Slack Integration

The Slack integration sends real-time notifications to your team's Slack channels. Stay informed about flag detection, stale flag alerts, and automated cleanup PRs without leaving Slack.

Features

Notification Type	Description
Flag Detection	When flags are added or removed in PRs
Stale Flag Alerts	When flags exceed the stale threshold
Cleanup PR Created	When FlagShark creates a removal PR

Setting Up Slack

Step 1: Create a Slack App

Step 2: Enable Incoming Webhooks

Screenshot needed: unknown → unknown

Step 3: Configure in FlagShark

Configuration Options

Setting	Description	Default
Enabled	Master toggle for Slack notifications	Off
Webhook URL	Your Slack incoming webhook URL	Required
Channel	Target Slack channel (for display only)	#flagshark
Stale Flag Alerts	Send alerts when flags become stale	On
PR Comments	Send notifications for PR flag activity	On

Notification Examples

Flag Detection

When FlagShark detects flags in a pull request:

🔵 Flags Detected in PR

Repository: acme/web-app
Pull Request: #142 - Add new checkout flow
Author: @jane-smith

Flags Added:
• enable-new-checkout
• feature-express-shipping

View in FlagShark →

Color coding:

• Blue attachment — Flags added
• Green attachment — Flags removed

Stale Flag Alert

When flags exceed your stale threshold:

⚠️ Stale Flags Detected

Repository: acme/web-app
3 flags are older than 90 days

Flags requiring attention:
• enable-dark-mode (102 days)
• feature-recommendations (95 days)
• experiment-pricing (91 days)

Review in FlagShark →

Cleanup PR Created

When FlagShark creates an automated removal PR:

✅ Cleanup PR Created

Repository: acme/web-app
Flag: enable-new-checkout (127 days old)

FlagShark has created a PR to remove this flag:
PR #156: Remove feature flag: enable-new-checkout

Review PR →

Message Formatting

Slack notifications use rich formatting:

Element	Purpose
Header	Notification type with emoji
Repository	Which repo was affected
Details	Flag names, ages, PR info
Links	Direct links to FlagShark and GitHub
Color	Visual indicator of notification type
Timestamp	When the event occurred

Channel Strategy

Single Channel

The simplest approach is a single #flagshark channel for all notifications:

Pros:

• Easy to set up
• All flag activity in one place
• Good for small teams

Cons:

• Can get noisy for large teams
• Mixes different notification types

Multiple Channels

For larger organizations, consider multiple webhooks:

Channel	Notifications
#flagshark-alerts	Stale flag alerts only
#flagshark-activity	PR detection activity
#eng-cleanup	Cleanup PR notifications

Team-Specific Channels

Route notifications to team-specific channels:

• #frontend-flags — Frontend repository activity
• #backend-flags — Backend repository activity
• #mobile-flags — Mobile app activity

Best Practices

Reduce Notification Noise

1. Adjust stale threshold — Increase from 90 to 120 days
2. Disable PR notifications — Keep only stale alerts if flag detection is too noisy
3. Create a dedicated channel — Separate from your main engineering channel

Ensure Important Alerts Get Seen

1. Set channel notifications — Configure Slack to notify for all messages in the FlagShark channel
2. Pin important alerts — Pin stale flag alerts for visibility
3. Create a weekly review — Schedule time to review the channel

Integration with Workflows

1. Triage stale flags weekly — Review stale alerts in sprint planning
2. Assign cleanup PRs — When a cleanup PR notification arrives, assign it
3. Track in your issue tracker — Create tickets from Slack messages

Troubleshooting

Notifications Not Appearing

Check these common issues:

1. Webhook URL incorrect — Verify you copied it correctly
2. Integration disabled — Check the master toggle in Settings
3. Channel archived — Ensure the Slack channel still exists
4. App uninstalled — The Slack app may have been removed

Test Your Webhook

Run this command to verify your webhook works:

curl -X POST -H 'Content-type: application/json' \
  --data '{"text":"Test from FlagShark setup"}' \
  YOUR_WEBHOOK_URL

If you see the message in Slack, the webhook is working.

Webhook Expired

Slack webhooks can stop working if:

• The Slack app is uninstalled and reinstalled
• The channel is deleted and recreated
• Workspace settings change

Solution: Create a new webhook and update it in FlagShark settings.

Missing Notifications

If some notifications aren't appearing:

1. Check notification settings — Ensure the specific type is enabled
2. Review timing — Stale alerts run daily, not in real-time
3. Check filters — Some flags may be excluded (permanent flags list)

Security Considerations

Webhook Security

• Webhook URLs should be treated as secrets
• Anyone with the URL can post to your channel
• Rotate webhooks periodically if concerned

Data in Notifications

Slack notifications include:

• Repository names
• Flag names
• PR titles and numbers
• Usernames

They do not include:

• Source code
• Full file contents
• API keys or secrets

Compliance

For compliance-sensitive environments:

• Use a private channel for FlagShark notifications
• Review Slack's data retention policies
• Consider audit logging requirements

Enterprise Features

Enterprise plans include additional Slack features:

Feature	Description
Multiple webhooks	Different channels for different notification types
Custom formatting	Customize message templates
Repository routing	Route by repository to specific channels
Slack app installation	Direct Slack app (no webhook needed)

Contact sales@flagshark.io for enterprise features.

Next Steps