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feat(slack): add require_mention and free_response_channels config support#5885

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dorukardahan wants to merge 3 commits into
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dorukardahan:feat/slack-mention-gating
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feat(slack): add require_mention and free_response_channels config support#5885
dorukardahan wants to merge 3 commits into
NousResearch:mainfrom
dorukardahan:feat/slack-mention-gating

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@dorukardahan

@dorukardahan dorukardahan commented Apr 7, 2026 •
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Summary

  • Port the mention gating pattern from Telegram, Discord, WhatsApp, and Matrix adapters to the Slack platform adapter
  • Add require_mention and free_response_channels config support with env var fallbacks (SLACK_REQUIRE_MENTION, SLACK_FREE_RESPONSE_CHANNELS)
  • Default behavior unchanged: channels require @mention (backward compatible)

Changes

File Change
gateway/platforms/slack.py Add _slack_require_mention() and _slack_free_response_channels() methods; replace hardcoded mention check with configurable gating
gateway/config.py Add free_response_channels to generic bridging loop; add Slack-specific env var wiring block
tests/gateway/test_slack_mention.py 26 tests covering config parsing, env var fallback, gating logic, parser safety, bot_uid edge case, and config bridging

Config usage

slack:
  require_mention: false
  # OR allow specific channels without mention:
  free_response_channels:
    - "C0AQWDLHY9M"

Or via env vars: SLACK_REQUIRE_MENTION=false, SLACK_FREE_RESPONSE_CHANNELS=C0AQWDLHY9M,C9999999999

Design decisions

  1. Explicit-false parser (like Discord/Matrix) instead of truthy parser (like Telegram/WhatsApp) — since Slack defaults to require_mention=true, unrecognised/empty values keep gating ON (fail-closed). This matches Discord and Matrix which also default to require-mention.

  2. bot_uid guard preserved — the gating block is only entered when bot_uid is resolved. This matches the original behavior: messages arriving before auth_test completes (startup, new workspace) pass through instead of being silently dropped.

  3. Env var fallback — follows the same pattern as every other adapter. SLACK_REQUIRE_MENTION and SLACK_FREE_RESPONSE_CHANNELS are supported alongside config.yaml.

Gating precedence

  1. DMs → always processed
  2. bot_uid not yet resolved → always processed (startup safety)
  3. Channel in free_response_channels → always processed
  4. require_mention disabled → always processed
  5. Bot @mentioned → processed (mention stripped from text)
  6. Thread reply with active session → processed
  7. Otherwise → ignored

Related

Test plan

  • require_mention=true (default), channel msg without mention → ignored
  • require_mention=false, channel msg without mention → processed
  • Channel in free_response_channels → processed without mention
  • DM always processed regardless of setting
  • Thread reply with active session → processed without mention
  • Env var fallback (SLACK_REQUIRE_MENTION, SLACK_FREE_RESPONSE_CHANNELS) works
  • Config bridging from config.yaml → env vars verified
  • Malformed/empty strings keep gating ON (explicit-false parser safety)
  • bot_uid=None → messages pass through (no silent drop)
  • All 26 tests pass

Platforms tested

  • macOS (Darwin 25.4.0, Python 3.14)

@dorukardahan
feat(slack): add require_mention and free_response_channels config su…
3f3961d 
…pport

Port the mention gating pattern from Telegram, Discord, WhatsApp, and
Matrix adapters to the Slack platform adapter.

- Add _slack_require_mention() with env var fallback (SLACK_REQUIRE_MENTION)
- Add _slack_free_response_channels() with env var fallback (SLACK_FREE_RESPONSE_CHANNELS)
- Replace hardcoded mention check with configurable gating logic
- Bridge slack config.yaml settings to env vars (matching Discord/Telegram pattern)
- Add 21 tests covering config parsing, env fallback, gating logic, and config bridging

Config usage:
  slack:
    require_mention: false
    free_response_channels:
      - "C0AQWDLHY9M"

Default behavior unchanged: channels require @mention (backward compatible).
@dorukardahan
fix: address review findings from multi-model code review
8151cd4 
- Restore bot_uid guard in gating condition to prevent silent message
  drops when bot_uid is None (startup, new workspace before auth_test)
- Switch to explicit-false parser for require_mention (matching
  Discord/Matrix pattern) so malformed values fail-closed instead of
  silently disabling mention gating
- Add bot_uid=None regression test
- Add malformed/empty string parser safety tests
- Fix test env var hermiticity (monkeypatch.delenv in default tests)

26 tests pass.
dorukardahan
dorukardahan commented Apr 7, 2026
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Self-review notes for maintainers

Key design decisions:

  1. bot_uid guard (slack.py:775) — The original code had if not is_dm and bot_uid and not is_mentioned. I preserved the bot_uid guard (if not is_dm and bot_uid:) because removing it would silently drop channel messages during startup or when a new workspace hasn't completed auth_test yet. This edge case is subtle but important for multi-workspace deployments.

  2. Explicit-false parser (slack.py:1063) — I used not in ("false", "0", "no", "off") instead of in ("true", "1", "yes", "on"). Since Slack defaults to require_mention=true (gating ON), the parser should fail-closed: unrecognised values like "" or "maybe" keep gating enabled. This matches the Discord and Matrix approach. Telegram/WhatsApp use the truthy parser because they default to false (gating OFF), where fail-open is the safe default.

  3. Config bridging — I added both the generic free_response_channels key to the platform bridging loop (line 531) AND a Slack-specific env var block (lines 547-556). The generic loop populates PlatformConfig.extra for the method-based lookup. The Slack block populates env vars for operators who prefer env-only configuration (Docker, systemd). This mirrors the Discord/Telegram/WhatsApp/Matrix pattern.

  4. Naming: Used free_response_channels (not free_response_chats) to match Discord's convention, since Slack calls them "channels". Telegram/WhatsApp use free_response_chats and Matrix uses free_response_rooms — each adapter uses platform-native terminology.

@dorukardahan
merge: resolve conflict with upstream thread tracking changes
61ddfa4 
Integrate free_response_channels and require_mention gating into
upstream's expanded thread tracking (bot_message_ts, mentioned_threads).

The gating precedence is now:
1. free_response_channels → always process
2. require_mention=false → always process
3. @mentioned → process
4. reply_to_bot_thread → process
5. in_mentioned_thread → process
6. has_active_session → process
7. otherwise → ignore
teknium1 pushed a commit that referenced this pull request Apr 9, 2026
@dorukardahan @teknium1
feat(slack): add require_mention and free_response_channels config su…
68a6ca0 
…pport

Port the mention gating pattern from Telegram, Discord, WhatsApp, and
Matrix adapters to the Slack platform adapter.

- Add _slack_require_mention() with explicit-false parsing and env var
  fallback (SLACK_REQUIRE_MENTION)
- Add _slack_free_response_channels() with env var fallback
  (SLACK_FREE_RESPONSE_CHANNELS)
- Replace hardcoded mention check with configurable gating logic
- Bridge slack config.yaml settings to env vars
- Bridge free_response_channels through the generic platform bridging loop
- Add 26 tests covering config parsing, env fallback, gating logic

Config usage:
  slack:
    require_mention: false
    free_response_channels:
      - "C0AQWDLHY9M"

Default behavior unchanged: channels require @mention (backward compatible).

Based on PR #5885 by dorukardahan, cherry-picked and adapted to current main.
@teknium1 teknium1 mentioned this pull request Apr 9, 2026
Merged
teknium1 pushed a commit that referenced this pull request Apr 9, 2026
@dorukardahan @teknium1
feat(slack): add require_mention and free_response_channels config su…
7d499c7 
…pport

Port the mention gating pattern from Telegram, Discord, WhatsApp, and
Matrix adapters to the Slack platform adapter.

- Add _slack_require_mention() with explicit-false parsing and env var
  fallback (SLACK_REQUIRE_MENTION)
- Add _slack_free_response_channels() with env var fallback
  (SLACK_FREE_RESPONSE_CHANNELS)
- Replace hardcoded mention check with configurable gating logic
- Bridge slack config.yaml settings to env vars
- Bridge free_response_channels through the generic platform bridging loop
- Add 26 tests covering config parsing, env fallback, gating logic

Config usage:
  slack:
    require_mention: false
    free_response_channels:
      - "C0AQWDLHY9M"

Default behavior unchanged: channels require @mention (backward compatible).

Based on PR #5885 by dorukardahan, cherry-picked and adapted to current main.
@teknium1

teknium1 commented Apr 9, 2026

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Merged via PR #6809 as part of a consolidated Slack adapter improvement. Your contribution was core feature (require_mention + free_response_channels) cherry-picked. Your authorship is preserved in git history. Thank you @dorukardahan for your work on this!

@teknium1 teknium1 closed this Apr 9, 2026
This was referenced Apr 9, 2026
Closed
Closed
Tommyeds pushed a commit to Tommyeds/hermes-agent that referenced this pull request Apr 12, 2026
@dorukardahan
feat(slack): add require_mention and free_response_channels config su…
9e24716 
…pport

Port the mention gating pattern from Telegram, Discord, WhatsApp, and
Matrix adapters to the Slack platform adapter.

- Add _slack_require_mention() with explicit-false parsing and env var
  fallback (SLACK_REQUIRE_MENTION)
- Add _slack_free_response_channels() with env var fallback
  (SLACK_FREE_RESPONSE_CHANNELS)
- Replace hardcoded mention check with configurable gating logic
- Bridge slack config.yaml settings to env vars
- Bridge free_response_channels through the generic platform bridging loop
- Add 26 tests covering config parsing, env fallback, gating logic

Config usage:
  slack:
    require_mention: false
    free_response_channels:
      - "C0AQWDLHY9M"

Default behavior unchanged: channels require @mention (backward compatible).

Based on PR NousResearch#5885 by dorukardahan, cherry-picked and adapted to current main.
angelburgosrosado pushed a commit to angelburgosrosado/hermes-agent that referenced this pull request Apr 28, 2026
@dorukardahan @teknium1
feat(slack): add require_mention and free_response_channels config su…
bb7f51e 
…pport

Port the mention gating pattern from Telegram, Discord, WhatsApp, and
Matrix adapters to the Slack platform adapter.

- Add _slack_require_mention() with explicit-false parsing and env var
  fallback (SLACK_REQUIRE_MENTION)
- Add _slack_free_response_channels() with env var fallback
  (SLACK_FREE_RESPONSE_CHANNELS)
- Replace hardcoded mention check with configurable gating logic
- Bridge slack config.yaml settings to env vars
- Bridge free_response_channels through the generic platform bridging loop
- Add 26 tests covering config parsing, env fallback, gating logic

Config usage:
  slack:
    require_mention: false
    free_response_channels:
      - "C0AQWDLHY9M"

Default behavior unchanged: channels require @mention (backward compatible).

Based on PR NousResearch#5885 by dorukardahan, cherry-picked and adapted to current main.
ulasbilgen pushed a commit to ulasbilgen/hermes-adhd-agent that referenced this pull request May 1, 2026
@dorukardahan @teknium1
feat(slack): add require_mention and free_response_channels config su…
872ac36 
…pport

Port the mention gating pattern from Telegram, Discord, WhatsApp, and
Matrix adapters to the Slack platform adapter.

- Add _slack_require_mention() with explicit-false parsing and env var
  fallback (SLACK_REQUIRE_MENTION)
- Add _slack_free_response_channels() with env var fallback
  (SLACK_FREE_RESPONSE_CHANNELS)
- Replace hardcoded mention check with configurable gating logic
- Bridge slack config.yaml settings to env vars
- Bridge free_response_channels through the generic platform bridging loop
- Add 26 tests covering config parsing, env fallback, gating logic

Config usage:
  slack:
    require_mention: false
    free_response_channels:
      - "C0AQWDLHY9M"

Default behavior unchanged: channels require @mention (backward compatible).

Based on PR NousResearch#5885 by dorukardahan, cherry-picked and adapted to current main.
02356abc pushed a commit to 02356abc/hermes-agent that referenced this pull request May 14, 2026
@dorukardahan @teknium1
feat(slack): add require_mention and free_response_channels config su…
4643f36 
…pport

Port the mention gating pattern from Telegram, Discord, WhatsApp, and
Matrix adapters to the Slack platform adapter.

- Add _slack_require_mention() with explicit-false parsing and env var
  fallback (SLACK_REQUIRE_MENTION)
- Add _slack_free_response_channels() with env var fallback
  (SLACK_FREE_RESPONSE_CHANNELS)
- Replace hardcoded mention check with configurable gating logic
- Bridge slack config.yaml settings to env vars
- Bridge free_response_channels through the generic platform bridging loop
- Add 26 tests covering config parsing, env fallback, gating logic

Config usage:
  slack:
    require_mention: false
    free_response_channels:
      - "C0AQWDLHY9M"

Default behavior unchanged: channels require @mention (backward compatible).

Based on PR NousResearch#5885 by dorukardahan, cherry-picked and adapted to current main.
olympus-terminal pushed a commit to olympus-terminal/hermes-agent that referenced this pull request May 16, 2026
@dorukardahan @teknium1
feat(slack): add require_mention and free_response_channels config su…
712ce48 
…pport

Port the mention gating pattern from Telegram, Discord, WhatsApp, and
Matrix adapters to the Slack platform adapter.

- Add _slack_require_mention() with explicit-false parsing and env var
  fallback (SLACK_REQUIRE_MENTION)
- Add _slack_free_response_channels() with env var fallback
  (SLACK_FREE_RESPONSE_CHANNELS)
- Replace hardcoded mention check with configurable gating logic
- Bridge slack config.yaml settings to env vars
- Bridge free_response_channels through the generic platform bridging loop
- Add 26 tests covering config parsing, env fallback, gating logic

Config usage:
  slack:
    require_mention: false
    free_response_channels:
      - "C0AQWDLHY9M"

Default behavior unchanged: channels require @mention (backward compatible).

Based on PR NousResearch#5885 by dorukardahan, cherry-picked and adapted to current main.
@alt-glitch alt-glitch mentioned this pull request May 21, 2026
Open
gweeteve pushed a commit to gweeteve/hermes-agent that referenced this pull request Jun 2, 2026
@dorukardahan @teknium1
feat(slack): add require_mention and free_response_channels config su…
540088b 
…pport

Port the mention gating pattern from Telegram, Discord, WhatsApp, and
Matrix adapters to the Slack platform adapter.

- Add _slack_require_mention() with explicit-false parsing and env var
  fallback (SLACK_REQUIRE_MENTION)
- Add _slack_free_response_channels() with env var fallback
  (SLACK_FREE_RESPONSE_CHANNELS)
- Replace hardcoded mention check with configurable gating logic
- Bridge slack config.yaml settings to env vars
- Bridge free_response_channels through the generic platform bridging loop
- Add 26 tests covering config parsing, env fallback, gating logic

Config usage:
  slack:
    require_mention: false
    free_response_channels:
      - "C0AQWDLHY9M"

Default behavior unchanged: channels require @mention (backward compatible).

Based on PR NousResearch#5885 by dorukardahan, cherry-picked and adapted to current main.
Egavasyug pushed a commit to Egavasyug/hermes-agent that referenced this pull request Jun 10, 2026
@dorukardahan @teknium1
feat(slack): add require_mention and free_response_channels config su…
657d380 
…pport

Port the mention gating pattern from Telegram, Discord, WhatsApp, and
Matrix adapters to the Slack platform adapter.

- Add _slack_require_mention() with explicit-false parsing and env var
  fallback (SLACK_REQUIRE_MENTION)
- Add _slack_free_response_channels() with env var fallback
  (SLACK_FREE_RESPONSE_CHANNELS)
- Replace hardcoded mention check with configurable gating logic
- Bridge slack config.yaml settings to env vars
- Bridge free_response_channels through the generic platform bridging loop
- Add 26 tests covering config parsing, env fallback, gating logic

Config usage:
  slack:
    require_mention: false
    free_response_channels:
      - "C0AQWDLHY9M"

Default behavior unchanged: channels require @mention (backward compatible).

Based on PR NousResearch#5885 by dorukardahan, cherry-picked and adapted to current main.
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2 participants

@dorukardahan @teknium1