available workspaces or the specific workspaces where Glean should appear.
7. Select Save.

What users see in Slack

After the admin makes Glean available, users can:

1. Open Glean from Slack's top bar.
2. Open the Chat tab in the Glean app.
3. Use the Chat mode menu to choose Adaptive, Thinking, or Fast when those modes are available.
4. Select Agents under Find & run agents to find and run a supported agent.

Adaptive automatically chooses between Fast and Thinking based on the request. To switch agents or return to Glean chat, users can start a new chat.

Some agents that work in the Glean web app may not complete the same way in Slack. Configure agents that require interactive approval for a supported no-confirmation flow, or run them from the Glean web app instead.

For the complete end-user flow, see Use Glean in the Slack sidebar.

Troubleshooting

Check the following:

• Confirm that a Slack admin installed and approved the Glean app in the relevant workspace or organization.
• For Enterprise Grid, confirm that an Org Owner deployed the app to the workspace where the user is looking for it.
• Confirm that Show Glean on Slack's top bar is enabled. For Slack's Apps or Agents entry points, check the workspace's app policies and installation scope.

Check the following:

• The agent uses a Chat message trigger.
• The user has access to the agent.
• The agent is available in Slack and does not require an interactive approval step that Slack cannot support.

Available chat modes and agents depend on the tenant configuration and the user's access. Confirm that the user opened the current Glean app from Slack's top bar.

For more help, see Troubleshooting Glean in Slack.