chat.scheduleMessage

View other methods

Schedules a message to be sent to a channel.

Reference docs Sample code Tester

Facts

Method access

HTTP

JavaScript

Python

Java

HTTP

POSThttps://slack.com/api/chat.scheduleMessage

Bolt for Java

app.client().chatScheduleMessage

Bolt for Python

app.client.chat_scheduleMessage

Bolt for JavaScript

app.client.chat.scheduleMessage

Required scopes

Bot tokenschat:write

User tokenschat:writechat:write:userchat:write:bot

Legacy bot tokensbot

Content types

application/x-www-form-urlencodedapplication/json

Rate limits

Tier 3

Arguments

Required arguments

token

token

·Required

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

string

·Required

Channel, private group, or DM channel to send message to. Can be an encoded ID, or a name. See below for more details.

Example

C1234567890

post_at

integer

·Required

Unix EPOCH timestamp of time in future to send the message.

Example

299876400

text

string

·Required

How this field works and whether it is required depends on other fields you use in your API call. See below for more detail.

Example

Hello world

Optional arguments

as_user

boolean

·Optional

Set to true to post the message as the authed user, instead of as a bot. Defaults to false. Cannot be used by new Slack apps. See chat.postMessage.

Example

true

attachments

string

·Optional

A JSON-based array of structured attachments, presented as a URL-encoded string.

Example

[{"pretext": "pre-hello", "text": "text-world"}]

blocks

blocks[] as string

·Optional

A JSON-based array of structured blocks, presented as a URL-encoded string.

Example

[{"type": "section", "text": {"type": "plain_text", "text": "Hello world"}}]

link_names

boolean

·Optional

Find and link user groups. No longer supports linking individual users; use syntax shown in Mentioning Users instead.

Example

true

metadata

string

·Optional

JSON object with event_type and event_payload fields, presented as a URL-encoded string. Metadata you post to Slack is accessible to any app or user who is a member of that workspace.

Example

{"event_type": "task_created", "event_payload": { "id": "11223", "title": "Redesign Homepage"}}

parse

string

·Optional

Change how messages are treated. See chat.postMessage.

Example

full

reply_broadcast

boolean

·Optional

Used in conjunction with thread_ts and indicates whether reply should be made visible to everyone in the channel or conversation. Defaults to false.

Example

true

thread_ts

string

·Optional

Provide another message's ts value to make this message a reply. Avoid using a reply's ts value; use its parent instead.

unfurl_links

boolean

·Optional

Pass true to enable unfurling of primarily text-based content.

Example

true

unfurl_media

boolean

·Optional

Pass false to disable unfurling of media content.

Example

false

Usage info

This method schedules a message for delivery to a public channel, private channel, or direct message/IM channel at a specified time in the future.

The post_at argument is a Unix timestamp, representing the time the message should post to Slack in the future.

Think of chat.scheduleMessage and chat.postMessage as two siblings in the Slack family. They share a lot of similarities, like their ability to send messages and include various features like attachments and emojis. But just like siblings, they also have their differences.

The usage of the text field changes depending on whether you're using blocks. If you are using blocks, this is used as a fallback string to display in notifications. If you aren't, this is the main body text of the message. It can be formatted as plain text, or with mrkdwn.

Restrictions

You will only be able to schedule a message up to 120 days into the future. If you specify a post_at timestamp beyond this limit, you’ll receive a time_too_far error response. Additionally, you cannot schedule more than 30 messages to post within a 5-minute window to the same channel. Exceeding this will result in a restricted_too_many error.

The response includes the scheduled_message_id assigned to your message. Use it with the chat.deleteScheduledMessage method to delete the message before it is sent.

For details on formatting, usage in threads, and rate limiting, check out chat.postMessage documentation.

Channels

You must specify a public channel, private channel, or IM channel with the channel argument. Each one behaves slightly differently based on the authenticated user's permissions and additional arguments:

Post to a channel

You can either pass the channel's name (#general) or encoded ID (C123456), and the message will be posted to that channel. The channel's ID can be retrieved through the channels.list API method.

Post to a DM

Pass the IM channel's ID (D123456) or a user's ID (U123456) as the value of channel to post to that IM channel as the app. The IM channel's ID can be retrieved through the im.list API method.

You might receive a channel_not_found error if your app doesn't have permission to enter into an IM with the intended user.

Example responses

Common successful response

Typical success response

{
    "ok": true,
    "channel": "C123ABC456",
    "scheduled_message_id": "Q1298393284",
    "post_at": "1562180400",
    "message": {
        "text": "Here's a message for you in the future",
        "username": "ecto1",
        "bot_id": "B123ABC456",
        "attachments": [
            {
                "text": "This is an attachment",
                "id": 1,
                "fallback": "This is an attachment's fallback"
            }
        ],
        "type": "delayed_message",
        "subtype": "bot_message"
    }
}

Common error response

Typical error response if the post_at is invalid (ex. in the past or too far into the future)

{
    "ok": false,
    "error": "time_in_past"
}

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
`channel_not_found`	Value passed for `channel` was invalid.
`is_archived`	Channel has been archived.
`invalid_blocks`	Blocks submitted with this message are not valid
`invalid_blocks_format`	The `blocks` is not a valid JSON object or doesn't match the Block Kit syntax.
`invalid_metadata_format`	Invalid metadata format provided
`invalid_metadata_schema`	Invalid metadata schema provided
`invalid_time`	value passed for `post_time` was invalid.
`message_limit_exceeded`	Members on this team are sending too many messages. For more details, see https://slack.com/help/articles/115002422943-Usage-limits-for-free-workspaces
`metadata_must_be_sent_from_app`	Message metadata can only be posted or updated using an app token
`metadata_too_large`	Metadata exceeds size limit
`msg_too_long`	Message text is too long
`no_text`	No message text provided
`not_in_channel`	Cannot post user messages to a channel they are not in.
`rate_limited`	Application has posted too many messages, read the Rate Limit documentation for more information
`restricted_action`	A workspace preference prevents the authenticated user from posting.
`restricted_action_non_threadable_channel`	Cannot post thread replies into a non_threadable channel.
`restricted_action_read_only_channel`	Cannot post any message into a read-only channel.
`restricted_action_thread_only_channel`	Cannot post top-level messages into a thread-only channel.
`restricted_too_many`	Too many messages were scheduled in the channel for a given period. See usage info for additional details
`slack_connect_file_link_sharing_blocked`	Admin has disabled Slack File sharing in all Slack Connect communications
`time_in_past`	value passed for `post_time` was in the past.
`time_too_far`	value passed for `post_time` was too far into the future.
`too_many_attachments`	Too many attachments were provided with this message. A maximum of 100 attachments are allowed on a message.
`access_denied`	Access to a resource specified in the request is denied.
`account_inactive`	Authentication token is for a deleted user or workspace when using a `bot` token.
`deprecated_endpoint`	The endpoint has been deprecated.
`ekm_access_denied`	Administrators have suspended the ability to post a message.
`enterprise_is_restricted`	The method cannot be called from an Enterprise.
`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.
`method_deprecated`	The method has been deprecated.
`missing_scope`	The token used is not granted the specific scope permissions required to complete this request.
`not_allowed_token_type`	The token type used in this request is not allowed.
`not_authed`	No authentication token provided.
`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.
`token_expired`	Authentication token has expired
`token_revoked`	Authentication token is for a deleted user or workspace or the app has been removed when using a `user` token.
`two_factor_setup_required`	Two factor setup is required.
`team_access_not_granted`	The token used is not granted the specific workspace access required to complete this request.
`accesslimited`	Access to this method is limited on the current network
`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.
`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_arguments`	The method was either called with invalid arguments or some detail about the arguments passed is invalid, which is more likely when using complex arguments like blocks or attachments.
`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.
`ratelimited`	The request has been ratelimited. Refer to the `Retry-After` header for when to retry the request.
`request_timeout`	The method was called via a `POST` request, but the `POST` data was either missing or truncated.
`service_unavailable`	The service is temporarily unavailable
`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.

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
`message_truncated`	The `text` field of a message should have no more than 40,000 characters. We truncate really long messages.
`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

Scheduling a message

Java

JavaScript

Python

HTTP

Java

import com.slack.api.bolt.App;
import com.slack.api.bolt.AppConfig;
import com.slack.api.bolt.jetty.SlackAppServer;
import com.slack.api.methods.SlackApiException;

import java.io.IOException;
import java.time.ZonedDateTime;
import java.time.temporal.ChronoUnit;

public class ChatScheduleMessage {

    public static void main(String[] args) throws Exception {
        var config = new AppConfig();
        config.setSingleTeamBotToken(System.getenv("SLACK_BOT_TOKEN"));
        config.setSigningSecret(System.getenv("SLACK_SIGNING_SECRET"));
        var app = new App(config); // `new App()` does the same

        app.command("/schedule", (req, ctx) -> {
            var logger = ctx.logger;
            var tomorrow = ZonedDateTime.now().truncatedTo(ChronoUnit.DAYS).plusDays(1).withHour(9);
            try {
                var payload = req.getPayload();
                // Call the chat.scheduleMessage method using the built-in WebClient
                var result = ctx.client().chatScheduleMessage(r -> r
                    // The token you used to initialize your app
                    .token(ctx.getBotToken())
                    .channel(payload.getChannelId())
                    .text(payload.getText())
                    // Time to post message, in Unix Epoch timestamp format
                    .postAt((int) tomorrow.toInstant().getEpochSecond())
                );
                // Print result
                logger.info("result: {}", result);
            } catch (IOException | SlackApiException e) {
                logger.error("error: {}", e.getMessage(), e);
            }
            // Acknowledge incoming command event
            return ctx.ack();
        });

        var server = new SlackAppServer(app);
        server.start();
    }

}

JavaScript

Code to initialize Bolt app
// Require the Node Slack SDK package (github.com/slackapi/node-slack-sdk)
const { WebClient, LogLevel } = require("@slack/web-api");

// WebClient instantiates a client that can call API methods
// When using Bolt, you can use either `app.client` or the `client` passed to listeners.
const client = new WebClient("xoxb-your-token", {
  // LogLevel can be imported and used to make debugging simpler
  logLevel: LogLevel.DEBUG
});
// Unix timestamp for tomorrow morning at 9AM
const tomorrow = new Date();
tomorrow.setDate(tomorrow.getDate() + 1);
tomorrow.setHours(9, 0, 0);

// Channel you want to post the message to
const channelId = "C12345";

try {
  // Call the chat.scheduleMessage method using the WebClient
  const result = await client.chat.scheduleMessage({
    channel: channelId,
    text: "Looking towards the future",
    // Time to post message, in Unix Epoch timestamp format
    post_at: tomorrow.getTime() / 1000
  });

  console.log(result);
}
catch (error) {
  console.error(error);
}

Python

Code to initialize Bolt app
import datetime
import logging
import os
# Import WebClient from Python SDK (github.com/slackapi/python-slack-sdk)
from slack_sdk import WebClient
from slack_sdk.errors import SlackApiError

# WebClient instantiates a client that can call API methods
# When using Bolt, you can use either `app.client` or the `client` passed to listeners.
client = WebClient(token=os.environ.get("SLACK_BOT_TOKEN"))
logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
# Create a timestamp for tomorrow at 9AM
tomorrow = datetime.date.today() + datetime.timedelta(days=1)
scheduled_time = datetime.time(hour=9, minute=30)
schedule_timestamp = datetime.datetime.combine(tomorrow, scheduled_time).strftime('%s')

# Channel you want to post message to
channel_id = "C12345"

try:
    # Call the chat.scheduleMessage method using the WebClient
    result = client.chat_scheduleMessage(
        channel=channel_id,
        text="Looking towards the future",
        post_at=schedule_timestamp
    )
    # Log the result
    logger.info(result)

except SlackApiError as e:
    logger.error("Error scheduling message: {}".format(e))

HTTP

POST https://slack.com/api/chat.scheduleMessage
Content-type: application/json
Authorization: Bearer xoxb-your-token
{
  "channel": "YOUR_CHANNEL_ID",
  "text": "Hey, team. Don't forget about breakfast catered by John Hughes Bistro today.",
  "post_at": 1551891428,
}

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