| name | slack |
| description | Emulated Slack API for local development and testing. Use when the user needs to interact with Slack API endpoints locally, test Slack integrations, emulate channels/messages/users/views, set up Slack OAuth flows, test incoming webhooks, or work with the Slack Web API without hitting the real Slack API. Triggers include "Slack API", "emulate Slack", "mock Slack", "test Slack OAuth", "Slack bot", "Slack views", "incoming webhook", "local Slack", or any task requiring a local Slack API. |
| allowed-tools | Bash(npx emulate:*), Bash(curl:*) |
Slack API Emulator
Fully stateful Slack Web API emulation with channels, messages, threads, reactions, user profiles, presence, modern file uploads, pins, bookmarks, views, OAuth v2, and incoming webhooks. Chat writes preserve common rich message fields such as blocks, attachments, metadata, formatting flags, unfurl flags, and client message ids. Conversation writes update archive state, names, topics, purposes, membership, DMs, MPIMs, and read cursors. User writes update profile fields, status, custom fields, and deterministic active or away presence. File writes support the current external upload flow with local upload URLs, file share messages, reads, lists, downloads, and deletes. Pin and bookmark writes support channel message pins and link bookmarks. View writes support App Home publishing and modal stacks. Seeded OAuth apps and OAuth installs create bot users and installation records. OAuth exchanges and explicit token seeds create scoped token records. State changes dispatch event_callback payloads to configured webhook URLs.
Start
npx emulate --service slack
Or programmatically:
import { createEmulator } from 'emulate'
const slack = await createEmulator({ service: 'slack', port: 4003 })
Auth
Pass tokens as Authorization: Bearer <token>. All Web API endpoints require authentication.
curl -X POST http://localhost:4003/api/auth.test \
-H "Authorization: Bearer test_token_admin"
Requests without a token return not_authed. In relaxed scope mode, any non-empty unknown bearer token maps to the first seeded user.
Scope checks are relaxed by default for local development. Set slack.strict_scopes: true in seed config when you need supported Web API methods to return Slack-style missing_scope errors with needed and provided fields. Strict mode checks chat:write, channels:read, channels:history, channels:join, channels:manage, channels:write, groups:read, groups:history, groups:write, im:read, im:history, im:write, mpim:read, mpim:history, mpim:write, users:read, users:read.email, users.profile:read, users.profile:write, users:write, files:read, files:write, pins:read, pins:write, bookmarks:read, bookmarks:write, reactions:read, reactions:write, and team:read. Slack lists no method-specific scopes for views.publish, views.open, views.update, or views.push, so the emulator requires auth but does not add strict-scope checks for those methods.
Pointing Your App at the Emulator
Environment Variable
SLACK_EMULATOR_URL=http://localhost:4003
Slack SDK / Bolt
import { WebClient } from '@slack/web-api'
const client = new WebClient(token, {
slackApiUrl: `${process.env.SLACK_EMULATOR_URL}/api/`,
})
OAuth URL Mapping
| Real Slack URL | Emulator URL |
|---|
https://slack.com/oauth/v2/authorize | $SLACK_EMULATOR_URL/oauth/v2/authorize |
https://slack.com/api/oauth.v2.access | $SLACK_EMULATOR_URL/api/oauth.v2.access |
Auth.js / NextAuth.js
{
id: 'slack',
name: 'Slack',
type: 'oauth',
authorization: {
url: `${process.env.SLACK_EMULATOR_URL}/oauth/v2/authorize`,
params: { scope: 'chat:write,channels:read,users:read,users.profile:read' },
},
token: {
url: `${process.env.SLACK_EMULATOR_URL}/api/oauth.v2.access`,
},
clientId: process.env.SLACK_CLIENT_ID,
clientSecret: process.env.SLACK_CLIENT_SECRET,
}
Seed Config
slack:
team:
name: My Workspace
domain: my-workspace
users:
- name: developer
real_name: Developer
email: dev@example.com
is_admin: true
profile:
title: Local Developer
status_text: Testing locally
status_emoji: ":computer:"
presence: active
- name: designer
real_name: Designer
email: designer@example.com
profile:
title: Designer
presence: away
channels:
- name: general
topic: General discussion
- name: engineering
topic: Engineering discussions
is_private: true
bots:
- name: my-bot
oauth_apps:
- client_id: "12345.67890"
client_secret: example_client_secret
app_id: A000000001
name: My Slack App
redirect_uris:
- http://localhost:3000/api/auth/callback/slack
scopes:
- chat:write
- channels:read
- channels:history
- channels:join
- channels:manage
- channels:write
- groups:read
- groups:history
- groups:write
- im:read
- im:history
- im:write
- mpim:read
- mpim:history
- mpim:write
- users:read
- users:read.email
- users.profile:read
- users.profile:write
- users:write
- files:read
- files:write
- pins:read
- pins:write
- bookmarks:read
- bookmarks:write
- reactions:read
- reactions:write
- team:read
user_scopes:
- users:read
- users.profile:read
bot_name: my-bot
tokens:
- token: xoxb-local-test
user: developer
scopes:
- chat:write
- channels:read
- channels:history
- channels:join
- channels:manage
- channels:write
- groups:read
- groups:history
- groups:write
- im:read
- im:history
- im:write
- mpim:read
- mpim:history
- mpim:write
- users:read
- users:read.email
- users.profile:read
- users.profile:write
- users:write
- files:read
- files:write
- pins:read
- pins:write
- bookmarks:read
- bookmarks:write
- reactions:read
- reactions:write
- team:read
incoming_webhooks:
- channel: general
label: CI Notifications
strict_scopes: false
signing_secret: my_signing_secret
When no OAuth apps are configured, the emulator accepts any client_id. With apps configured, strict validation is enforced for client_id, client_secret, and redirect_uri.
API Endpoints
Auth
curl -X POST http://localhost:4003/api/auth.test \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN"
Chat
chat.postMessage, chat.update, conversations.history, and conversations.replies round trip text plus common rich message fields: blocks, attachments, metadata, mrkdwn, parse, link_names, unfurl_links, unfurl_media, username, icon_url, icon_emoji, bot_id, app_id, client_msg_id, and reply_broadcast. chat.postMessage can also post to opened DM conversations or supported Slack user IDs.
chat.postEphemeral stores ephemeral messages outside channel history. chat.scheduleMessage, chat.deleteScheduledMessage, and chat.scheduledMessages.list keep scheduled messages pending until deleted or inspected.
curl -X POST http://localhost:4003/api/chat.postMessage \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"channel": "C000000001", "text": "Hello from the emulator!"}'
curl -X POST http://localhost:4003/api/chat.postMessage \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"channel": "C000000001", "text": "Thread reply", "thread_ts": "1234567890.123456"}'
curl -X POST http://localhost:4003/api/chat.postMessage \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"channel": "C000000001", "text": "Deploy complete", "blocks": [{"type": "section", "text": {"type": "mrkdwn", "text": "*Deploy* complete"}}], "metadata": {"event_type": "deploy_complete", "event_payload": {"deploy_id": "dep_123"}}, "unfurl_links": false}'
curl -X POST http://localhost:4003/api/chat.update \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"channel": "C000000001", "ts": "1234567890.123456", "text": "Updated message"}'
curl -X POST http://localhost:4003/api/chat.delete \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"channel": "C000000001", "ts": "1234567890.123456"}'
curl -X GET 'http://localhost:4003/api/chat.getPermalink?channel=C000000001&message_ts=1234567890.123456' \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN"
curl -X POST http://localhost:4003/api/chat.postEphemeral \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"channel": "C000000001", "user": "U000000001", "text": "Only you can see this"}'
curl -X POST http://localhost:4003/api/chat.scheduleMessage \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d "{\"channel\": \"C000000001\", \"text\": \"Reminder\", \"post_at\": $(($(date +%s) + 3600))}"
curl -X POST http://localhost:4003/api/chat.scheduledMessages.list \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"channel": "C000000001"}'
curl -X POST http://localhost:4003/api/chat.deleteScheduledMessage \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"channel": "C000000001", "scheduled_message_id": "Q123456789"}'
curl -X POST http://localhost:4003/api/chat.meMessage \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"channel": "C000000001", "text": "is thinking..."}'
Conversations
curl -X POST http://localhost:4003/api/conversations.list \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN"
curl -X POST http://localhost:4003/api/conversations.list \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"types": "im,mpim"}'
curl -X POST http://localhost:4003/api/conversations.info \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"channel": "C000000001"}'
curl -X POST http://localhost:4003/api/conversations.create \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"name": "new-channel", "is_private": false}'
curl -X POST http://localhost:4003/api/conversations.archive \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"channel": "C000000002"}'
curl -X POST http://localhost:4003/api/conversations.unarchive \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"channel": "C000000002"}'
curl -X POST http://localhost:4003/api/conversations.rename \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"channel": "C000000001", "name": "new-channel-name"}'
curl -X POST http://localhost:4003/api/conversations.setTopic \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"channel": "C000000001", "topic": "Release coordination"}'
curl -X POST http://localhost:4003/api/conversations.setPurpose \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"channel": "C000000001", "purpose": "Coordinate release work"}'
curl -X POST http://localhost:4003/api/conversations.history \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"channel": "C000000001"}'
curl -X POST http://localhost:4003/api/conversations.replies \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"channel": "C000000001", "ts": "1234567890.123456"}'
curl -X POST http://localhost:4003/api/conversations.join \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"channel": "C000000001"}'
curl -X POST http://localhost:4003/api/users.list \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN"
curl -X POST http://localhost:4003/api/conversations.list \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"types": "public_channel,private_channel"}'
CHANNEL_ID="<channel-id-from-conversations.list>"
USER_ID="<user-id-from-users.list>"
curl -X POST http://localhost:4003/api/conversations.invite \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d "{\"channel\": \"$CHANNEL_ID\", \"users\": \"$USER_ID\"}"
curl -X POST http://localhost:4003/api/conversations.kick \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d "{\"channel\": \"$CHANNEL_ID\", \"user\": \"$USER_ID\"}"
curl -X POST http://localhost:4003/api/conversations.open \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d "{\"users\": \"$USER_ID\", \"return_im\": true}"
DM_CHANNEL_ID="<channel.id-from-conversations.open>"
curl -X POST http://localhost:4003/api/conversations.close \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d "{\"channel\": \"$DM_CHANNEL_ID\"}"
curl -X POST http://localhost:4003/api/conversations.mark \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"channel": "C000000001", "ts": "1234567890.123456"}'
curl -X POST http://localhost:4003/api/conversations.members \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"channel": "C000000001"}'
Users
curl -X POST http://localhost:4003/api/users.list \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN"
curl -X POST http://localhost:4003/api/users.info \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"user": "U000000001"}'
curl -X POST http://localhost:4003/api/users.lookupByEmail \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"email": "dev@example.com"}'
curl -X GET 'http://localhost:4003/api/users.profile.get?user=U000000001' \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN"
curl -X POST http://localhost:4003/api/users.profile.set \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"user": "U000000001", "profile": {"display_name": "Developer", "status_text": "Testing locally", "status_emoji": ":computer:"}}'
curl -X GET 'http://localhost:4003/api/users.getPresence?user=U000000001' \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN"
curl -X POST http://localhost:4003/api/users.setPresence \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"presence": "away"}'
curl -X POST http://localhost:4003/api/users.setPresence \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"presence": "auto"}'
Files
curl -X POST http://localhost:4003/api/files.getUploadURLExternal \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"filename": "deploy.txt", "length": 18}'
curl -X POST http://localhost:4003/upload/v1/F000000001 \
-H "Content-Type: application/octet-stream" \
--data-binary @deploy.txt
curl -X POST http://localhost:4003/api/files.completeUploadExternal \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"files": [{"id": "F000000001", "title": "Deploy Log"}], "channel_id": "C000000001", "initial_comment": "Deploy log attached"}'
curl -X GET 'http://localhost:4003/api/files.info?file=F000000001' \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN"
curl -X POST http://localhost:4003/api/files.list \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"channel": "C000000001"}'
curl -X GET http://localhost:4003/files-pri/F000000001/deploy.txt \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN"
curl -X POST http://localhost:4003/api/files.delete \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"file": "F000000001"}'
Pins And Bookmarks
curl -X POST http://localhost:4003/api/pins.add \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"channel": "C000000001", "timestamp": "1234567890.123456"}'
curl -X GET 'http://localhost:4003/api/pins.list?channel=C000000001' \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN"
curl -X POST http://localhost:4003/api/pins.remove \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"channel": "C000000001", "timestamp": "1234567890.123456"}'
curl -X POST http://localhost:4003/api/bookmarks.add \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"channel_id": "C000000001", "title": "Runbook", "type": "link", "link": "https://example.com/runbook"}'
curl -X POST http://localhost:4003/api/bookmarks.edit \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"channel_id": "C000000001", "bookmark_id": "Bk000000001", "title": "Updated Runbook"}'
curl -X POST http://localhost:4003/api/bookmarks.list \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"channel_id": "C000000001"}'
curl -X POST http://localhost:4003/api/bookmarks.remove \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"channel_id": "C000000001", "bookmark_id": "Bk000000001"}'
Views
curl -X POST http://localhost:4003/api/views.publish \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"user_id": "U000000001", "view": {"type": "home", "blocks": [{"type": "section", "text": {"type": "plain_text", "text": "Local App Home"}}]}}'
curl -X POST http://localhost:4003/api/views.generateTriggerId \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"user_id": "U000000001"}'
curl -X POST http://localhost:4003/api/views.open \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"trigger_id": "<trigger_id from views.generateTriggerId>", "view": {"type": "modal", "title": {"type": "plain_text", "text": "Local Modal"}, "blocks": [{"type": "section", "text": {"type": "plain_text", "text": "Modal body"}}]}}'
curl -X POST http://localhost:4003/api/views.update \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"view_id": "V000000001", "view": {"type": "modal", "title": {"type": "plain_text", "text": "Updated Modal"}, "blocks": [{"type": "section", "text": {"type": "plain_text", "text": "Updated body"}}]}}'
curl -X POST http://localhost:4003/api/views.generateTriggerId \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"view_id": "V000000001"}'
curl -X POST http://localhost:4003/api/views.push \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"trigger_id": "<trigger_id from views.generateTriggerId>", "view": {"type": "modal", "title": {"type": "plain_text", "text": "Next Modal"}, "blocks": []}}'
Reactions
curl -X POST http://localhost:4003/api/reactions.add \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"channel": "C000000001", "timestamp": "1234567890.123456", "name": "thumbsup"}'
curl -X POST http://localhost:4003/api/reactions.remove \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"channel": "C000000001", "timestamp": "1234567890.123456", "name": "thumbsup"}'
curl -X POST http://localhost:4003/api/reactions.get \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"channel": "C000000001", "timestamp": "1234567890.123456"}'
Team
curl -X POST http://localhost:4003/api/team.info \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN"
Bots
curl -X POST http://localhost:4003/api/bots.info \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"bot": "B000000001"}'
Incoming Webhooks
curl -X POST http://localhost:4003/services/T000000001/B000000001/X000000001 \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"text": "Deployment complete!"}'
curl -X POST http://localhost:4003/services/T000000001/B000000001/X000000001 \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"text": "Alert!", "channel": "C000000002"}'
curl -X POST http://localhost:4003/services/T000000001/B000000001/X000000001 \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"text": "Thread update", "thread_ts": "1234567890.123456"}'
OAuth
curl -X POST http://localhost:4003/api/oauth.v2.access \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"client_id": "12345.67890", "client_secret": "example_client_secret", "code": "<code>"}'
Returns a Slack-style response:
{
"ok": true,
"access_token": "xoxb-...",
"token_type": "bot",
"scope": "chat:write,channels:read",
"app_id": "A000000001",
"bot_user_id": "U000000099",
"team": { "id": "T000000001", "name": "Emulate" },
"authed_user": { "id": "U000000001" }
}
Inspector
Open GET / in the Slack emulator to inspect conversations, messages, files, views, auth records, incoming webhooks, event subscriptions, and event deliveries.
Event Dispatching
When supported Slack writes mutate state, the emulator dispatches event_callback payloads to configured webhook URLs. These payloads match Slack's Events API format:
message events on chat.postMessage
message with subtype: message_changed on chat.update
message with subtype: message_deleted on chat.delete
- rich message fields are included on posted
message events when present
reaction_added / reaction_removed events on reactions.add / reactions.remove
pin_added / pin_removed events on pins.add / pins.remove
message with subtype: bot_message on incoming webhook posts
channel_archive / channel_unarchive for public lifecycle archive writes
group_archive / group_unarchive for private lifecycle archive writes
channel_rename / group_rename and matching name message subtypes on conversations.rename
message with public channel_topic / channel_purpose or private group_topic / group_purpose subtypes on topic and purpose writes
member_joined_channel / member_left_channel on invite, join, leave, and kick writes
im_created, im_open, im_close, im_marked, and group open/close/marked events for DM and MPIM writes
user_change on profile writes
presence_change on presence writes
file_created, file_shared, and file_deleted on file writes
message with subtype: file_share on shared file uploads
Current Limits
Slack Connect, Enterprise Grid admin APIs, Audit Logs API, SCIM, Legal Holds, Socket Mode, slash command and interaction simulation, user groups, reminders, stars, calls, canvases, lists, functions, workflows, chat streaming, legacy files.upload, exact rate limiting, and paid-plan behavior are not implemented.
Common Patterns
Post Messages and React
TOKEN="test_token_admin"
BASE="http://localhost:4003"
curl -X POST $BASE/api/chat.postMessage \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"channel": "C000000001", "text": "Hello!"}'
curl -X POST $BASE/api/reactions.add \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"channel": "C000000001", "timestamp": "<ts>", "name": "wave"}'
OAuth Flow
- Redirect user to
$SLACK_EMULATOR_URL/oauth/v2/authorize?client_id=...&redirect_uri=...&scope=chat:write,channels:read&state=...
- User picks a seeded user on the emulator's UI
- Emulator redirects back with
?code=...&state=...
- Exchange code for token via
POST /api/oauth.v2.access
- Use
xoxb- token to call Web API endpoints
When user_scope is included in the authorize URL and callback, the exchange response includes authed_user.access_token, authed_user.scope, and authed_user.token_type.
CI Notifications via Webhook
curl -X POST http://localhost:4003/services/T000000001/B000000001/X000000001 \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"text": "Build passed on main"}'