Go to Slack
Documentation Tutorials Twitter

app_mention event

Subscribe to only the message events that mention your app or bot

Compatibility: Events API

Expected scopes:
app_mentions:read  
{
    "type": "app_mention",
    "user": "U061F7AUR",
    "text": "<@U0LAN0Z89> is it everything a river should be?",
    "ts": "1515449522.000016",
    "channel": "C0LAN2Q65",
    "event_ts": "1515449522000016"
}

This app event allows your app to subscribe to message events that directly mention your bot user.

Your Slack app must have a bot user configured and installed to use this event.

If a user mentions your app in a conversation that your app isn't party to, the user has the option to invite your app to the conversation. In that case, you'll receive an app_mention event for the invite.

You'll receive only the messages pertinent to your app with this event. If your app is mentioned but not part of a conversation (and not invited to join), you won't receive an event.

The app_mention event is not a message like the message.* event types. However, your app can treat its contents similarly.

Messages sent to your app in direct message conversations are not dispatched via app_mention, whether the app is explicitly mentioned or otherwise. Subscribe to message.im events to receive messages directed to your bot user in direct message conversations.

Example event payloads

app_mention events are just like other message events sent over the Events API, but their type indicates app_mention.

Whether your app has just been invited to a channel or is receiving a mention after it's already in a channel, the format and shape is the same.

Read on for more detail on the two scenarios with full Events API envelopes.

App mention that invites your app to a channel

When your app is directly invited to a channel as a result of being mentioned, you'll receive that inciting message as an app_mention:

{
    "token": "ZZZZZZWSxiZZZ2yIvs3peJ",
    "team_id": "T061EG9R6",
    "api_app_id": "A0MDYCDME",
    "event": {
        "type": "app_mention",
        "user": "W021FGA1Z",
        "text": "You can count on <@U0LAN0Z89> for an honorable mention.",
        "ts": "1515449483.000108",
        "channel": "C0LAN2Q65",
        "event_ts": "1515449483000108"
    },
    "type": "event_callback",
    "event_id": "Ev0MDYHUEL",
    "event_time": 1515449483000108,
    "authed_users": [
        "U0LAN0Z89"
    ]
}

You'll need to monitor your app's channel membership separately from this event. Consider subscribing to member_joined_channel events too.

Standard app mention when your app is already in channel

Here's the happiest path: you're already part of a conversation and your app is mentioned. It can respond freely after receiving an event like this:

{
    "token": "ZZZZZZWSxiZZZ2yIvs3peJ",
    "team_id": "T061EG9R6",
    "api_app_id": "A0MDYCDME",
    "event": {
        "type": "app_mention",
        "user": "U061F7AUR",
        "text": "What is the hour of the pearl, <@U0LAN0Z89>?",
        "ts": "1515449522.000016",
        "channel": "C0LAN2Q65",
        "event_ts": "1515449522000016"
    },
    "type": "event_callback",
    "event_id": "Ev0LAN670R",
    "event_time": 1515449522000016,
    "authed_users": [
        "U0LAN0Z89"
    ]
}

Events API compatibility

Subscribe to this event via the Events API.

Events of this type will be wrapped in metadata when sent via the Events API.

As an app event, subscriptions require no specific OAuth permission scope.

Unavailable in the RTM API

This event type is compatible only with the Events API.

Was this page helpful?

Â