Technical reference

Glean uses two types of Slack connectors:

• Standard Slack connector: Connects your workspace or Enterprise Grid organization to Glean and provides engagement signals for search ranking and personalization.
• Slack RTS connector: A federated connector that retrieves live Slack messages at query time using Slack's Real-Time Search APIs. Glean does not store or index Slack messages — when you search, Glean securely asks Slack for results in real time and only returns messages you already have access to.

When RTS is enabled, you have two Glean apps in your Slack workspace:

• Glean (white icon): The primary user-facing app. Handles bot responses, /glean commands, @Glean mentions, and sidebar access.
• Enterprise Graph (colored icon): Runs in the background. Manages engagement signals and identity metadata for search personalization. Users do not need to interact with this app directly.

note

Both apps require per-user authorization. A non-dismissible authorization banner appears for each user until both apps are authorized.

For setup details, see Slack connector documentation.

Permissions model

Area	Behavior
Content permissions	Answers respect individual user permissions. Users only see information they have access to.
Channel access	Glean only responds in channels where it has been added.
External channels	Glean does not respond in channels that include external parties.
Public Mode	Uses only broadly shared content for public replies in channel threads.
Assistant access	Users must have Glean Assistant access to receive bot responses.
Sidebar	Requires assistant:write bot token scope and assistant_thread_started and assistant_thread_context_changed event subscriptions.

Rate limits

• Glean may not respond if it has received a high volume of questions in a short period. Try again later if you suspect a rate limit.
• Automatic responses are throttled to avoid channel noise.

Supported Slack environments

Glean in Slack works with the following environments:

• Standard Slack workspaces
• Slack Enterprise Grid organizations
• Slack RTS-enabled environments

Glossary

Term	Definition
Gleanbot	The conversational bot interface for Glean in Slack. Also known as Glean in Slack.
Slack RTS	Slack Real-Time Search. A federated connector that retrieves live Slack messages at query time using Slack's Real-Time Search APIs. Does not index or store message content. Required for all Glean customers who connect Slack.
Slack sidebar	A Glean interface accessible from the top-right corner of Slack for Assistant and agent access.
Public Mode	A feature that allows Glean to share answers visibly in channel threads.
Daily digest	A personalized summary of Slack channels and topics delivered as a daily DM. Not available when Slack RTS is enabled.
Code Writer	A feature that creates draft GitHub pull requests from Slack conversations. Requires the GitHub connector and Code Writer action pack.
/glean command	A Slack slash command for searching across all connected data sources. Available to all Glean customers with the Slack app installed; does not require Glean Assistant access.
Slack connector	The standard integration connecting Slack to Glean for engagement signals and proactive answers in channels where the bot isn't present.
Slack RTS connector	The federated connector that retrieves live Slack messages at query time using Slack's Real-Time Search APIs.
Enterprise Graph	The background Glean app that remains active after RTS migration to handle engagement signals and identity metadata for search personalization.
Enterprise Grid	Slack's enterprise tier supporting multiple workspaces under one organization.