The Slack knowledge agent answers questions in the Slack channels you choose, using your Whale knowledge. People get an answer where they already ask, and you see which questions went unanswered.
Go to: Manage agents https://app.usewhale.io/knowledge-health/agents · Connected resources https://app.usewhale.io/knowledge-health/assistant?ai-settings-tab=resources
*Only admins, or people whose role includes the Agents permission, can set it up. It counts toward your plan's active agent limit. One Slack workspace can connect to one Whale workspace. See Using Knowledge Health Agents to keep your knowledge up to date.
💬 How It Works
The agent watches the Slack channels you link and recognises when a top-level message is a question or request. It doesn't need a question mark. It doesn't reply to messages inside threads, and it can't be guaranteed to catch every question. When it spots one, it adds a :whale: reaction and searches your Whale knowledge. Everyone in the channel can see its answers.
If it finds an answer, it replies in a thread and the reaction changes to :white_check_mark:.
If it can't find an answer, only the person who asked sees: "No answer could be found." The question then shows up as an Unanswered Slack question recommendation.
Replies post as the Whale Slack app, which can show your assistant's name and avatar. People get answers even if they don't have a Whale account or haven't connected Slack to Whale.
🛠️ Step 1: Add Coral to Slack
An admin first adds the Whale Slack app to your Slack workspace. You can skip this step: if the app isn't installed yet, the Slack agent's own settings show the same Add to Slack button.
Go to Agents >Coral settings >Connected resources (https://app.usewhale.io/knowledge-health/assistant?ai-settings-tab=resources).
On the Add Coral to your Slack workspace card, click Add to Slack and follow the prompts in Slack.
If Whale needs more Slack access later, the button changes to Update Slack access.
🔗 Step 2: Turn On the Agent and Link Channels
Go to Agents >Manage agents (https://app.usewhale.io/knowledge-health/agents) and click the Slack card.
Under Public channels, choose the channels the agent should watch. The Whale app joins them itself.
Under Content to answer from, choose Same content for all channels or Choose content per channel, then pick the content.
Click Turn on. This saves your settings and switches the agent on.
Admins can turn on the agent, as can users whose role includes the Agents permission. Only admins can add the Slack app.
📋 What It Flags for You
Questions the agent couldn't answer appear in Agents >Recommendations (https://app.usewhale.io/knowledge-health) as Unanswered Slack question. Click Add to Whale to open Coral and add the missing knowledge. Slack recommendations aren't tied to a board, so they're hidden when you filter by board.
🛑 If You Uninstall the Slack App
If the Whale Slack app is uninstalled from your Slack workspace, the connection is removed, the Slack knowledge agent is turned off, and its linked channels are cleared. To use it again, reconnect Slack and link your channels again.
🙋 Chat with Coral in Slack
If you can create or edit content in Whale, you can also connect your own Slack account. Coral then answers your DMs and @mentions in Slack as you, with your Whale permissions, and can search your Slack messages when you chat with Coral in Whale.
Go to Settings › AI Settings › App Connections (https://app.usewhale.io/settings/ai-settings?ai-settings-tab=connections).
Click Connect on the Slack card and follow the prompts.
If you message Coral in Slack before connecting, Coral asks you to connect first.
❓ Common Questions
Can the agent watch private channels?
No. It only needs access to public channels, so you choose from your Public channels.
Who can set it up?
Admins, and people whose role includes the Agents permission.
Can I connect two Whale workspaces to the same Slack workspace?
No. One Slack workspace connects to one Whale workspace.