# slack-watson-bot

**Repository Path**: mirrors_ibm/slack-watson-bot

## Basic Information

- **Project Name**: slack-watson-bot
- **Description**: **IN PROGRESS** Sample Bots for Slack and Facebook Messenger using IBM Watson and Botkit
- **Primary Language**: Unknown
- **License**: Apache-2.0
- **Default Branch**: master
- **Homepage**: None
- **GVP Project**: No

## Statistics

- **Stars**: 0
- **Forks**: 0
- **Created**: 2020-11-23
- **Last Updated**: 2025-08-24

## Categories & Tags

**Categories**: Uncategorized

**Tags**: None

## README

Sample Bots for Slack and Facebook Messenger using IBM Watson and Botkit
================================================================================

This [project](https://github.com/nheidloff/slack-watson-bot) contains sample code that shows how to build chatbots for Slack and Facebook Messenger that leverage [IBM Watson Conversation](https://www.ibm.com/watson/developercloud/conversation.html) and [Botkit](https://github.com/howdyai/botkit).

In order to provide the best possible user experience [Slack buttons](https://api.slack.com/docs/message-buttons) and Facebook Messenger [quick replies](https://developers.facebook.com/docs/messenger-platform/send-messages/quick-replies) are used. Slack messages can be defined via the [Slack Message Builder](https://api.slack.com/docs/messages/builder). For the format of Facebook messages check out the [documentation](https://developers.facebook.com/docs/messenger-platform/send-messages). The definitions of the Slack and Facebook messages are stored in the [dialog definition](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/nheidloff/slack-watson-bot/master/screenshots/workspace2.png).

The project also demonstrates how to invoke REST APIs, for example to find current weather conditions via [Weather Company Data](https://cloud.ibm.com/catalog/services/weather-company-data). In order to do this, nodes in the dialog are marked as 'action nodes' via [context information](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/nheidloff/slack-watson-bot/master/screenshots/workspace2.png). The implementation of the actions is done in the [Node.js application](https://github.com/nheidloff/slack-watson-bot/blob/master/watson-slack.js#L55-L92).

Check out the [presentation](https://www.slideshare.net/niklasheidloff/writing-slack-bots-in-javascript-80694351) for more details.

[![Serverless Web Apps](https://github.com/nheidloff/slack-watson-bot/raw/master/screenshots/slides.png)](https://www.slideshare.net/niklasheidloff/writing-slack-bots-in-javascript-80694351)

This screenshot shows a simple sample conversation in Slack:

![alt text](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/nheidloff/slack-watson-bot/master/screenshots/slack.png "Slack Bot")

This screenshot shows a simple sample conversation in Facebook Messenger:

![alt text](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/nheidloff/slack-watson-bot/master/screenshots/facebook-3.png "Facebook Messenger Bot")


Prerequisites and Setup
================================================================================

You need three different sets of credentials.

* [Watson Conversation](https://cloud.ibm.com/catalog/services/conversation): To get the credentials follow these [instructions](https://github.com/watson-developer-cloud/node-sdk#getting-the-service-credentials)
* [Weather Company Data](https://cloud.ibm.com/catalog/services/weather-company-data): To get the credentials follow these [instructions](https://github.com/watson-developer-cloud/node-sdk#getting-the-service-credentials)
* [Slack App](https://api.slack.com/apps): Create a new app and copy the client id and client secret from this [page](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/nheidloff/slack-watson-bot/master/screenshots/slack-config1.png)
* [Facebook App](https://developers.facebook.com/quickstarts/?platform=web) and [Facebook Page](https://www.facebook.com/pages/creation/): You need 1. the app secret, 2. the page token and 3. the verify token (which you can chose). See the [documentation](https://botkit.ai/docs/readme-facebook.html) for details. You can define the verify token after you've defined the webhook, for example 'xxx.localtunnel.me/facebook/receive'.

Put all of these credentials in a file '.env'. See [.env-template](https://github.com/nheidloff/slack-watson-bot/blob/master/.env-template) for an example.

In addition to the Slack client id and secret additional configuration needs to be done for the Slack app. See the screenshots 'slack-config1-5.png' in the [screenshots](https://github.com/nheidloff/slack-watson-bot/tree/master/screenshots) folder for details.
* [oauth](https://api.slack.com/docs/oauth)
* [bot user](https://api.slack.com/bot-users)
* [interactive messages](https://botkit.ai/docs/readme-slack.html#interactive-messages)
* [event subscriptions](https://botkit.ai/docs/readme-slack.html#events-api)

The Watson [workspace](https://github.com/nheidloff/slack-watson-bot/blob/master/workspace.json) needs to be [imported](https://www.ibm.com/watson/developercloud/doc/conversation/configure-workspace.html#creating-workspaces) into the Conversation service.

In order to run the application locally, you can use tools like [localtunnel](https://localtunnel.github.io/www/).

If you want to deploy the application to Bluemix, you need a Bluemix account. [Sign up](https://cloud.ibm.com/registration/) if you don't have an account yet.


Run the Sample
================================================================================

From the root directory run these commands to start the Slack bot:

```sh
$ npm install
$ node watson-slack.js
```
Open up the login page http://localhost:3000/login to add the bot to the team. After this you can send direct messages to the bot 'watson-bot' in your Slack team.

From the root directory run these commands to start the Facebook Messenger bot:

```sh
$ npm install
$ node watson-facebook.js
```