Overview

Use the symptom below to find why Slack support is not working and what to change. Start by opening Settings → Integrations → Slack, then choose the affected workspace and check its channel settings.

The Featurebase app is not available or cannot be installed

Cause: Your Featurebase role cannot manage integrations, your Slack workspace requires an admin to approve apps, or you started from the wrong installation flow.

To connect the correct Slack workspace:

1. Start the connection from Settings → Integrations → Slack in the correct Featurebase Workspace

2. Confirm that you can manage integrations in Featurebase

3. Ask a Slack admin to approve or complete the authorization if your workspace restricts app installations

4. After connecting the workspace, invite the app to each support channel with /invite @Featurebase

Do not search for a separate support app in Slack. Start the authorization from Featurebase so the Slack workspace is linked to the correct Featurebase Workspace.

A workspace shows Reconnection required

Cause: The existing Slack installation does not have the permissions required by the current integration.

Fix: Open the affected workspace in Featurebase's Slack settings and click Reconnect. Complete Slack authorization to grant the latest permissions.

Use Reconnect instead of removing the workspace. Reconnecting updates the authorization without intentionally clearing your Slack channel configuration.

A workspace shows Notifications-only connection

Cause: Another Featurebase Workspace already owns the full Slack support integration for this Slack workspace. Only one Featurebase Workspace can own that full connection at a time.

Fix: Decide which Featurebase Workspace should manage Slack support.

• If the other Workspace is correct, manage support channels there.

• If this Workspace should take over, first remove the Slack workspace connection from the Featurebase Workspace that currently owns it, then reconnect it here.

A notifications-only connection can send supported feedback notifications, but it does not provide support Inbox sync, channel ingestion, or Slack support settings.

A Slack channel does not appear under Connected channels

Cause: The Featurebase app is not a member of the channel, the channel is archived, a private channel is not visible to the app, or the workspace has a notifications-only connection.

To make the channel available in Featurebase:

1. Open the channel in Slack

2. If it is archived, unarchive it before continuing

3. Run /invite @Featurebase in the channel. You must invite the app from inside a private channel

4. Go to Settings → Integrations → Slack, choose the relevant workspace, and open Channels

5. If the workspace is notifications-only, resolve that state before configuring support channels

See Add and manage Slack channels if you use auto-join rules or need to change the channel type.

New Slack messages do not create conversations

Cause: One or more of these conditions applies:

• The channel is set to Discussion or Disabled.

• The message is a reply in an unlinked Slack thread instead of a new top-level message.

• A Featurebase teammate posted the top-level message.

• The Customer channel uses Manual emoji reaction and nobody added the configured emoji.

• Smart AI-based ingestion or Time-based grouping added the message to a recent conversation instead of creating a new one.

• The message was posted before the channel was connected. Featurebase does not import previous channel history as conversations.

Fix: Check the channel type and ingestion mode, then test with a new top-level message from a Slack user who is not a Featurebase teammate. Search the Inbox for a recent conversation from the same channel in case the selected ingestion mode grouped the message.

Manual emoji reaction is the exception for older messages. In that mode, adding the configured emoji to an accessible top-level message can create a conversation from that specific message.

See Choose how Slack messages become conversations for the exact behavior of each ingestion mode.

An emoji reaction does not create a conversation

Cause: The channel is not using Manual emoji reaction, the wrong emoji was added, the reaction is on a thread reply, or the person reacting is not allowed by the Admins only or Anyone setting.

To check the Manual emoji reaction settings:

1. Open the workspace's Ingestion settings

2. Confirm that Manual emoji reaction is selected

3. Check the configured Trigger emoji and who can trigger it

4. Add that emoji to the original top-level Slack message

Removing the reaction later does not delete the conversation that it created.

A teammate message does not create a test conversation

Cause: Featurebase intentionally ignores new top-level messages from linked Featurebase teammates when creating customer conversations.

Fix: Test with a Slack user who is not a Featurebase teammate. Use a dedicated test channel and do not disconnect your teammate identity to simulate a customer.

Replies from teammates can still synchronize inside an existing conversation or discussion.

A person appears as an anonymous Slack lead

Cause: Slack did not provide an email or enough identity information to match the sender to a customer. This is common for people from an external Slack Connect workspace with restricted profile sharing, who appear as an anonymous Slack lead.

Fix: Treat the identity as unverified and confirm the person in Slack before acting. Where possible, make sure the person's Slack profile email is available and matches their Featurebase customer email.

Slack Connect profile-sharing rules can prevent email access even when the profile has an email. In that case, the anonymous Slack lead is the expected privacy-safe fallback, not a synchronization failure. See how Slack users are identified for the complete matching order.

Reactions from the Inbox fail

Cause: Adding or removing a reaction from the Inbox uses your personal Slack account. Featurebase cannot fall back to the app identity for reactions.

Fix: Go to Settings → Integrations → Slack, choose the relevant workspace, and open General → Reply as yourself. Click Connect Slack account, then try the reaction again.

If your account is already connected, confirm that you can access the Slack channel and react to the original message directly in Slack.

A Slack discussion cannot be started or synchronized

Cause: No connected channel is set to Discussion, your personal Slack account is not connected, the Featurebase app is no longer in the channel, or a conversation link was posted by someone Featurebase does not recognize as a teammate.

To restore Slack discussions:

1. Confirm that the app is in the intended internal Slack channel and its channel type is Discussion

2. Connect your personal Slack account under General → Reply as yourself

3. To start from Slack, post a valid Featurebase conversation link as a new top-level message from a recognized teammate account

4. To start from the Inbox, open the conversation sidebar, click Start discussion, choose the Discussion channel, and send an initial message

Normal messages in a Discussion channel are intentionally ignored unless they belong to a linked discussion thread. See Discuss conversations with your team in Slack for the complete workflow.

If you have multiple connected Slack workspaces, the Inbox picker currently shows Discussion channels from one workspace. Start from Slack by posting the Featurebase conversation link directly in a Discussion channel from another connected workspace.

Fibi AI Agent uses public content or is unavailable

Cause: Fibi follows the channel's audience policy:

• Community channels use public content only.

• Customer channels without a Company link use public content only.

• Normal public channels use public content only, even when linked to a Company.

• Discussion and Disabled channels cannot use Fibi.

• A changed Slack Connect audience temporarily falls back to public content.

Fix: Check how Fibi is deployed:

• For Simple Deploy, confirm that Fibi is enabled for the workspace and switched on for the Customer or Community channel.

• For a Workflow deployment, confirm that the Workflow targets Slack, its trigger and audience rules match the conversation, and it reaches a Let Fibi answer action. The channel's Fibi switch can remain off when a Workflow deploys Fibi.

To use content available to a linked Company, use a private or Slack Connect Customer channel and link the correct Company.

If Slack settings show an audience-change warning, review the channel members and click Confirm audience only when the linked Company content is safe for that audience.

See Deploy Fibi AI Agent in Slack for the complete content and audience model.

A Custom Fibi Action is unavailable in Slack

Cause: Custom Fibi Actions are Disabled in Slack by default, or the action's Slack access level does not match the channel's audience and Company context.

Fix: Open the action under Automations → Actions, open Data access, and review Slack access:

• Use Public-safe only for an action that cannot return private account data.

• Use Company-safe only for an eligible private or Slack Connect Customer channel linked to the correct Company.

Company-safe actions are unavailable in Community channels, unlinked Customer channels, and normal public Customer channels. See Deploy Fibi AI Agent in Slack for the complete access model.

Fibi waits instead of answering the current Slack message

Cause: In the same Workflow step, a customer-facing action runs before Let Fibi answer. After Send message, Reply buttons, Collect customer reply, Show expected reply time, or Ask for conversation rating, Fibi waits for the customer's next message instead of answering the message that triggered the Workflow.

Fix: If Fibi should answer the customer's current message, remove the earlier customer-facing action so Let Fibi answer is the first customer-facing action in that step. If the earlier action intentionally asks the customer for more information, leave the setup as it is and test that Fibi answers their next message.

If the customer never replies, Fibi stays silent. See Use Slack in Workflows for the full timing rule.

A reply fails because the Slack thread is locked or missing

Cause: A Slack admin disabled thread replies, the thread is locked, or the original Slack message was deleted and can no longer receive replies.

Fix: Hover over Slack delivery failed in the Inbox to see the specific reason.

• If replies are disabled or the thread is locked, change the thread or channel setting in Slack, then send a new reply from Featurebase.

• If the original message or thread no longer exists, it cannot be restored by Featurebase. Ask the customer to post a new top-level message so a new conversation can be created.

The failed Featurebase reply was not delivered to Slack.

A reply fails because the channel is archived, removed, or inaccessible

Cause: The Slack channel is archived or deleted, the Featurebase app is no longer a member, or the Slack authorization no longer permits posting.

Fix: Hover over Slack delivery failed in the Inbox, then use the matching action:

• Unarchive the Slack channel.

• Reinvite the app with /invite @Featurebase.

• Reconnect the workspace if Slack settings show Reconnection required.

• Ask a Slack admin to restore the required posting permission when Slack workspace policy blocks it.

After restoring access, send a new reply from Featurebase. If the channel was deleted, start a new support channel and conversation instead.

The Slack workspace is disconnected

Cause: The app was uninstalled, its authorization was revoked, the connected Slack account became inactive, or someone removed the workspace from Featurebase.

Fix: Reconnect the workspace from Settings → Integrations → Slack, then invite the app to the required channels and verify each channel's settings before resuming support.

If the workspace still appears but replies report a permission error, use Reconnect first. Do not remove a workspace only to refresh its permissions.

Disconnect and reconnect safely

Before a full disconnect:

1. Record each connected channel's type, linked Company, ingestion override, and Fibi setting

2. Record workspace-level ingestion and auto-join settings

3. Use Reconnect instead if the workspace only needs updated permissions

4. Remove the workspace only when you need to transfer ownership or replace a broken installation

5. After reconnecting, reinvite the app and restore the recorded channel settings

6. Test one new customer conversation and one reply before reopening the channel for normal support

For expected message and reply behavior after recovery, see Handle Slack conversations in the Inbox.