Finding and sharing knowledge in Slack

Guru's Slack integration gives your team two ways to access knowledge without leaving Slack: AI-powered answers from a Knowledge Agent, and search using the /guru slash command. You can also share Cards directly in response to teammates' questions.

This article covers how each mode works and who can use it. To set up Knowledge Agents in Slack first, see Setting up Guru's app for Slack.

Getting AI-powered answers in Slack

When a Knowledge Agent is connected to a Slack channel, Guru automatically detects questions and suggests answers using its configured sources - no command required.

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Note

Knowledge Agents must be connected to a channel by a Guru Admin before AI answers are available there. See Setting up Guru's app for Slack.

Ask @guru a question

In any channel where a Knowledge Agent is active, tag @guru with your question to get an answer on demand:

@guru how do I submit an expense report?

Guru will respond with an AI-generated answer, including references to the source Cards it used.

A few things to know:

• Visibility. Suggested answers are visible to everyone in the channel — including teammates who don't have a Guru account.
• Interaction. Only users with linked Guru accounts can take actions on an answer, such as marking it helpful, marking it unhelpful, or viewing the source Card.
• No Knowledge Agent connected? If the channel doesn't have a Knowledge Agent, @guru won't respond with an AI answer. Use the /guru slash command to search instead.

Ask follow-up questions in a thread

When Guru responds in a Slack channel, you can continue the conversation in that thread by tagging @guru again with a follow-up question. Guru takes the thread context into account — you don't need to repeat yourself.

A few things to know about how threads work:

• Only tagged messages count. Only messages that explicitly tag @guru are used as context. Other messages in the thread that don't include @guru are not considered.
• Permissions apply per person. If multiple people are asking in the same thread, each person only sees answers based on the sources they individually have access to.
• Automatic suggestions don't appear in threads. Guru only detects questions and auto-suggests answers in the main channel feed. In threads, always use @guru explicitly to trigger a response.
• Answers are unfurled. Guru's responses in threads are fully visible without needing to expand them.
• Each question is logged separately in the AI Agent Center with a direct link back to the Slack message.

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Note

Automatic answer suggestions don't appear in DMs either. Tag @guru directly in a DM to get an answer.

Searching Guru with the slash command

The /guru slash command lets you proactively search Guru's knowledge base from any Slack channel or DM — useful when you want to find and share a specific Card rather than ask a freeform question.

Use the /guru command

1. Type /guru [your search term] in any channel or DM.
2. Choose from the available actions:
   • Post to this channel. Share the Card directly in the conversation.
   • View Card. Preview the Card content privately — only you see it.
   • Next. See the next search result.
   • Edit search/filters. Refine your results by Collection or Tag.

You can also search from the Messages tab of the Guru app in Slack.

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Tip

Use /guru when you already know what you're looking for and want to share it with a teammate. Use @guru when you have a question and want Guru to find and synthesize an answer for you.

Answering a teammate's question with a Card

If a teammate asks a question in Slack and you know there's a Guru Card that answers it, you can reply directly with that Card using Slack's message actions — without leaving the conversation.

1. Click the three dots (⋯) on the message you want to reply to.
2. Select Answer with Card.
   • If you don't see it, click More message shortcuts… and search for "Answer with Card."
3. Search for the relevant Card.
4. Click Post to share it in the channel.

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Note

Posting a Card shares it as a message in the channel. Depending on your Slack settings, that message can be deleted by the person who posted it or by a Slack Admin — this doesn't affect the Card itself in Guru.

Who can see and interact with Guru content in Slack

Suggested answers

Shared Cards

When a Card is posted in a Slack channel using /guru or Answer with Card, what channel members see depends on permissions:

• If the "All Members" group has access to the Card's Collection and the Guru app is in the channel, the Card displays a preview with the title, verification status, a content snippet, and a link to view it.
• If the "All Members" group does not have access, channel members see a basic Card link with no preview.
• If the person sharing the Card doesn't have access to it, Slack shows a basic URL with no preview.

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Tip

If your team sees bare links instead of Card previews in Slack, check that the All Members group has access to the relevant Collection and that the Guru app has been invited to the channel.

Frequently asked questions

Who can search Guru content in Slack? Only users with a Guru license and a linked Slack account can search and share Cards using /guru and interact with Knowledge Agent answers using @guru.

Who can connect a Knowledge Agent to a Slack channel? Admins, Creators, and users with a relevant custom role can connect Knowledge Agents to Slack channels. See Setting up Guru's app for Slack.

Why isn't Guru responding to questions in my channel? The channel may not have a Knowledge Agent connected. Check your Knowledge Agent configuration under Manage > Knowledge Agents. See Setting up Guru's app for Slack for setup steps.

Can I use Guru in a Slack DM? Yes — use /guru to search and share Cards in a DM. For AI answers, tag @guru directly. Automatic answer suggestions don't appear in DMs.

Can I see what questions people have asked Guru in Slack? Yes. Admins and Knowledge Agent Owners can review questions and answers in the AI Agent Center.