Using the AI Agent in Slack

Overview

The AI Knowledge Agent integrates directly into Slack, allowing your team to get answers from the knowledge base without leaving their workspace. You can interact with the agent through direct messages or by mentioning it in channels.

Before using the agent in Slack, your workspace admin must install the Kowiki Slack app. See Slack Integration Setup for installation instructions.

Asking questions via direct message

1. Open a DM with the Kowiki bot in Slack.
2. Type your question in natural language and send it.
3. The agent processes your question and responds with an answer and citations.

DM conversations are private to you. The agent's responses are visible only in your direct message thread.

Example interaction

You: What's the process for requesting a new software license?

Kowiki: To request a new software license, submit a ticket through the IT Service Desk portal. Include the software name, business justification, and your manager's approval. Requests are reviewed within 3 business days.

📄 Sources: IT Policies → Software Requests, IT Service Desk → Ticket Categories

Asking questions in a channel

You can @mention the Kowiki bot in any channel where it has been added:

1. Type @Kowiki followed by your question in the channel.
2. The agent replies in a thread attached to your message.
3. Other channel members can see the question and answer.

This is useful when a team question arises in conversation and you want the answer visible to everyone present.

Example interaction

You (in #engineering): @Kowiki How do we rotate API keys for the payment gateway?

Kowiki (in thread): API keys for the payment gateway are rotated through the Admin Console under Settings → Integrations → Payment Gateway. Generate a new key, update the environment variable in your deployment config, then revoke the old key. Allow 5 minutes for propagation.

📄 Sources: Engineering Runbooks → Payment Gateway, Deployment Guide → Environment Variables

Follow-up questions in threads

To ask follow-up questions, reply in the same Slack thread. The agent maintains conversation context within a thread, so it understands references to earlier messages.

1. After receiving an answer, click Reply in thread on the agent's message.
2. Type your follow-up question in the thread.
3. The agent responds with context from the full thread history.

Starting a new message outside the thread begins a fresh conversation with no prior context.

How responses appear

Agent responses in Slack include:

• A natural language answer formatted as a standard Slack message
• Source citations as linked page titles at the bottom of the message
• A 📄 icon preceding source references for visual clarity

Long answers may be truncated with a "View full answer" link back to the web wiki.

Permissions

The agent only accesses content the asking user has permission to view. Your Slack identity is mapped to your Kowiki account, and section-level permissions are enforced on every query.

If you ask about a topic documented in a restricted section you cannot access, the agent responds as if that content does not exist. It never leaks information from restricted pages.

Learn more about access controls in Section-Level Permissions.

Troubleshooting

• Bot does not respond — Verify the Kowiki app is installed in your Slack workspace and that the AI Knowledge Agent is enabled in workspace settings.
• "Feature not available" message — Your workspace may be on a plan that does not include the AI agent. Check Plans Overview.
• Missing answers for content you know exists — Confirm you have access to the section containing that content in Kowiki.