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Slack Integration User Guide

This guide explains how to enable and use the Aida Slack integration within the SkillCycle platform. (Internal SkillCycle instructions as well as Client Admin and User Instructions included)

Written by Tori Coakley

Introduction

This guide explains how to enable and use the Aida Slack integration within the SkillCycle platform.

By following the steps in this guide, administrators can:

  • Enable Aida for their organization.

  • Connect their Slack workspace.

  • Allow employees to connect their individual accounts.

  • Use Aida in public Slack channels and within the private Aida app conversation.

Aida helps users ask questions, summarize discussions, and receive coaching insights directly within Slack.

Instructions for Adding Aida to Slack

Prerequisites

Before starting, ensure the following requirements are met:

Platform Requirements

Your organization is using SkillCycle: app.skillcycle.com

Aida is enabled for your organization in the SkillCycle Admin panel.

Required Permissions

To complete the setup for your organization, you need:

  • SkillCycle Administrator permissions to enable Aida.

  • Slack Workspace Administrator permissions to install the Slack app. (who should be able to approve third party applications)

  • Individual employees/users must have active SkillCycle accounts.

SkillCycle Admin (on behalf of clients): Enable Aida in SkillCycle for Client Organization

Step 1: Open the Clients Page

  1. Sign in to SkillCycle Admin.

  2. Navigate to Clients.

  3. Locate the desired client.

  4. Click the Edit (pencil) icon.

Step 2: Enable Aida for Slack

  1. Find the Enable Aida for Slack option.

  2. Turn the setting on.

  3. Save the changes.

Once Aida is enabled at the SkillCycle Admin level, it becomes available for configuration within the client organization.

Client Administrators: Enable Aida and Slack Integration in the Organization Settings

Step 1: Open Organization Settings

  1. Sign in to the client organization.

  2. Navigate to Admin.

  3. Select Settings.

Step 2: Enable Integration

Scroll to the Aida Integration section and enable:

  • Ensure Aida is enabled

  • Enable Aida for Slack

Step 3: Connect the Slack Workspace

  1. Click Connect Slack Workspace.

  2. The Slack authorization (consent) page opens.

  3. Click Accept & Continue.

  4. Review the requested permissions.

  5. Click Allow.

After installation is complete, the Slack workspace is connected to SkillCycle.

Employee/Users: Connect Individual Employee/User Accounts

After the Slack workspace has been connected, each user must authorize their own account.

Step 1: Open the Home Page

  1. Sign in to SkillCycle app.skillcycle.com

  2. Navigate to the Home page.

  3. Click Connect Now.

Step 2: Select Slack

  1. Choose Slack as the integration option.

  2. Click Connect.

Step 3: Authorize Access

  1. Review the Slack consent page.

  2. Click Accept.

Step 4: Confirm Connection

After authorization:

  • A confirmation message is displayed.

  • A verification link may be shown.

Your SkillCycle account is now linked to Slack.

How to Use Aida in Slack

Add Aida to a Slack Channel

Once the integration is complete, Aida can be added to public channels.

Option 1: Use the /invite Command

In Slack, run:

/invite @Aida

Option 2: Mention Aida

  1. Type @Aida in the channel.

  2. Slack prompts you to add the app to the channel.

  3. Confirm the action.

After Aida is added, you can mention it directly in the conversation. When chatting with Aida within a channel, always type "@Aida" to engage in conversation.

Ask Questions in Public Channels

After adding Aida to a channel, mention the bot and ask a question.

In channels, Aida only responds when it is explicitly mentioned using @Aida. This is consistent with how communication works in Slack generally-just as you would mention a colleague in a channel when you want to direct a message to them, Aida also needs to be mentioned each time you want it to respond.

In channels, Aida only responds when it is explicitly mentioned using @Aida. This is consistent with how communication works in Slack generally-just as you would mention a colleague in a channel when you want to direct a message to them, Aida also needs to be mentioned each time you want it to respond.

Example

"@Aida How can I track progress in my focus areas in a measurable way?"

Aida responds within the same thread, preserving context.

Use Aida in Private Chat

Aida also supports one-on-one conversations.

Use Aida in the Private App Conversation

Aida also supports one-on-one conversations within its dedicated Slack app.

Open the App

  1. In Slack, locate Aida in the Apps section.

  2. Click the Aida app icon.

  3. Select Open App.

This opens a private conversation with Aida, where you can ask questions directly and continue ongoing discussions.

In a private 1:1 conversation with Aida, no mention is required because the context makes it clear that all messages are intended for Aida.

Examples of Good Usage (Recommended Patterns)

1. Contextual Analysis

  • “Based on feedback in #engineering, what are my main improvement areas?”

  • “Summarize recurring themes from last month in #team-updates”

2. Time-Bound Queries

  • “What did we discuss in #product between May 1–May 10?”

  • “Show leadership-related feedback from the last 2 weeks”

3. SkillCycle Data + Slack Combination

  • “Based on my feedback and #demo-channel discussions, what should I focus on improving?”

View Conversation History

To access previous conversations:

  1. Open the Aida app.

  2. Click the History tab.

  3. Select a previous conversation.

You can continue the conversation as long as the integration remains connected.

Referencing Other Slack Channels

In private conversations, you can ask Aida to analyze content from specific channels.

Example Prompts

  • Can you help me improve my relationship with coworkers based on the content in #demo-channel?

  • I was away. Could you summarize the main topics discussed in #demo-channel over the past two weeks?

  • Can you draft a communication improvement plan based on the January 6 discussion in #demo-channel?

  • Can you summarize yesterday’s discussions about communication in #demo-channel?

  • Based on this year’s discussions in #demo-channel, how can I improve my leadership skills?

Notes and Tips

  • Only workspace administrators can install the Slack app.

  • Each user must connect their own SkillCycle account.

  • Aida can be used in both public channels and private conversations.

  • Conversation history remains available unless the integration is disconnected.

How Conversation Context Works

Aida maintains context in two ways:

Thread Context

When used in a Slack thread, Aida understands previous messages within that thread.

Private Chat Context

In direct messages, Aida remembers the ongoing conversation and responds based on earlier interactions.

Disconnect / Opt-Out

Users can disconnect their Slack integration at any time using the following slash command:

/skillcycle-disconnect

This action:

  • Immediately revokes Slack integration access

  • Stops all future data synchronization

  • Removes the active connection between Slack and the user’s SkillCycle account

Important Notes

  • Slack slash commands can only be executed in a public channel

  • Slash commands cannot be used in message threads

  • Slash commands cannot be used in a direct message (private chat) with the Aida Slack app

  • As a result, /skillcycle-disconnect must be run directly in a Slack channel

How to Confirm the Disconnect Was Successful

After running /skillcycle-disconnect, Slack will display an temporary confirmation message indicating that the account has been successfully disconnected.

Once disconnected:

  • The Slack integration is fully disabled at the account level

  • The user will no longer have an active SkillCycle connection in Slack

  • However, the Aida Slack app will still remain installed in the workspace UI (this is standard Slack behavior for third-party apps and does not indicate an active connection)

Any future attempt to interact with Aida will return the following response (example for development environment):

We need to set you up first! Please sign in to your Aida profile at https://dev.app.skillcycle.com to connect your Slack account.

This message confirms that there is no longer an active link between the user’s Slack account and SkillCycle.

How to Remove the SkillCycle Aida App After Disconnecting

Even after a successful disconnect, the Slack app may still appear in the workspace.

This is expected behavior in Slack. To fully remove the app from the workspace UI, a workspace admin can manually remove it via:

  • Open the Slack app in the workspace

  • Go to Configuration

  • Select Remove App

Note: This step is not required for disconnection to work - it only affects UI visibility.

Alternative Option

Users may also disconnect their Slack integration at any time through the SkillCycle web application.

Troubleshooting

"Connect Slack Workspace" Button Is Not Visible

Ensure that:

  • Aida is enabled in SkillCycle Admin.

  • Enable Aida for Slack is turned on in organization settings.

Slack Authorization Fails

Verify that you have Slack workspace administrator permissions.

Users Cannot Connect Their Accounts

Check that:

  • The Slack workspace has been successfully connected.

  • Users have active SkillCycle accounts.

  • Users completed the Slack consent process.

Aida Does Not Respond in a Channel

Confirm that:

  • Aida has been added to the channel.

  • You are mentioning @Aida.

  • The integration is still connected.

Frequently Asked Questions

Question: Do all users need to connect their accounts?

  • Yes. Each user must authorize Slack access individually.

Question: Can Aida access messages from other channels?

  • Yes, if the Slack app has the necessary permissions and the user references the channel explicitly.

Question: Can I continue previous conversations?

  • Yes. Use the History tab in the Aida app to reopen and continue prior discussions.

Question: When Aida is added to a Slack channel, it is added successfully and responds successfully, but when there is a follow up question answered, Aida doesn’t appear to be thinking as it normally does in 1 to 1 chats. At the bottom of the chatbox it says “Aida is thinking….” when you ask a first question. I had to “@ Aida” again, to get an answer.

  • Yes, this is the expected behavior in public Slack channels.

Question: What can I look for to confirm it is completely disconnected? Is there a way to tell in Slack? The Aida channel is still there even if it is disconnected. I did confirm, as a member I no longer can connect my user profile or have that section on my Home page.

  • Yes - there are two clear ways to confirm that the Slack account has been successfully disconnected.

  1. Immediate confirmation message: After running /skillcycle-disconnect, Slack displays an ephemeral confirmation message indicating that the account has been successfully disconnected.

  2. Follow-up message behavior: After the disconnection, any attempt to send a message to Aida (either in a channel or in a direct message) will result in a response indicating that no SkillCycle account is currently connected. So, if you see the confirmation message and Aida subsequently informs you that your account is not connected, that confirms the disconnect was successful.

Data Access & Usage

What Data Aida Has Access To

Aida can only operate on a defined and restricted set of information sources.

1. SkillCycle/Platform Data

Aida can access to:

  • User profile information (e.g., name, organization)

  • Performance-related data stored in SkillCycle

2. SkillCycle Platform Conversation Memory

Aida maintains limited contextual memory, which includes:

  • Ongoing conversation context within the same thread

  • Key extracted insights from prior interactions

  • Aggregated coaching signals (e.g., recurring strengths, focus areas)

Important limitation:

  • Memory is not persistent across unrelated sessions unless explicitly stored as structured data in SkillCycle

  • It does not function like a full chat history database

3. Slack Context

Aida can access:

  • Messages in channels where it has been explicitly added

  • Messages referenced directly in user prompts (e.g., #channel-name queries)

However:

  • Slack messages are not automatically indexed or stored for cross-session reuse

  • Aida does not build a global Slack memory

Data Isolation Between Slack and Web App

Key Rule

  • Slack conversations are not shared with the Aida web application memory layer

  • Web app interactions do not automatically transfer into Slack context

Important Clarification

  • Only explicitly stored memory or structured SkillCycle data is shared across surfaces

  • Free-form Slack chat history is not used by the web app

Reverse Direction

  • If you interact with Aida in the web app, those conversations:

    • Are not directly accessible in Slack

    • Can only influence Slack responses if:

      • They were persisted as structured memory (e.g., insights, summaries, feedback signals)

In short: only shared memory (not raw chat history) propagates across Slack and web.

Direct Messages (DMs)

Aida does not support interactions within Slack Direct Messages (DMs). This includes both:

  • Adding Aida to a DM conversation

  • Referencing, accessing, or responding to messages that originate from DMs (whether user-to-user or group DMs)

Aida is designed to operate only within Slack channels where it has been explicitly installed and configured. As a result, it has no visibility into DM content and cannot retrieve or act on information shared in private conversations.

Legal & Disclaimers

Disclaimer: Aida uses AI to support your growth — but like any AI tool, it's not perfect. Responses may occasionally be inaccurate or miss important context. Use Aida as a starting point, not a final answer.

Link to SkillCycle's Privacy Policy

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