Connecting Slack & AlphaSense

Search your Slack conversations, channels, and files directly from AlphaSense

• Before You Begin
• Step 1: Installation (Admin Only)
• Step 2: Individual User Connection
• What's Accessible
• How It Works
• Items to Note
• Modify or Revoke Access
• Troubleshoot & FAQs

The Slack integration lets you securely connect your organization's Slack messages, channels, and files to AlphaSense, so you can search, analyze, and reference internal conversations alongside external research.

This is a real-time connection: AlphaSense queries Slack live at request time and does not ingest or store a copy of your Slack content. Setup requires a one-time installation by a Slack admin, followed by individual user authentication. Because Slack's permission model acts as a filter on every request, AlphaSense only surfaces conversations and files a user is already permitted to see in Slack.

Before You Begin

• You must have an active Slack account on a Business+ or Enterprise Grid plan. Free, Pro, and Standard workspaces can install the app, but search-based retrieval will return no results, making the connector unusable.
• For org-wide deployment, a Slack Org Admin or Owner of an Enterprise Grid organization must complete the initial installation. The app must be installed on the entire organization, not a single workspace, for admin-level access to apply.
• The installing admin must have the Channel Management role with access to both public and private channels. Without this, the installation will return a permissions error.
• Users will only see channels, messages, and files they already have permission to access in Slack. For private channels, DMs, and group DMs, both the admin installation and individual user authorization are required.

Step 1: Installation (Admin Only)

A Slack Org Admin or Owner initiates the integration from AlphaSense and approves the access scopes AlphaSense requests.

During setup, the administrator reviews and approves the OAuth scopes AlphaSense requires. These include read access to:

• Public channels (info, message history, threads)
• Private channels (info, message history, threads)
• Direct messages and group DMs
• Files shared in connected conversations
• Member directory (for attribution)
• Search across public content, private channels, DMs, group DMs, and files

Note: AlphaSense for Slack is currently in beta and is not yet listed in the Slack App Marketplace. During the OAuth flow, Slack will display a warning indicating the app is not marketplace-verified. This is expected behavior and safe to proceed through. The screenshots below show what to expect and confirm it is fine to continue.

For Enterprise Grid, granting consent installs AlphaSense org-wide. During the OAuth flow, confirm in the account selector that you are installing on the organization, not an individual workspace.

Important: On Enterprise Grid, users cannot connect Slack from AlphaSense until an Org Admin or Owner has completed the org-wide installation. Users who attempt to connect before the admin install is complete will be prompted to contact their administrator.

Step 2: Individual User Connection

Once the admin has completed installation, individual users authenticate their own Slack account from AlphaSense.

• Each user completes an OAuth flow and receives a personal token scoped to their own Slack access.
• Visibility is limited to the channels, DMs, group DMs, and files that user can view in Slack.
• For private channels and direct messages, each user's own authorization is required in addition to the admin install. This opt-in step ensures private content is never surfaced for a user who has not personally connected.

What's Accessible

Slack content is queried live, not ingested. The following content types are accessible through the connection, scoped to each user's existing Slack permissions.

How It Works

• Real-time access, no stored copy. AlphaSense queries Slack at request time through Slack's Data Access API. Content is not ingested or indexed into AlphaSense's systems.
• Permissions evaluated at query time. Slack evaluates the token's scopes on every request and returns only the conversations and files that token is permitted to see. Every result reflects the user's live Slack access at the moment of the query.
• Public vs. private content. Public channel content is available to any user whose token includes the relevant scopes. Private channels, DMs, and group DMs require the individual user's own authorization.
• Search results and AI answers in AlphaSense are returned only to users permitted to view the underlying Slack content at the time of the query.

Items to Note

• Supported content: channel messages, threads, DMs and group DMs, and shared files. Slack messages are text-based; attached files retain their original format.
• Rate limits: because every request queries Slack live, Slack's tiered API rate limits apply per query. Very broad searches against large workspaces may be throttled. If this occurs, narrowing the query or retrying shortly typically resolves it.
• Enterprise Grid requirement: admin-scoped, org-wide access requires Enterprise Grid. Non-Grid workspaces can connect per workspace via standard OAuth, but some admin-level capabilities will not be available.
• Cross-team search on Enterprise Grid: search results span every Slack team you belong to. However, the channel listing view is limited to your primary team — channels in other teams won't appear in that list but will surface in search results.
• Data security: for details on data security, architecture, and compliance, visit trust.alpha-sense.com.

Modify or Revoke Access

To change which users or workspaces have access (admin):

1. Manage the AlphaSense app from your Slack org or workspace app management settings.
2. Approve or restrict the app at the workspace or organization level as needed.

To disconnect:

1. Click Disconnect on the Slack integration tile in AlphaSense, or remove the AlphaSense app from Slack directly.
2. AlphaSense revokes the token immediately and stops querying Slack. Because content is never ingested, there is no stored Slack content to remove.

Individual users can disconnect their own connection at any time, which immediately revokes AlphaSense's access to their private channels and DMs. Disconnecting one user does not affect the org-wide admin installation or other users' connections.

Troubleshoot & FAQs

I can't connect Slack in AlphaSense.

On Enterprise Grid, confirm your Org Admin or Owner has completed the org-wide installation first. If not, contact your Slack administrator. Users cannot connect individually until the admin install is in place.

The admin installation failed with a permissions error.

The installing Org Admin or Owner must have the Channel Management role with access to both public and private channels. Update the role assignment in Slack and retry the installation.

I don't see the private channels or DMs I expect.

Private channels and DMs require your own user authorization in addition to the admin install. Re-run the individual connection (Step 2) and confirm you have access to those conversations in Slack directly. If you can see the content in Slack but not in AlphaSense, contact AlphaSense support.

A broad search is slow or returns partial results.

Because Slack is queried live, rate limits apply per request. If limits are hit, Slack delays the response. Narrowing your query scope or retrying shortly after typically resolves this.

What content can be accessed?

Channel messages, threads, DMs and group DMs, and shared files — limited to content you are permitted to see in Slack. File availability is also bounded by Slack's own storage and retention limits for your plan.

Are my Slack credentials shared with anyone?

No. OAuth tokens are stored encrypted server-side and used only to query the content you have authorized. Slack uses rotating tokens with short expiration windows, so even if a token were exposed, it would expire within hours.

What happens to my content when I disconnect?

AlphaSense revokes the token immediately and stops querying Slack. Since content is never ingested or stored, there is nothing to delete.

By following this guide, you can set up and manage your Slack integration in AlphaSense while keeping your conversations and files secure and accessible.