With the GitHub app, you can get link previews in Slack for public repositories, set up notifications with slash commands, and easily stay up-to-date on project activity.

Install the app

1. Visit slack.github.com and click Add to Slack.
2. Review the permissions the app needs to access, and click Continue to allow.
3. Select the channels the app can access: all public channels, specific ones, or none.

After you've installed the app, the GitHub app will send you a direct message to help you complete setup and teach you about the /github slash command.

Tip: Use the slash command /github subscribe owner/repo to subscribe to your previous configurations.

Customize your notifications

The GitHub app makes it easy to customize what gets posted in Slack. You can subscribe to activity that's relevant for the whole channel to see, and unsubscribe from other types that are less helpful. Certain activities will notify you in Slack by default, while some others won't:

You can use these slash commands to customize your notifications:

• /github subscribe owner/repo [feature]
• /github unsubscribe owner/repo [feature]

A note about the GitHub app

If you use other Slack apps, you might notice some changes in the way GitHub is installed. This particular app functions at your workspace level, rather than at the member level. This is a good thing! Here's why:

• The app will never disconnect should the original installer ever leave your workspace.
• You can add the GitHub app to specific channels. Take your pick during installation, or use /invite @github to add the app to any channel later on.

💡 Read more about the future of Slack apps on the Slack Platform Blog.

If you use GitHub's on-premise option, GitHub Enterprise, you'll need to install the GitHub Notifications (Legacy) app.

Install the app

1. Visit GitHub in the Slack App Directory.
2. Click Install, or Add Configuration if one already exists.
3. Select a channel where GitHub events will be posted, or click create a new channel to make a brand new one.
4. Click Add GitHub Integration.
5. In your GitHub account, go to the repository that you'd like to monitor. Click Settings in the top navigation.
6. Click on Webhooks in the left navigation, then press Add webhook.
7. From the Slack App Directory window, click Copy URL.
8. Returning to your GitHub account, paste the URL under Payload URL.
9. For the Content type, make sure application/json is selected.
10. Confirm SSL verification is turned on.
11. Click Add webhook.
12. Return to your Slack setup page and click Save Integration.