How to Connect Slack to n8n in Minutes

Overview

In this tutorial you’ll learn how to:

1. Create a Slack app from scratch.
2. Add the necessary bot token scopes.
3. Install the app to your workspace.
4. Create two n8n credentials – one OAuth2 and one API token.
5. Configure Slack event subscriptions and a webhook URL.
6. Test the integration by mentioning the bot in a channel.

Prerequisites

• A Slack workspace where you have admin rights.
• An n8n instance (self‑hosted or n8n.cloud).
• Basic knowledge of Slack app settings.

Step‑by‑Step Instructions

1. Create a New Slack App

1. Go to api.slack.com/apps.
2. Click Create New App → From scratch.
3. Name the app (e.g., YouTube) and select your workspace.
4. Click Create App.

2. Add Bot Token Scopes

1. In the left menu, open OAuth & Permissions.
2. Under Bot Token Scopes, add:
   • app_mentions:read
   • channels:history
   • channels:read
   • chat:write
   • groups:read
3. (Optional) Add any additional scopes you need.

3. Install the App to Your Workspace

1. Still in OAuth & Permissions, scroll to OAuth Tokens & Redirect URLs.
2. Click Install to Workspace.
3. Click Allow.
4. Copy the Bot User OAuth Token – you’ll need it later.

4. Create n8n Credentials

4.1 OAuth2 Credential

1. In n8n, click Credentials → New Credential → Slack OAuth2 API.
2. Paste the Redirect URL shown in n8n into Slack’s Redirect URLs (under OAuth & Permissions → Redirect URLs).
3. Save.
4. Click Connect My Account → Allow to finish the OAuth flow.

4.2 API Token Credential

1. In n8n, create another credential: Slack API.
2. Paste the Bot User OAuth Token from step 3 into the Access Token field.
3. Save and test – it should succeed.

5. Configure Event Subscriptions

1. In Slack, go to Event Subscriptions.
2. Toggle Enable Events to On.
3. In Request URL, paste the Webhook URL from the Slack Trigger node in n8n.
   • If you’re using the test URL, click Test Step in n8n and then Retry in Slack.
4. Under Subscribe to Bot Events, click Add Bot User Event and select app_mention.
5. Save changes.

6. Build a Simple n8n Workflow

1. Add a Slack Trigger node.
2. Select the OAuth2 credential you created.
3. Choose a channel to listen to (e.g., #general).
4. Add a Slack node to send a reply (optional).
5. Activate the workflow.

7. Test the Integration

1. In the chosen Slack channel, type @YourAppName test.
2. Invite the bot to the channel if prompted.
3. Observe the trigger firing in n8n and the bot responding.

Tips & Gotchas

• Only one Request URL is allowed per Slack app. Use the test URL first, then switch to the production URL once verified.
• If the webhook test fails, ensure the n8n instance is publicly reachable (e.g., via ngrok or a public domain).
• The OAuth2 credential is required for actions (sending messages), while the API token credential is needed for the trigger node.
• Remember to invite the bot to any channel it needs to operate in; otherwise you’ll see not in channel errors.
• For security, enable Request Signature Verification by copying the Signing Secret from Slack’s Basic Information into the n8n credential.

This guide follows the exact steps shown in Austin Reed’s video, including the order of operations and the specific scopes used.