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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

Note: Single Sign-On (SSO) is currently disabled in the development environment. Please sign up using a standard email address and password. We recommend using an email address that does not require Google SSO authentication.

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.

What Data Aida Has Access To

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

1. SkillCycle Data (MongoDB / Platform Data)

Aida can access:

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

  • Performance-related data stored in SkillCycle

2. Conversation Memory (Within SkillCycle)

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.

Prerequisites

Before starting, ensure the following requirements are met:

Platform Requirements

  • Your organization is using SkillCycle.

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

Required Permissions

To complete the setup, you need:

  • SkillCycle Administrator permissions to enable Aida.

  • Slack Workspace Administrator permissions to install the Slack app.

  • Users must have active SkillCycle accounts.

Recommended Slack Permissions

The Slack workspace administrator should be able to approve third-party applications.

Part 1: Enable Aida in SkillCycle Admin - Only SkillCycle Administrators

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

  1. Find the Enable Aida 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.

Part 2: Enable Aida and Slack Integration in the Organization Settings - SkillCycle or Client Administrators

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:

  • Enable Aida

  • 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.

Part 3: Connect Individual User Accounts - Users

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.

  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.

Part 4: 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.

Part 5: 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.

Example

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

Aida responds within the same thread, preserving context.

Part 6: 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.

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?”

Part 7: 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.

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.

Evo nadopunjena i preciziran verzija user guide-a:

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 ephemeral 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.

Workspace App Visibility (Important Clarification)

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.

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.

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 (will keep it updated as you guys ask and answer questions so we can help future users.)

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.

Intended behavior:

1. It should always answer follow up quesitons

2. It should always have the same behavior of “Aida is thinking…” at the bottom of a response

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

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

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.

Immediate confirmation message

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

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.

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