Slack Thread Mover Bot

A Slack bot to move or delete entire threads from one channel to another, preserving the original authors' names and avatars.

Features

• Move Threads: Copy an entire thread from one public or private channel to another.
• Delete Threads: Delete an entire thread from a channel.
• Preserve Authorship: When moving a thread, messages are posted with the original author's name and profile picture.
• Avoid Notification Spam: User and channel mentions are de-linked in the copied thread to prevent re-notifying users.
• Easy to Use: A simple message shortcut opens a modal to select the action and destination channel.
• Permission Tester: Includes a /test-permissions slash command to diagnose setup issues.

Project Structure

The project is organized with a clear separation of concerns to make it easier to maintain and extend.

• index.js: The main entry point for running the bot locally. It imports the handlers and starts the Bolt app.
• lambda.js: The entry point for the AWS Lambda deployment. It configures the app for a serverless environment.
• serverless.yml: Configuration file for the Serverless Framework, defining the deployment settings for AWS Lambda.
• src/: Contains the core application logic.
  • app.js: Initializes and configures the Slack Bolt app and the user WebClient.
  • handlers/: Contains the handlers for different Slack events.
    • commandHandler.js: Handles the /test-permissions slash command.
    • shortcutHandler.js: Handles the copy_thread_shortcut message shortcut.
    • viewHandler.js: Handles the submission of the copy_thread_modal.
  • services/: Contains services that abstract away external API calls.
    • slackService.js: A dedicated service for all interactions with the Slack API, such as fetching messages, posting messages, and deleting messages.
  • utils/: Contains utility functions that can be reused across the application.
    • mentionUtils.js: Provides functions to strip mentions from messages to prevent re-notifying users.

How it Works

The bot is triggered by a message shortcut ("Copy Thread"). It then opens a modal asking the user if they want to:

1. Move the thread: Copies all messages to a new channel and then deletes the original thread.
2. Delete the thread: Deletes all messages in the original thread without copying them.

To perform these actions, the bot uses two types of Slack tokens:

• A Bot Token for most actions like reading messages, posting messages, and getting user information.
• A User Token for deleting messages, which requires higher privileges.

Prerequisites

• Node.js (v14 or later recommended)
• A Slack workspace where you have permission to install and manage apps.
• ngrok or another tunneling service for local development to expose your local server to Slack's API.

Setup and Installation

1. Create a Slack App

1. Go to the Slack API website and click "Create New App".
2. Choose "From scratch", give your app a name (e.g., "Thread Mover"), and select your workspace.

2. Configure Permissions (Scopes)

Navigate to the "OAuth & Permissions" page in your app's settings. You need to add scopes for both the bot and the user.

Bot Token Scopes:

Add the following scopes under "Bot Token Scopes":

• commands: To add slash commands and shortcuts.
• chat:write: To post messages as the bot.
• conversations:history: To read messages in channels where the bot is a member.
• users:read: To access user profiles for names and avatars.
• conversations:read: To get channel information.
• conversations:members: To check channel membership.

User Token Scopes:

Add the following scopes under "User Token Scopes":

• chat:write: To delete messages. Important: The user who authorizes this token must have permission to delete messages in the channels where the bot will be used. This usually means they are a Workspace Admin/Owner.

After adding scopes, you'll need to (re)install the app to your workspace.

3. Get Your Tokens and Secrets

1. Bot Token: On the "OAuth & Permissions" page, you'll find the "Bot User OAuth Token" (starts with xoxb-).
2. User Token: You also need to install the app as a user to get a "User OAuth Token" (starts with xoxp-). Make sure you are installing it as a user with admin/owner privileges.
3. Signing Secret: On the "Basic Information" page, find your "Signing Secret" under "App Credentials".

4. Configure Message Shortcut

1. Go to the "Interactivity & Shortcuts" page.
2. Make sure "Interactivity" is turned ON.
3. Under "Shortcuts", click "Create New Shortcut".
4. Select "On a message".
5. Fill in the details:
   • Name: Copy Thread
   • Short description: Move or delete a thread.
   • Callback ID: copy_thread_shortcut
6. Click "Create".

5. Configure Slash Command

1. Go to the "Slash Commands" page.
2. Click "Create New Command".
3. Fill in the details:
   • Command: /test-permissions
   • Short Description: Check if the bot has the right permissions.
   • Usage Hint: Run in a channel to test.
4. Click "Save".

6. Set up Request URLs

When you run the bot (either locally with ngrok or on a server), you'll have a public URL. Slack needs this URL to send events.

• Interactivity & Shortcuts Request URL: Set this to https://your-public-url.com/slack/events.
• Slash Commands Request URL: Set this to https://your-public-url.com/slack/events.

7. Local Project Setup

1. Clone this repository.
2. Install dependencies:

   npm install

3. Create a .env file in the root of the project and add your credentials:

   SLACK_BOT_TOKEN=xoxb-...
   SLACK_USER_TOKEN=xoxp-...
   SLACK_SIGNING_SECRET=...
   

Running the Bot

Locally

1. Start the app:

   node index.js

   The bot will be running on port 3000 by default.

2. Expose your local server to the internet using ngrok:

   ngrok http 3000

3. Use the https URL provided by ngrok as the base for your Request URLs in the Slack App configuration (e.g., https://xxxx-xx-xxx-xx-xx.ngrok.io/slack/events).

Deployment (AWS Lambda)

This project is configured for serverless deployment to AWS Lambda using the Serverless Framework.

1. Install the Serverless CLI: npm install -g serverless
2. Configure your AWS credentials.
3. Deploy the function:

   serverless deploy

4. The output will give you an API Gateway URL. Use this URL for your Slack App's Request URLs.
5. You will also need to configure the environment variables (SLACK_BOT_TOKEN, SLACK_USER_TOKEN, SLACK_SIGNING_SECRET) in your serverless.yml file or directly in the Lambda function's configuration in the AWS Console.

Usage

1. Invite the Bot: Invite the bot to any channel you want to manage threads in.
2. Move a Thread:
   • Hover over any message in a thread.
   • Click the "More actions" (three dots) button.
   • Select "Copy Thread".
   • In the modal that appears, select "Move thread to another channel".
   • Choose a destination channel.
   • Click "Execute".
3. Delete a Thread:
   • Follow the same steps as above.
   • In the modal, select "Just delete thread (no copy)".
   • Click "Execute".
4. Test Permissions:
   • In any channel the bot is in, type /test-permissions.
   • The bot will reply with a summary of its current permissions and token status.