Argument	Type	Description
`token`Required	token	Authentication token bearing required scopes. Tokens should be passed as an HTTP Authorization header or alternatively, as a POST parameter. Example`xxxx-xxxxxxxxx-xxxx`
`channel_id`Required	string	The channel to set the prefs for Example`C1234`
`prefs`Required	string	The prefs for this channel in a stringified JSON format. Example`{'who_can_post':'type:admin,user:U1234,subteam:S1234'}`

This method supports application/json via HTTP POST. Present your token in your request's Authorization header. Learn more.

Example responses

Common successful response

Typical success response

{
    "ok": true
}

This Admin API method sets the posting permissions for a channel.

This API method for admins may only be used on Enterprise Grid.

This method controls two permissions. One is who can post messages in a channel. The other is who can post inside threads in a channel.

To set either of those two permissions, you'll use the prefs argument with some stringified JSON. "Stringified JSON" means JSON with white space removed and fields marked by single quotations. Since this argument won't contain more complex characters, you don't need to do further encoding.

For example, to set who can post messages, use the who_can_post field inside your prefs argument:

"prefs": "{'who_can_post':'type:admin,user:U1234,subteam:S1234'}"

Inside your stringified JSON for who_can_post, you can specify who the permission applies to in a few different ways.

One is by type: you can set posting permissions to include all admin users, or just all users in general.

Another way to specify who the permission applies to is with a group: for example, subteam:S1234.

Finally, you can specifically list users who have the permission: user:U1234.

The can_thread field works exactly the same inside the prefs object, only it determines who can respond in threads. You can pass both who_can_post and can_thread to the prefs argument in this method at the same time.

For example:

"prefs": "{'who_can_post':'type:admin,user:U1234,subteam:S1234','can_thread':'type:user'}"

Note: calling this method requires that you—the user associated with your app's token—have permission to change conversation preferences. You can see or change the users who have permission in your Org’s Channel Management settings dashboard.

This admin scope is obtained through version two of the OAuth V2 flow, but there are a few additional requirements. The app requesting this scope must be installed by an admin or Owner of an Enterprise Grid organization. Also, the app must be installed on the entire org, not on an individual workspace. See below for more details.

Admin API endpoints reach across an entire Enterprise Grid organization, not individual workspaces.

For a token to be imbued with Admin scopes, it must be obtained from installing an app on the entire Grid org, not just a workspace within the organization.

To configure and install an app supporting Admin API endpoints on your Enterprise Grid organization:

Create a new Slack app. Your app will need to be able to handle a standard OAuth 2 flow.
In the app's settings, select OAuth & Permissions from the left navigation. Scroll down to the section titled Scopes and add the admin.* scope you want. Click the green Save Changes button.
In the app's settings, select Manage Distribution from the left navigation. Under the section titled Share Your App with Other Workspaces, make sure all four sections have the green check. Then click the green Activate Public Distribution button.
Under the Share Your App with Your Workspace section, copy the Sharable URL and paste it into a browser to initiate the OAuth handshake that will install the app on your organization. You must be logged in as an admin or Owner of your Enterprise Grid organization to install the app.
Check the dropdown in the upper right of the installation screen to make sure you are installing the app on the organization, not an individual workspace within the organization. See the image below for a visual.
Once your app completes the OAuth flow, you will be granted an OAuth token that can be used for calling Admin API methods for your organization.

When installing an app to use an Admin API endpoint, be sure to install it on your Grid organization, not a workspace within the organization.

Errors

This table lists the expected errors that this method could return. However, other errors can be returned in the case where the service is down or other unexpected factors affect processing. Callers should always check the value of the ok params in the response.

Error	Description
`feature_not_enabled`	The Admin APIs feature is not enabled for this team
`not_an_admin`	The token provided is not associated with an org admin
`channel_not_found`	Value passed for `channel` was invalid.
`channel_type_not_supported`	Value passed for `channel` was a group dm, direct message, or general channel
`restricted_action`	A workspace preference prevents the authenticated user from archiving.
`missing_scope`	The token used is not granted the specific scope permissions required to complete this request.
`could_not_set_channel_pref`	Setting the preference or permission failed.
`default_org_wide_channel`	Returned when you try to modify a default org wide channel.
`invalid_value`	Value passed for the preferences are invalid
`not_authed`	No authentication token provided.
`invalid_auth`	Some aspect of authentication cannot be validated. Either the provided token is invalid or the request originates from an IP address disallowed from making the request.
`account_inactive`	Authentication token is for a deleted user or workspace when using a `bot` token.
`token_revoked`	Authentication token is for a deleted user or workspace or the app has been removed when using a `user` token.
`no_permission`	The workspace token used in this request does not have the permissions necessary to complete the request. Make sure your app is a member of the conversation it's attempting to post a message to.
`org_login_required`	The workspace is undergoing an enterprise migration and will not be available until migration is complete.
`ekm_access_denied`	Administrators have suspended the ability to post a message.
`not_allowed_token_type`	The token type used in this request is not allowed.
`method_deprecated`	The method has been deprecated.
`deprecated_endpoint`	The endpoint has been deprecated.
`two_factor_setup_required`	Two factor setup is required.
`enterprise_is_restricted`	The method cannot be called from an Enterprise.
`is_bot`	This method cannot be called by a bot user.
`invalid_arguments`	The method was either called with invalid arguments or some detail about the arguments passed are invalid, which is more likely when using complex arguments like blocks or attachments.
`invalid_arg_name`	The method was passed an argument whose name falls outside the bounds of accepted or expected values. This includes very long names and names with non-alphanumeric characters other than `_`. If you get this error, it is typically an indication that you have made a very malformed API call.
`invalid_array_arg`	The method was passed an array as an argument. Please only input valid strings.
`invalid_charset`	The method was called via a `POST` request, but the `charset` specified in the `Content-Type` header was invalid. Valid charset names are: `utf-8` `iso-8859-1`.
`invalid_form_data`	The method was called via a `POST` request with `Content-Type` `application/x-www-form-urlencoded` or `multipart/form-data`, but the form data was either missing or syntactically invalid.
`invalid_post_type`	The method was called via a `POST` request, but the specified `Content-Type` was invalid. Valid types are: `application/json` `application/x-www-form-urlencoded` `multipart/form-data` `text/plain`.
`missing_post_type`	The method was called via a `POST` request and included a data payload, but the request did not include a `Content-Type` header.
`team_added_to_org`	The workspace associated with your request is currently undergoing migration to an Enterprise Organization. Web API and other platform operations will be intermittently unavailable until the transition is complete.
`invalid_json` [hidden]	The method was called via a `POST` request with `Content-Type` `application/json`, but the body was not valid JSON.
`json_not_object` [hidden]	The method was called via a `POST` request a valid JSON body, but the JSON value was not an object.
`ratelimited`	The request has been ratelimited. Refer to the `Retry-After` header for when to retry the request.
`accesslimited`	Access to this method is limited on the current network
`request_timeout`	The method was called via a `POST` request, but the `POST` data was either missing or truncated.
`upgrade_required` [hidden]	The calling application needs to be upgraded.
`service_unavailable`	The service is temporarily unavailable
`fatal_error`	The server could not complete your operation(s) without encountering a catastrophic error. It's possible some aspect of the operation succeeded before the error was raised.
`internal_error`	The server could not complete your operation(s) without encountering an error, likely due to a transient issue on our end. It's possible some aspect of the operation succeeded before the error was raised.

Warnings

This table lists the expected warnings that this method will return. However, other warnings can be returned in the case where the service is experiencing unexpected trouble.

Warning	Description
`missing_charset`	The method was called via a `POST` request, and recommended practice for the specified `Content-Type` is to include a `charset` parameter. However, no `charset` was present. Specifically, non-form-data content types (e.g. `text/plain`) are the ones for which `charset` is recommended.
`superfluous_charset`	The method was called via a `POST` request, and the specified `Content-Type` is not defined to understand the `charset` parameter. However, `charset` was in fact present. Specifically, form-data content types (e.g. `multipart/form-data`) are the ones for which `charset` is superfluous.

API response

URL

POST body

Submit your arguments to see the API response

Was this page helpful?