Setting up Guru's App for Slack

Guru's Slack app brings your team's knowledge directly into the place where work happens. Once connected, Guru can answer questions automatically in channels, let teammates search and share Cards without switching tools, capture knowledge from conversations, and keep content verified — all without leaving Slack.

This article covers everything a Guru Admin needs to install the app, connect channels, and configure Knowledge Agents for AI-powered answers.

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Access Required

• You must be a Guru workspace Admin or hold a relevant custom role to install the Slack app and configure Knowledge Agents.
• You may also need Slack admin permissions depending on your organization's app approval settings.

What Guru can do in Slack

Once installed and configured, Guru's Slack integration enables the following:

• AI-powered answers. Connect a Knowledge Agent to a channel and Guru will automatically suggest answers to questions — no command needed. Teammates can also tag @guru directly for on-demand answers, including follow-up questions in threads.
• Search and share Cards. Anyone with a Guru license can use the /guru slash command to search for Cards and share them in any channel or DM.
• Capture knowledge from conversations. Teammates with Creator access can turn any Slack message into a Guru Card directly from the message menu — without leaving Slack.
• Verify Cards in Slack. Assigned verifiers can review and verify Cards from the Guru app's Home tab or via DM with @guru, so verification tasks get done where work already happens.
• Activity feeds. Admins can set up feeds that post new Cards and folders to designated Slack channels, keeping teams informed as the knowledge base grows.

Installing the Guru app for Slack

1. Navigate to Manage > Apps and Integrations in the Guru web app.
2. Click Slack and select Add Slack workspace.
3. Follow the prompts to authenticate and connect Guru to your Slack workspace.
4. Guru matches users by email address:
   • If emails match between Slack and Guru, the user is automatically linked.
   • If there's a mismatch, a Guru Admin can manually link accounts — see Linking users below.
5. When setup is complete, the Guru app will introduce itself in Slack.

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Note

For Enterprise Grid, select the correct Slack workspace from the dropdown in the top right during setup.

Inviting Guru to Slack channels

Guru must be added to any channel where you want it to respond to questions or post activity feed updates.

To invite Guru to a channel:

• Type /invite @guru in the channel, or
• Go to Channel settings > Integrations > Add apps and select Guru.

Guru can be added to both public and private channels.

Connecting Knowledge Agents to Slack channels

Knowledge Agents are the engine behind Guru's AI answers in Slack. When a Knowledge Agent is connected to a channel, it automatically detects questions and suggests answers using its configured sources and prompt — no slash command required.

You can connect Guru's default Knowledge Agent (which has access to all Collections and sources) or a custom Knowledge Agent scoped to specific content.

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Tip

Not sure which to use? Start with the default Knowledge Agent to get answers flowing quickly. Create custom agents when a channel serves a specific audience with focused knowledge needs — for example, an HR channel that should only draw from HR-related content.

Connect the default Knowledge Agent

1. Make sure Guru has been invited to the channel (see above).
2. Navigate to Manage > Knowledge Agents.
3. Select Guru's Default Knowledge Agent.
4. Click the Slack Channel tab.
5. Search for and select the channel you want to connect.
6. Review the Limit responses to sources shared with All Members setting (see below) and adjust as needed.
7. Click Save.

Connect a custom Knowledge Agent

1. Make sure Guru has been invited to the channel (see above).
2. Navigate to Manage > Knowledge Agents.
3. Select an existing Knowledge Agent or create a new one with the appropriate sources, permissions, and response prompt.
4. Click the Slack Channel tab.
5. Search for and select the channel you want to connect.
6. Review the Limit responses to sources shared with All Members setting and adjust as needed.
7. Click Save.

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Tip

You can connect multiple channels to the same Knowledge Agent, or connect different agents to different channels — whatever maps to how your teams are organized.

Understanding the "Limit responses" setting

The Limit responses to sources shared with All Members toggle controls what content Guru draws from when answering questions in Slack.

• Enabled (recommended for most channels). Guru only uses content accessible to everyone in the workspace, so there's no risk of surfacing restricted information to users who don't have access. If Guru can't find an answer within that scope, it tells the user and explains why responses are limited in Slack.
• Disabled. Guru draws from all sources the Knowledge Agent has access to. Permissions are still respected per user — but be aware that the answer text is visible to everyone in the channel, even users who don't have access to the underlying source.

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Note

Seeing different answers in Slack compared to the Guru web app? The Limit responses to sources shared with All Members setting may be the cause. Admins can adjust it under Manage > Knowledge Agents > [Agent name] > Slack Channel tab.

How Guru answers questions in Slack

Once a Knowledge Agent is connected to a channel, Guru suggests answers automatically when it detects a question. Here's what to know about how this works in practice:

• Automatic suggestions appear in the channel when Guru detects a question. All channel members can see suggested answers, but only users with linked Guru accounts can take actions like marking answers helpful, searching Guru, or viewing source Cards.
• Threads and DMs. Automatic suggestions do not appear in threads or DMs. To get an answer in a thread, tag @guru directly — for example, @guru how do I request time off?. Guru will respond with context from the thread taken into account.
• Follow-up questions. After Guru responds in a thread, you can keep asking follow-up questions by tagging @guru again. You don't need to repeat context — Guru tracks the conversation.
• If Guru is removed from a channel, the Knowledge Agent will stop providing answers there.

Managing admin tools and commands

Admins can manage the Slack integration using commands in Slack directly.

View available admin commands

Send a DM to @guru with the message help admin — or go to the Messages tab in the Guru app in Slack and type help admin.

Linking users

If Guru didn't automatically link a user during setup:

1. Open your DM with the Guru app (listed under "Apps" in Slack's left nav).
2. Type the following command, replacing the placeholder values: link user @SlackUsername GuruEmailAddress
3. Press Enter.

Viewing team configuration

To see which Slack users are linked to Guru accounts, type show team config in your DM with the Guru app — or click Show Team in the Guru Slack app.

Frequently asked questions

What happens if the admin who installed Guru leaves? Guru will assign another admin as the integration owner. If no admin is available, the Slack integration will be disabled. A new admin can reinstall it under Manage > Apps and Integrations.

Can I link one Guru workspace to multiple Slack workspaces? Yes. You can link one Guru workspace to multiple Slack workspaces. However, you cannot link one Slack workspace to multiple Guru workspaces unless you use Slack Enterprise Grid.

Why do I see "you cannot associate this Slack team with another Guru team"? This error means your Slack team was previously linked to a different Guru workspace. Contact Guru Support for help resolving it.

Why didn't Guru suggest an answer? Check the following:

• Is the Guru app connected under Manage > Apps and Integrations?
• Has Guru been invited to the channel with /invite @guru?
• Is the channel connected to a Knowledge Agent?
  • If yes: does the person asking have the correct permissions?
  • If yes: is Limit responses to sources shared with All Members enabled, and does the relevant content meet that criteria?
• Is the user linked to a Guru account? Use help admin to check.
• Was the message phrased as a question? Guru detects question intent — a ? isn't required, but the phrasing should read like a question.
• Was the question asked in a thread or DM? Use @guru to trigger a response in those contexts.

Can I review past questions and answers? Yes. Admins and Knowledge Agent Owners can review questions and answers in the AI Agent Center.