Slack notifications

The Slack integration lets Oblique notify users about pending requests directly in Slack, and lets reviewers approve or close requests directly in Slack. You can also direct users to request access in Slack in a channel or from an individual when they can’t request access in Oblique directly.

The Oblique Slack app supports sending request notifications in Slack in two ways:

• Direct messages (DMs). Request notifications are sent directly to individuals who are requesters or reviewers as direct messages, if they exist in the Slack workspace. Reviewers are notified when they need to approve a request, and requesters are notified when the status of their request changes.
• Channels. All request notifications are sent to one or more public or private Slack channels. The notification tags the requester and the reviewers for the request, if they exist in the Slack workspace.

Each notification shows the request as a card, the same card as a link to the request. Changes to a request update its cards in place: when one reviewer approves or closes a request from Slack, every DM and channel message for that request updates to show the new status. A channel gets one card per request, which isn’t followed by further messages. When a requester’s request changes again after their first DM about it, the update is threaded under that DM so they’re notified.

You can configure the Oblique Slack app to send DMs to users, send notifications to one or more Slack channels, or both. DMs are enabled by default.

Approving or closing requests from Slack notifications is enabled by default.

Note

The Oblique Slack app doesn’t currently support making requests via Slack.

When notifications are sent

Notifications are sent or updated for both the requester and reviewers when one of the following happens:

• A request is assigned to a reviewer
• A request is approved
• A request is applied
• A request is closed

When a reviewer is removed from a request, their DM is updated to let them know they’re no longer requested to review. They won’t receive any further notifications about that request.

Reviewers aren’t notified again when a request they were asked to review is approved, applied, or closed, but their DM updates to show the new status.

Oblique sends a single notification when several events that affect the same request happen at the same time, such as creating a request with reviewers selected, or approving and applying it.

When a user performs an action that would send themselves a direct message, for example by approving their own request, Oblique skips sending that notification.

Install or uninstall the Slack app

You must install the Oblique Slack app to use Slack for notifications.

Manage Slack integration

Manage Slack notifications

Enable or disable DMs for all users

When you add the Oblique Slack app to a workspace, all users will begin receiving DMs by default.

You can enable or disable DMs for all users from the Slack integration’s detail page:

1. Navigate to Settings.
2. In the Request notifications section, toggle Direct messages on or off.

Users can also enable or disable whether they personally receive DMs.

Modify user notification settings

Enable or disable approvals from Slack

Approvals from Slack are enabled by default. When approvals from Slack are enabled, reviewers can approve or close requests directly in Slack. Slack-based approvals are subject to the same rules as approvals in Oblique.

Requests approved or closed in Slack are recorded in audit logs just like any other approval. The reviewer is listed as the author, and the Slack integration is listed as the client.

You must be an admin or integration owner to change Slack settings.

You can enable or disable approvals from Slack from the Slack integration’s detail page:

1. Navigate to Settings.
2. In the Request notifications section, under Approving requests, toggle Approve from Slack on or off.

Change the Slack channels used by the Oblique app

You can configure the Oblique Slack app to send notifications to none, one, or several Slack channels. Both public and private channels are supported.

To change the channels used, from the Slack integration’s detail page:

1. Navigate to Settings.
2. In the Request notifications section, under Approving requests, next to Approval channels, select the Slack channel or channels where notifications should be sent.
3. (Optional) Test that the integration is working as expected and sending messages to the correct Slack workspace and channels. Select Send test notification to add the Oblique app to the channels and send a test notification.

Note

Each Slack integration is connected to one workspace, and only sends notifications to that workspace. To use another workspace, add another Slack integration.

Caution

For Oblique to send messages to a private channel, the Oblique app must first be added to that channel by a member. The list of selectable private channels only includes channels that the Oblique app has access to. If you don’t see a private channel you expect, invite @Oblique to the channel in Slack and try again.

Direct users to request access in Slack

Oblique doesn’t let users request access to resources in read-only integrations.

If a Slack integration is connected, by default, Oblique will suggest non-admins send a direct message to an owner of the resource for access. You can optionally route these requests to a specific public Slack channel instead. When a channel is set, non-admins sees an Ask in #channel button that opens the channel in Slack. This setting is off by default.

Set or change the Slack channel used by Oblique for access requests

To set the channel where users are directed to request access, from the Slack integration’s detail page:

1. Navigate to Settings.
2. In the Request notifications section, under Creating requests, next to Request channel, select a Slack channel. This must be a public Slack channel.