Slack

You can ask Polaris questions from Slack. Answers arrive in a thread, with charts as images and a link to open the full chat in Polaris. Slack is the only chat app integration Polaris offers.

Use Polaris in Slack

Mention the bot in a channel it has joined, or send it a direct message:

@pda how many KIRC patients have a BAP1 mutation?

Use the mention name your admin chose for the bot. pda is the default.

• Polaris replies in a thread. While it works, the reply shows each step and a Stop button.
• Charts and maps arrive as images. Long tables are shortened to 20 rows.
• The last message has an Open in Polaris button that opens the chat in the web app, and 👍 and 👎 buttons to rate the answer.
• Keep asking in the same thread. By default Polaris follows the thread after the first mention, so you do not need to mention it again.
• Type /new to start a fresh conversation. In direct messages and private channels, you can add a question: /new what is the median age at diagnosis?

Chats that start in Slack also appear in your chat list in the web app.

Your Slack account must match a Polaris account

Polaris matches you by email. Your Slack email must belong to a Polaris user in the project. If it does not, the bot replies “No user found” and names the email it looked for. Ask an admin to add that email to Polaris.

Set up Slack for a project (admins)

1. In Polaris, go to Settings › Integrations & MCP and open Slack.
2. Pick a Transport mode:
   • Webhook (default): Slack sends events to Polaris over the internet.
   • Socket Mode: Polaris opens an outbound connection to Slack. Use it when Slack cannot reach Polaris.
3. Enter the Bot mention name, such as pda. Users will type @pda.
4. Select Create Slack App. Slack opens with an app manifest that already has the right permissions and the /new slash command. Create the app and install it in your workspace.
5. Copy the credentials from the Slack app settings into Polaris:
   • Webhook: the Bot Token (xoxb-..., under OAuth & Permissions) and the Signing Secret (under Basic Information).
   • Socket Mode: the Bot Token and an App-Level Token (xapp-...) with the connections:write scope.
6. Save. Invite the bot to the channels where people should use it.

Options

Option	What it does
Reply only when mentioned	Polaris answers only messages that mention it, instead of following the whole thread.
Start a new thread for each direct message	Each direct message starts a new conversation.
Auto-create users from Slack	Creates Polaris accounts for Slack users from allowed email domains. New users get an email with a temporary password.

Note

Polaris also uses Slack to deliver live stories on a schedule.