Slack

Connect Tembo to Slack to trigger background tasks with any coding agent (Claude Code, Codex, OpenCode, Amp, Cursor, etc.).

Installation

1. Install

   Navigate to the Integrations page in Tembo and click the Install button next to Slack.

2. Authorize Slack Permissions

   Authorize Tembo to access your Slack workspace. The bot requires the following permissions:

   Permission	Purpose
   app_mentions:read	Detect when users mention @tembo
   channels:history	Read messages in public channels for context
   channels:read	Access basic channel information
   chat:write	Send messages and status updates
   commands	Handle slash commands
   files:write	Share diff images and code snippets
   groups:history	Read messages in private channels for context
   groups:read	Access private channel information
   im:history	Read direct messages for context
   im:read	Access direct message information
   im:write	Send direct messages
   mpim:history	Read group direct messages for context
   mpim:read	Access group direct message information
   mpim:write	Send group direct messages
   reactions:write	Add status indicators to messages
   users:read	Access user information for personalization

   You’ll be redirected back to the Integrations page when authorization is complete.

3. Configure Repositories

   Ensure you have connected your GitHub, GitLab, or Bitbucket repositories to Tembo first, as these will be available for selection in Slack commands.

4. Set Preferences

   After installation, you can select a default repository for Slack tasks.

   

Usage

Basic Commands

Start a Background Coding Agent

@tembo [your task description]

Example:

@tembo Fix the authentication bug in the login flow

Advanced Command Options

Tembo supports flexible command syntax with multiple options. You can use either bracket format or inline format:

Bracket Format

@tembo [option1=value1, option2=value2] [your task description]

Example:

@tembo [branch=dev, repo=owner/webapp, agent=claudeCode:claude-4-5-sonnet] Add password strength validation

Available Options

• branch= - Specify the base branch for the PR

  • Example: branch=main, branch=develop, branch=feature/auth

• repo= - Target a specific repository

  • Example: repo=owner/repository, repo=myorg/webapp

• agent= - Specify which coding agent and model to use (format: agentType:model)

  • Example: agent=claudeCode:claude-4-5-sonnet, agent=codex:gpt-5-medium
  • Supported coding agents: claudeCode, codex, opencode, amp, cursor
  • If no coding agent is specified, Tembo uses your organization’s default configuration
  • See Coding Agents documentation for all available options

Coding Agent Selection

Tembo automatically determines the best coding agent for your task based on your organization’s configuration. Here’s how the selection works:

Default Behavior:

• If you don’t specify an agent, Tembo uses your organization’s default agent configuration
• You can set organization-wide defaults in the Settings page
• Individual repositories can override these defaults in their settings

Specifying an Agent:

@tembo [agent=claudeCode:claude-4-5-sonnet] Your task description here

Examples by Task Type:

// Quick bug fix with Claude Code & Haiku
@tembo [agent=claudeCode:claude-4-5-haiku] Fix the null pointer exception in utils/parser.ts

// Complex refactoring with Cursor & Grok
@tembo [agent=cursor:grok] Refactor the authentication system to use OAuth2

// Frontend work with OpenCode & Opus
@tembo [agent=opencode:claude-4.1-opus] Add responsive design to the dashboard component

Thread Context Utilization

When you mention @tembo in a thread, the coding agent automatically:

• Reads the entire conversation history
• Understands the context from previous messages
• Incorporates team discussions into the solution

Supported Triggers

Tembo reacts to Slack interactions and maps them to automation triggers (use a slack.* naming convention in your triggerName, e.g., slack.app_mention). The Integrations page in the app shows the live set enabled for your org. Supported events:

• app_mention
• slash_command
• message_action
• thread_reply

See Automations for how to create triggers from Slack events.

Status Updates

Tembo keeps you informed throughout the task lifecycle:

Reaction indicators on your message:

• ⌛️ Hourglass - Tembo is working on the task
• ✅ Check mark - Task completed successfully
• ❌ X mark - Task failed or encountered an error

Direct messages for longer tasks:

• Progress updates as the coding agent works
• Pull request links when code changes are ready
• Error details if the task cannot be completed

Channel updates when complete:

• Links to generated pull requests with summary of changes

Best Practices

Write clear, specific task descriptions:

Good examples:

@tembo Add error handling to the user registration endpoint
@tembo Optimize the product search query by adding an index on the name column

Less effective:

@tembo Fix the bug
@tembo Make it faster

Use threads for collaboration:

1. Team discusses the problem and potential approaches in a thread
2. When ready, mention @tembo with the final task description
3. Tembo reads the full thread context and incorporates the discussion