OpenClaw·Intermediate·Last tested: 2026-03·~15 min read

How to Create a New OpenClaw Agent on Slack

This guide walks through creating a new specialized OpenClaw agent and connecting it to Slack as an independent bot. The same process applies to any new agent — just change the names.

Prerequisites

OpenClaw installed and running on your server
An existing main agent already connected to Slack
Admin access to your Slack workspace
Terminal/SSH access to your OpenClaw server

Part 1: Create the Agent in OpenClaw

Step 1: Add the agent

Run the agent creation wizard:

openclaw agents add sales-agent

The wizard will prompt you through several options.

Step 2: Copy auth profiles

When prompted:

Copy auth profiles from "main"?

Select Yes. This copies your existing API keys and OAuth tokens so the new agent can connect to your LLM provider immediately. The copy is independent — changing tokens on one agent won't affect the other.

Step 3: Configure the model

When prompted:

Configure model/auth for this agent now?

Select Yes and enter your preferred model. For a conversational agent, anthropic/claude-sonnet-4-6 offers a good balance of quality and cost. Reserve Opus for agents that need deep reasoning.

Step 4: Set the agent identity

openclaw agents set-identity --agent sales-agent --name "Sales Agent"

Step 5: Verify creation

openclaw agents list --bindings

You should see your new agent listed alongside existing agents, each with its own workspace and agent directory.

Part 2: Create a Slack Bot

Each OpenClaw agent gets its own Slack bot. Your team sees separate bot identities in Slack — they DM one bot for sales, another for general tasks, etc.

Step 1: Create a new Slack App

Go to api.slack.com/apps
Click Create New App → From scratch
Name it (e.g., "Sales Agent")
Select your workspace

Tip

If you already have a manifest from an existing bot, use Create New App → From manifest and change the name. This saves time on scope and event configuration.

Step 2: Enable Socket Mode

In the sidebar, click Socket Mode
Toggle it on
Click Generate Token and Scopes
Name it openclaw-socket
Add the connections:write scope
Click Generate
Copy the App-Level Token (starts with xapp-)

Step 3: Configure Bot Token Scopes

Go to OAuth & Permissions → Bot Token Scopes and add:

| Scope | Purpose | |-------|---------| | chat:write | Send messages | | channels:history | Read channel messages | | channels:read | Discover channels | | im:history | Read DMs | | im:read | Discover DMs | | im:write | Open DM conversations | | users:read | Resolve user names | | reactions:read | See reactions | | reactions:write | Acknowledge reactions | | files:write | Upload files | | files:read | Read shared files | | app_mentions:read | Respond to @mentions | | assistant:write | Typing indicators in threads | | commands | Slash commands |

Go to Event Subscriptions → toggle on → under Subscribe to bot events, add:

app_mention
message.channels
message.groups
message.im
message.mpim
reaction_added
reaction_removed
member_joined_channel
member_left_channel
channel_rename
pin_added
pin_removed

Step 5: Enable App Home

Go to App Home → enable Messages Tab (required for DMs to work).

Step 6: Install the App

Go to Install App
Click Install to Workspace
Authorize when prompted
Copy the Bot User OAuth Token (starts with xoxb-)

You now have two tokens:

| Token | Format | Where to find it | |-------|--------|-------------------| | App-Level Token | xapp-1-... | Basic Information → App-Level Tokens | | Bot Token | xoxb-... | OAuth & Permissions → Bot User OAuth Token |

Part 3: Connect the Bot to OpenClaw

Step 1: Configure multi-account Slack

Your Slack configuration needs to support multiple accounts. Update openclaw.json from single-bot to multi-account:

Before (single bot):

"slack": {
  "enabled": true,
  "mode": "socket",
  "botToken": "xoxb-main-token",
  "appToken": "xapp-1-main-token",
  "groupPolicy": "allowlist"
}

After (multiple bots):

"slack": {
  "enabled": true,
  "mode": "socket",
  "groupPolicy": "allowlist",
  "streaming": "partial",
  "nativeStreaming": true,
  "channels": {
    "your-channel-name": {
      "requireMention": true
    }
  },
  "accounts": {
    "main": {
      "botToken": "xoxb-main-token",
      "appToken": "xapp-1-main-token"
    },
    "sales": {
      "botToken": "xoxb-sales-token",
      "appToken": "xapp-1-sales-token"
    }
  }
}

Key points:

Shared settings (mode, groupPolicy, streaming) stay at the top level
Per-bot tokens go inside accounts
The account key name (e.g., "sales") is what you'll use in bindings

Step 2: Create the routing binding

openclaw agents bind --agent sales-agent --bind slack:sales

If your main agent doesn't have an explicit Slack binding yet, add one:

openclaw agents bind --agent main --bind slack:main

Step 3: Restart and verify

openclaw gateway restart
openclaw channels status --probe
openclaw agents list --bindings

Part 4: Approve Slack Pairing

When someone sends the first DM to the new bot in Slack, OpenClaw generates a pairing code that needs approval.

Step 1: Check pending requests

openclaw pairing list slack

Step 2: Approve the pairing code

openclaw pairing approve slack <CODE> --account sales

Replace <CODE> with the actual code shown in the pairing list.

Step 3: Test

Send another message to the bot in Slack. It should now respond.

Part 5: Configure the Workspace

The agent is running but generic. Give it a personality and domain knowledge by editing its workspace files.

cd ~/.openclaw/workspace-sales-agent

SOUL.md — Who the agent is

Define the persona, tone, and boundaries:

# Sales Agent

You are the sales intelligence agent for the team.

## Personality
- Professional, knowledgeable, commercially minded
- Direct but warm — you're helping the sales team close deals

## Domain expertise
- Your product domain and pricing models
- B2B sales processes and pipeline management
- Customer onboarding flows

## Boundaries
- Never share internal pricing with external parties
- Never make commitments on behalf of the company
- Escalate legal or compliance questions to the team

[ ] openclaw agents list --bindings shows the new agent with correct binding
[ ] openclaw channels status --probe shows both Slack accounts connected
[ ] DM to the new bot in Slack gets a response
[ ] @mention in a channel gets a response (if channel is in allowlist)
[ ] The agent responds with the correct persona (not the main agent's personality)
[ ] Workspace files (SOUL.md, AGENTS.md) are customized

Troubleshooting

Bot doesn't respond in channels

Check groupPolicy — if set to allowlist, the channel must be listed in channels
Verify requireMention — channel messages are mention-gated by default
Invite the bot to the channel: /invite @BotName

Bot doesn't respond in DMs

Check pairing status: openclaw pairing list slack
Verify App Home → Messages Tab is enabled in Slack app settings

Socket Mode won't connect

Verify both tokens are correct (xapp- and xoxb-)
Regenerate the App-Level Token if it was created before Socket Mode was enabled

Messages go to the wrong agent

Run openclaw agents list --bindings to verify routing
Check that bindings reference the correct accountId
More specific bindings should be listed before general ones

Agent responds but with generic personality

Edit SOUL.md in the agent's workspace directory
Restart the gateway after changes: openclaw gateway restart