Not Seeing Slack Chat Messages in your Channel?

Troubleshooting: Slack Channel Not Appearing or Receiving Live Chat Requests

Are you having trouble seeing some of your Slack channels in the Live Chat Settings in Social Intents, or have you selected a channel but aren't receiving live chat messages in it?

You're in the right place.

This guide will walk you through how to ensure your Slack channels are properly set up to receive chat messages from your website using the Live Chat for Slack integration.

Why Can't I See or Route to My Slack Channel?

Due to recent updates to Slack’s API and privacy model, channels must explicitly include the @livechat bot in order to be visible in the Social Intents channel list and to receive live chat messages.

If you're not seeing a Slack channel in your settings or your selected channel isn't receiving chats, the most common cause is that the @livechat bot hasn't been added to that channel.

Step-by-Step: How to Add the @livechat Bot to Your Slack Channel

Let’s say you've just created a new Slack channel called #mynewchatchannel and want to route live chat requests from your website to this channel. Follow these steps:

1. Open the Channel in Slack

Navigate to your new channel (e.g., #mynewchatchannel) in Slack.

2. Invite the @livechat Bot

In the message input field, type @livechat to bring up the Live Chat bot. You should see the bot in the dropdown list with a message like "This app isn’t in the channel yet."

Tip: If you don’t see the bot listed, make sure the Live Chat for Slack app is installed in your workspace.

3. Add the Bot to the Channel

Click the @livechat bot from the dropdown and press Enter or click the send icon. Slack will display a dialog saying the app is not in the channel.

Click the green “Add to Channel” button to invite the bot.

Once added, the bot will be listed as a member of the channel.

Now the bot is a member of the channel and you can not only pick the channel in the chat routing settings, but your chats will be sent to this channel in Slack.

Confirm in Social Intents

After adding the bot:

  1. Go back to the Live Chat Settings in Social Intents.
  2. Open the Routing or Slack Integration section.
  3. You should now see the newly added channel (e.g., #mynewchatchannel) in the dropdown.
  4. Select it to route new chats to this channel.

Send a Test Chat

To confirm everything’s working:

  • Go to your website with the live chat widget enabled.
  • Start a new chat session.
  • Confirm that the chat message appears in the Slack channel you've selected.

Need More Help?

If you're still not seeing your channels or receiving chats after following the steps above:

  • Double-check that the Slack app is properly authorized and not removed.
  • Reconnect the Slack integration in your Integrations tab in Social Intents.
  • Reach out to our support team via live chat.

Pro Tip: You can route different chats to different Slack channels based on website page URL or department.