How to Integrate IBM Watson with Slack

Prerequisites

• Create an IBM Cloud account if you do not have one.

 

• Set up a Slack workspace where you have permissions to manage apps and integrations.

 

• Install Node.js on your local machine, as you will need it for running a simple server.

Set Up IBM Watson Assistant

• Log in to your IBM Cloud account and navigate to the Watson Assistant service.

 

• Create a new Watson Assistant instance if you haven't already.

 

• Once your instance is running, click on it to go to the service dashboard.

 

• Create an Assistant in Watson if you haven't already and capture the API Key and URL from the settings.

Create a Slack App

• Go to the Slack API portal at Slack Apps Dashboard.

 

• Click on "Create New App" and choose "From Scratch."

 

• Fill out the app name and select the Slack workspace you want to integrate with.

 

• After creating the app, navigate to "Bot Users" and create a bot user.

 

• Under "OAuth & Permissions", give your bot the necessary permissions such as "chat:write", "chat:read", etc., and install the app to your workspace.

 

• Copy the Bot User OAuth Token for future use.

Set Up Local Development

• Create a new folder and navigate into it using the terminal.

 

• Initialize a new Node.js project using the command:

  ```shell
  npm init -y
  ```
  

 

• Install the required dependencies:

  ```shell
  npm install @slack/bolt dotenv axios
  ```
  

Configure Environment Variables

• Create a `.env` file in your project directory and add the following:

  ```
  SLACK_BOT_TOKEN=your-slack-bot-token
  SLACK_SIGNING_SECRET=your-slack-signing-secret
  WATSON_API_KEY=your-watson-api-key
  WATSON_URL=your-watson-service-url
  ```
  

   

  Create the Integration Code

   

  • Create an `index.js` file in your project directory and add the following code:

    ```javascript
    require('dotenv').config();
    const { App } = require('@slack/bolt');
    const axios = require('axios');

    const slackApp = new App({
    token: process.env.SLACK_BOT_TOKEN,
    signingSecret: process.env.SLACK_SIGNING_SECRET
    });

    slackApp.message(async ({ message, say }) => {
    if (message.subtype && message.subtype === 'bot_message') {
    return;
    }

    try {
      const response = await axios.post(
        `${process.env.WATSON_URL}/v1/workspaces/your-workspace-id/message?version=2021-06-14`,
        {
          input: { text: message.text }
        },
        {
          auth: {
            username: 'apikey',
            password: process.env.WATSON_API_KEY
          }
        }
      );
    
      const watsonMessage = response.data.output.text[0];
      await say(watsonMessage);
    
    } catch (error) {
      console.error('Error communicating with Watson:', error);
    }
    

    });

    (async () => {
    await slackApp.start(process.env.PORT || 3000);
    console.log('Slack app is running!');
    })();
    ```

    Replace your-workspace-id with your actual Watson Workspace ID.

   

  Run and Test your Integration

   

  • Start your Slack app using the command:

    ```shell
    node index.js
    ```
    

   

  • Send a message in your Slack workspace to trigger the bot and receive a response from Watson.

   

  Ensure Your App is Always Running

   

  • Consider using a cloud service like AWS, Heroku, or IBM Cloud Functions to host your Node.js server.

   

  • Make sure to configure any necessary environment variables in your cloud environment.

   

  This guide should help you create and test a basic integration between IBM Watson and Slack, using Node.js to facilitate the interaction. Adjust permissions and intents in Watson as well as Slack as needed per your specific use-case.