Why Ingest Slack Data?
Capture Tribal Knowledge
Answers buried in Slack threads become searchable knowledge
Trusted User Filtering
Only index threads answered by experts or senior team members
Keyword Filtering
Include or exclude threads based on specific words
Auto-Sync
Backfill jobs automatically import new conversations on a schedule
What Gets Indexed
| Content Type | What’s Included |
|---|---|
| Threads | Full thread conversations with all replies |
| Messages | Message content from selected channels |
| Time Range | Filter by date range (custom or predefined) |
| Filtering | Include/exclude by keywords or trusted users |
Setup
Step 1: Create a Slack App
Create New App
- Go to Slack API Apps and click Create New App
- Select From scratch
- Enter a name (e.g., “Gurubase Backfill”)
- Choose your Slack workspace
- Click Create App
Add Bot Permissions
Go to OAuth & Permissions → Bot Token Scopes and add:
| Scope | Purpose |
|---|---|
channels:history | Read public channel messages |
groups:history | Read private channel messages |
channels:join | Join public channels |
channels:read | Get public channel names |
groups:read | Get private channel names |
Step 2: Connect to Gurubase
Navigate to Slack Integration
Go to Gurubase Dashboard → Select your Guru → Integrations → Ingestions → Slack
Configuring a Backfill Job
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| Channel ID | The Slack channel to index (see below for how to find it) |
| Time Range | Custom date range or predefined (last 7 days, 30 days, etc.) |
| Trusted User IDs | Only index threads answered by these users |
| Include Words | Only index threads containing these keywords |
| Exclude Words | Skip threads containing these keywords |
Finding a Channel ID
Right-click on a channel → View channel details → The Channel ID is shown at the bottom of the modal.