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Slack User Guide

Using the Slack integration after installation

After completing the initial configuration, you can manage PagerDuty incidents in Slack.

Link User Accounts

In order for users to be able to perform PagerDuty actions from within Slack or create new channel connections on the PagerDuty side, users must first link their PagerDuty and Slack user accounts. This user-linking can be performed by each user as soon as the initial configuration has been completed for a given PagerDuty account and Slack workspace and can be initiated from either PagerDuty or Slack. The following describes how to link user accounts from Slack:

  1. In a public Slack channel, run the command /pd oncall, then, if prompted, choose the desired PagerDuty account.
  2. You'll receive a private message prompt in the same Slack channel; click the provided hyperlink to link your accounts.
  3. You’ll be directed to log into your PagerDuty account (make sure that you select the correct region and correct sign-on method (SSO or not) appropriate to your PagerDuty account); once you’ve completed authentication to the PagerDuty account, your Slack and PagerDuty users have been successfully linked.

Available Slash Commands

Once the updated integration has been installed, new slash commands will be available. You can run the following slash commands from any Slack channel that is connected with PagerDuty:

  • /pd help: Display a help message with a list of available slash commands.
  • /pd trigger: Trigger a new PagerDuty incident within the Slack interface.
  • /pd unlink: Unlink your current Slack user from your PagerDuty user.
  • /pd invite @[Slack User Name]: Invites the specified Slack user as a responder to your PagerDuty account.
  • /pd oncall: View who is on call for a PagerDuty service.
  • /pd insights: Configure the PagerDuty Analytics Slack integration to send recurring insights to Slack.

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PagerDuty EU

If your PagerDuty account is in the EU service region, you'll need to use /pdeu to run all slash commands instead of /pd.

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Required Permissions

/pd oncall requires channel-specific permissions. You must invite @PagerDuty to private Slack channels in order to use this Slack slash command.

It is not possible to use this command in other direct messages outside of a direct message with @PagerDuty.

Incident Actions

When an incident is triggered, the incident notification message in Slack will display options for the following incident actions:

  • Acknowledge: Acknowledge the incident.
  • Resolve: Resolve the incident.
  • Run a Workflow: Run an Incident Workflow.
    1. Click Run a Workflow.
    2. Select an Incident Workflow from the dropdown.
    3. Click Run.
  • More actions…: Select the dropdown to access the below actions. Note: Not all actions are available on all pricing plans. Please contact Sales to upgrade to a pricing plan that offers any features not present in your account.
Incident actions in Slack

Incident actions in Slack

View Impacted Applications in Slack

View customer service application impact during an incident in Slack. Services with Salesforce or Zendesk integrations will list the number of cases related to the current incident, with links to individual cases.

PagerDuty incident card in Slack

PagerDuty incident card in Slack

To view individual cases:

  1. To the right of the application you would like to view, click [#] Cases.
  2. You will see a list of related cases in the modal that appears. Click a case number to navigate to the integrated application and view the case.
Linked SalesForce cases

Linked SalesForce cases

Create On-Demand Slack Channels

With this integration, PagerDuty users can create on-demand Slack channels from PagerDuty incidents, and from Slack incident notifications. The following features are available:

  • You may fully manage the incident using incident actions.
  • View all incident updates within the channel.
  • Added responders will be automatically added to the channel.
  • A dynamic conference bridge will be automatically added to the incident channel.

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User Permissions

  • When you click Set Channel you may be prompted to authorize the connection between your PagerDuty and Slack accounts again, as PagerDuty will attempt to create a channel on behalf of your Slack user account.
  • You will only be able to view channels that you have permission to access in Slack.
  • If you do not have permission in Slack to create channels, you will not be able to create them from a PagerDuty incident’s Set Channel link.
  • If your PagerDuty account is connected to multiple Slack workspaces, you will have the option to select which workspace to use.

Create a Slack Channel from a PagerDuty Incident

  1. In the PagerDuty web app, navigate to your desired PagerDuty incident and click its Title to view the incident details screen.
  2. Click Set Channel to create an incident-specific Slack channel.
Create a Slack channel from an incident

Create a Slack channel from an incident

  1. Select from the following options:
    • Select existing Slack channel for this incident: Search and select an existing Slack channel.
    • Create a new Slack channel for this incident: You may use the auto-populated incident Slack channel title, or enter a new one. You may also select whether you would like the channel to be Public or Private.
    • Click Set Channel.
  2. The channel will be automatically created in Slack.

Create a Slack Channel from a Slack Incident Notification

  1. In Slack, navigate to your desired ​​PagerDuty incident notification.
  2. Click More actions... and select View | Create Channel. The integration will automatically create a Slack channel (which will include a Zoom conference bridge link) for this incident.
Create a channel in Slack

Create a channel in Slack

Create an Incident Trigger Slack Workflow

Slack workflows can be used to trigger PagerDuty incidents via Slack with pre-configured details such as the associated service. This option is useful for employees who do not have PagerDuty licenses, but still need to be able to trigger PagerDuty incidents in Slack.

Using Slack's New Workflows

  1. In your Slack desktop app, click the top left Workspace dropdown and select Tools  Workflow Builder.

  2. Click Create Workflow. Select the option for how you’d like to start the workflow. Enter the required information, if any, then click Continue.

  3. Next, you will create a form for users to enter information about the incident. On the Steps panel, search for or select Collect info in a form.

  4. In the Collect info in a form modal, enter the following information:

    FieldValue
    TitleEnter a Title for the form, such as Trigger PD incident.
    Answer formatSelect Single line of text in the dropdown.
    Your questionEnter a Title.

    This will be the title of the incident that triggers.
    Make this requiredEnable this checkbox.

  5. Click Save.

  6. Next, on the Steps panel, search or select the PagerDuty connector’s Trigger an incident step.

  7. On the Trigger an incident modal:

    1. Click Edit next to the option PagerDuty account being used for this step.
      On the Accounts modal, select whose PagerDuty account should be used for triggering an incident.
      To use a different PagerDuty user account, click Switch Accounts, then select an account from the list of connected accounts, or connect a new account. After selecting a PagerDuty account, click Save.

    2. Enter the following information:

      FieldValue
      Incident titleClick Insert a variable and select Answer to: Title to add the Title value collected from the form.
      Incident detailsEnter your preferred message to be sent with the workflow.

      You have the option to include variables that contain PagerDuty Incident, Escalation policy, Service, and Team data by clicking Insert a variable under the message form.
      ServiceSelect the preferred Service for the new incident.
      Escalation policySelect the preferred Escalation Policy for the new incident.

    3. Click Save.

  8. If you would like to add an optional message when someone uses this workflow, continue to step 9. If you do not want to add a message, skip to step 10.

  9. (Optional) On the Steps panel, search for or select the Send a message to a channel step.

    On the Send a message to a channel modal, enter the following information:

    FieldValue
    Select a channelSelect Channel where the workflow was used.
    Add a messageEnter your preferred message to be sent with the workflow.

    Click Insert a variable under the message form to include variables that contain PagerDuty Incident, Escalation Policy, Service, and/or Team data.

    Click Save.

  10. Click Finish Up in the upper right. Enter the workflow’s details and permissions, then click Publish.

Using Slack's Legacy Workflows

  1. In your Slack desktop app, click the top left Workspace dropdown and select Tools Workflow Builder. Select the tab Legacy workflows and click Create legacy. Enter a workflow name, such as Trigger PD incident, and click Next.

  2. Click Select next to Shortcut, select your preferred channel under Which channel?, enter a name under Add a short name, such as Trigger PD incident, and then click Next.

  3. Next you will create a form for users to enter information about the incident. Click Add Step search for or select Send a form click Add.

  4. In the Send a form modal, enter the following information:

    FieldValue
    TitleEnter a Title for the form, such as Trigger PD incident.
    Add a questionEnter Title.

    This will be the title of the incident that triggers.
    Choose a question typeSelect Short answer in the dropdown.
    Make this requiredEnable this checkbox.
    Send submitted responses to a channel or to someone in a DMUncheck this checkbox.

  5. Click Save.

  6. Next, click Add Step search for or select Trigger PagerDuty incident Add.

    • If prompted, sign in to your PagerDuty account. Once signed in, the Trigger PagerDuty Incident step will be added to your Slack workflow.

  7. Select your preferred Impacted service, optionally select the Assign to user and optionally select your preferred Priority.

  8. Under the Title text field, click Insert a variable and select Response to: “Title” to add the Title form.

  9. Click Save.

    1. If you would like to add an optional message when someone uses this workflow, continue to step 10. If you do not want to add a message, skip to step 11.

  10. Send a Message With Workflow (Optional): Click Add Step and click Add next to Send a message. Under Send this message to: select Channel where workflow started. Under Message text enter your preferred message to be sent with the workflow. You have the option to include variables such as Impacted technical service, Incident number, Incident title, and Incident url by clicking Insert a variable under the message form. Click Save.

  11. Click Publish in the upper right to publish your workflow.

Use an Incident Trigger Slack Workflow

  1. In your Slack desktop app, select a channel with an Incident Trigger Slack Workflow configured click the Shortcuts at the bottom left of your text field select the Trigger PD incident workflow.
  2. Enter a Title for the incident and click Submit.

This will create an incident in PagerDuty, and you will also be able to see the incident details in your Slack channel.

Add a Slack Contact Method

Once the Slack integration has been configured, you can add Slack as an incident contact method. Please see our User Profile article for more information.

Updated 3 months ago

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