create-slack-bots

Create, update, and manage Slack bot apps entirely from the command line — no clicking through the Slack admin UI.

Uses the Slack App Manifest API to programmatically create and update fully-configured apps with bot users, OAuth scopes, event subscriptions, and Socket Mode in a single command.

Why?

Setting up a Slack app through the web UI means clicking through a dozen pages every time. This script turns that into one command: define your config, run it, get credentials back. Need to change something later? Update it the same way — no UI required.

Quick Start

1. Get your config tokens

Go to api.slack.com/apps, scroll to "Your App Configuration Tokens", click "Generate Token", and select your workspace. You'll get an Access Token and a Refresh Token.

2. Set credentials

# Option A: environment variables
export SLACK_CONFIG_TOKEN="xoxe.xoxp-..."
export SLACK_CONFIG_REFRESH_TOKEN="xoxe-..."

# Option B: .env file (auto-loaded)
cp .env.example .env
# edit .env with your tokens

3. Create a bot

python create_bot.py --name "My Bot"

That's it. The script rotates your config token, validates the manifest, creates the app, and prints the credentials you need.

CLI Options

python create_bot.py [options]

Options:
  --app-id ID           Target an existing app to update (omit to create new)
  --export              Export an app's current manifest (use with --app-id)
  --name NAME           App name shown in Slack (default: "My Custom Bot")
  --display-name NAME   Bot @username in conversations
  --description TEXT    Short app description
  --icon PATH           Path to an image file to use as the app icon
  --no-socket-mode      Use HTTP request URLs instead of Socket Mode
  --request-url URL     Events/interactivity URL (with --no-socket-mode)
  --dry-run             Print the manifest JSON and exit — nothing is created/updated
  -h, --help            Show help

Creating Apps

# Create with a custom name
python create_bot.py --name "Deploy Bot"

# Set a profile picture
python create_bot.py --name "Deploy Bot" --icon avatar.png

# Preview the manifest without creating anything
python create_bot.py --name "Test Bot" --dry-run

# Create an HTTP-mode bot (no Socket Mode)
python create_bot.py --name "Webhook Bot" --no-socket-mode --request-url "https://example.com/slack/events"

Updating Existing Apps

Pass --app-id to target an existing app. The script exports its current manifest, applies only the fields you specify, and pushes the update — so you don't have to redefine everything.

# Rename an app
python create_bot.py --app-id A0123ABCDEF --name "New Name"

# Update the description and icon
python create_bot.py --app-id A0123ABCDEF --description "Does deploys" --icon new_icon.png

# Preview what would change without applying
python create_bot.py --app-id A0123ABCDEF --name "New Name" --dry-run

Exporting Manifests

Dump the current manifest of any app you own — useful for inspection or backup.

python create_bot.py --app-id A0123ABCDEF --export

How It Works

Create Flow

1. Rotates your config token — Slack config tokens expire every 12 hours; the script handles this automatically and prints the new refresh token.
2. Builds an app manifest — Declarative JSON that defines scopes, events, features, and bot user configuration.
3. Validates the manifest — Catches errors before creation via apps.manifest.validate.
4. Creates the app — Calls apps.manifest.create and returns your new app's credentials (Client ID, Client Secret, Signing Secret).
5. Sets the app icon (optional) — Uploads a profile picture via apps.icon.set.

Update Flow

1. Rotates your config token
2. Exports the current manifest — Fetches the app's live config via apps.manifest.export.
3. Applies your changes — Only the fields you specified via CLI flags are patched in; everything else stays untouched.
4. Shows a diff — Prints exactly what changed before proceeding.
5. Validates and updates — Pushes the merged manifest via apps.manifest.update.
6. Sets the app icon (optional)

After Creation

The script prints next steps, but in short:

1. Go to your app at https://api.slack.com/apps/<APP_ID>
2. If using Socket Mode: generate an App-Level Token with connections:write scope
3. Install the app to your workspace using the OAuth URL printed by the script
4. Grab your Bot User OAuth Token (xoxb-...) from OAuth & Permissions

Customization

Edit the BotConfig dataclass in create_bot.py to change defaults for new apps:

• bot_scopes — OAuth permission scopes (full list)
• bot_events — Event subscriptions (full list)
• slash_commands — Register slash commands at creation time
• socket_mode — Toggle between Socket Mode and HTTP request URLs

Requirements

• Python 3.10+
• No third-party dependencies — uses only the standard library

License

MIT