Overview

This guide walks you through connecting OpenAI Codex to Slack using OpenClaw. You'll learn how to configure authentication, set up the channel, and deploy your AI assistant.

OpenAI Codex Features

  • 128K context window
  • Image generation and understanding
  • Tool/function calling
  • Fine-tuning available

Slack Capabilities

  • Direct messages
  • Group chats
  • Media support
  • Reactions
  • Thread support
  • Native commands

Step 1: Configure OpenAI Codex

Standard API key authentication

  1. Create an account at platform.openai.com
  2. Navigate to API Keys section
  3. Generate a new API key
  4. Set OPENAI_API_KEY environment variable

Environment variable: OPENAI_API_KEY

Step 2: Configure Slack

  1. Create a Slack app at api.slack.com/apps
  2. Enable Socket Mode and create app token
  3. Add bot token scopes and install to workspace
  4. Set SLACK_BOT_TOKEN and SLACK_APP_TOKEN environment variables
  5. Configure slack in openclaw.json

Step 3: Combined Configuration

Add both configurations to your openclaw.json:

{
  "agents": {
    "defaults": {
      "model": {
        "primary": "openai-codex/gpt-5.2"
      }
    }
  },
  "models": {
    "providers": {
      "openai-codex": {
  "models": {
    "providers": {
      "openai-codex": {
        "apiKey": "${OPENAI_API_KEY}
    }
  },
  "channels": {
    "slack": {
      "botToken": "${SLACK_BOT_TOKEN}",
      "appToken": "${SLACK_APP_TOKEN}",
      "dmPolicy": "allowlist"
    }
  }
}
}

Step 4: Start the Gateway

# Start the gateway
openclaw gateway start

# Check status
openclaw status

# View logs
openclaw logs --follow

Access Control

Slack supports the following access control policies:

DM Policies

Policy Description
allowlist Only senders in allowFrom list are processed
pairing Unknown senders receive a pairing code; admin must approve
open All DMs are processed (requires allowFrom: ["*"])

Group Policies

Policy Description
allowlist Only groups in groupAllowFrom are processed
open All groups are processed

Deploy Options

Choose how to deploy your OpenAI Codex + Slack setup:

Local Deployment

Run on your personal machine with local-only access

View Guide →

VPS Deployment

Always-on deployment on a Linux VPS

View Guide →

Cloud Deployment

Managed container deployment on Fly.io or similar

View Guide →

Docker Deployment

Containerized deployment with Docker

View Guide →

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I set up OpenAI Codex with Slack?
Configure OpenAI Codex as your AI provider and enable Slack as a channel in openclaw.json. The gateway routes Slack messages to OpenAI Codex for processing automatically.
Is OpenAI Codex a good choice for Slack bots?
OpenAI Codex works great with Slack. Extensive ecosystem and tooling and Good performance across tasks make it well-suited for Workplace AI assistant and Team productivity.