Below are the most common issues with the Slack integration and how to resolve them.
Connection Issues
OAuth authorization failed
Symptoms: The Slack authorization screen shows an error, or you are redirected back to Social Intents without a successful connection.
Solutions:
- Check workspace permissions - Your Slack workspace admin may restrict which apps can be installed. Ask your admin to approve the Social Intents app from Slack Admin > Manage Apps
- Try again - Temporary network issues can interrupt the OAuth flow. Clear your browser cache and try the authorization again
- Check browser popups - The OAuth flow may open in a popup window. Make sure your browser is not blocking popups from socialintents.com
Slack connected but chats are not appearing
Solutions:
- Verify the widget code - Make sure the JavaScript snippet on your website matches what is shown in your widget settings
- Check the channel configuration - Confirm the correct channel is selected in your widget's Slack settings
- Check if the bot is in the channel - The Social Intents bot must be a member of the configured channel. Invite the bot to the channel if it was removed
- Reauthorize - If tokens have expired or been revoked, disconnect and reconnect Slack from your widget settings
Message Issues
Visitor messages not appearing in Slack
Solutions:
- Check bot permissions - The bot token needs permission to post messages and create channels. If permissions were modified after installation, reauthorize the app
- Check for rate limiting - Slack has API rate limits. Under very high chat volume, messages may be delayed
- Verify network connectivity - Corporate firewalls or proxy servers may block communication between Social Intents and Slack
Agent replies not reaching the visitor
Solutions:
- Reply in the right channel - The agent must respond in the per-chat channel (the dedicated channel created for that conversation), not in the general notification channel
- Check if the chat is still active - If the visitor closed their browser or the chat timed out, messages will not be delivered
- Do not use threads - Reply directly in the channel, not in a Slack thread. Messages in threads may not be picked up by Social Intents
Channel Issues
Per-chat channels not being created
Solutions:
- The bot needs the
channels:manage(or equivalent) permission to create channels. Reauthorize the app if this permission is missing - Slack workspaces on certain plans may have limits on the number of channels. Check if your workspace has hit a channel limit
Channels not being archived after chat ends
Channels should archive automatically when a chat is closed. If they are not archiving:
- Check that agents are closing chats properly (using the
/endcommand or closing from the widget) - If a chat times out without the agent explicitly ending it, the channel may remain open. You can manually archive old chat channels in Slack
Escalation routing sends chats to the wrong channel
Solutions:
- Review each escalation action's target channel in AI Actions
- Make sure the AI chatbot is enabled (routing requires AI to trigger the escalation action)
- Check that routing instruction descriptions are distinct enough for the AI to differentiate between routes
Notification Issues
No notification sound or banner
- Check Slack notification settings for the channel: right-click the channel > Change notifications
- Check app-level notification settings in Slack: Preferences > Notifications
- Make sure Do Not Disturb is not active
- On mobile, verify Slack has push notification permission in your device settings
Widget Issues
Chat widget not appearing on the website
- Check the script tag - View your page source (Ctrl+U or Cmd+U) and confirm the Social Intents script is present
- Test without ad blockers - Open the page in an incognito/private window with extensions disabled
- Check Content Security Policy - If your site uses CSP headers, add
socialintents.comtoscript-src - Check operating hours - The widget may be hidden outside configured hours
Getting Help
If these solutions do not resolve your issue:
- Collect your widget ID, Slack workspace name, channel name, and any error messages from the browser console (F12 > Console)
- Contact Social Intents support through your dashboard