Integrating GitHub with Slack

Learn how to integrate GitHub with Slack to improve collaboration and streamline workflows.

In this article

About the GitHub integration for Slack

The GitHub integration for Slack gives you and your teams full visibility into your GitHub projects directly in Slack channels. You can work with Copilot cloud agent to research, plan and triage in conversations, create artifacts such as issues and pull requests, start and steer agent sessions, and keep track of changes without leaving Slack.

With the GitHub integration for Slack, you can:

  • Get GitHub notifications in Slack channels.

  • Use slash commands to take actions on GitHub.

  • Give your team context when sharing links to GitHub activities and properties.

  • Initiate and steer Copilot cloud agent sessions in a conversation. Teammates can collaborate with each other and the agent, add context, correct assumptions, continue an agent task, and review the resulting plan, issues, pull requests and other artifacts.

  • Work across repositories and tools with multi-repository sessions, and repository-configured MCP servers.

  • Choose a model for a conversation or set a default for new conversations in a channel.

  • Retain context across sessions with Copilot Memory.

When you grant the GitHub app access to your Slack workspace, you are granting it certain permissions. The permissions provided are necessary for the app to function correctly and provide the features you expect. See Permissions for GitHub in Slack.

Prerequisites

To use the GitHub integration for Slack, you need:

  • A GitHub account.
  • A Slack workspace where you have permission to install apps.

To use Copilot cloud agent, you also need a paid Copilot plan. To start or steer work, you need write access to every repository selected for the session.

  • If you get Copilot through an organization or enterprise, including an enterprise with managed users, the Copilot in the cloud policy is enabled by default, but an owner can turn it off. Copilot runs your Slack sessions in a cloud sandbox, which doesn't need a separate setting. See Managing cloud sandboxes for your organization or enterprise.

Installing the GitHub integration for Slack in a single workspace

The GitHub integration for Slack only needs to be installed once per workspace, and can be installed by anyone with admin permissions in the Slack workspace.

  1. Go to the GitHub integration for Slack page.
  2. Click Add to Slack.
  3. If you're not already signed in to Slack, you'll be prompted to do so.
  4. Follow the prompts on screen to allow GitHub access to your Slack workspace.
  5. Once the integration is installed, you can invite the GitHub app to specific channels by typing /invite @github in the desired channel.
  6. Also once the integration is installed, to work with Copilot cloud agent, @mention the app by typing @GitHub in a Slack message or channel. Then, if prompted, connect your GitHub account.

To see what else you can do with Copilot, in the thread, @mention the app by typing @GitHub help.

Choosing what to configure next

  • To receive repository events, use /github subscribe OWNER/REPO. See Customizing notifications for GitHub in Slack.
  • To set repositories, the default owner, or a default model for new channel conversations, run /github settings.
  • To start a task, mention @GitHub and describe the work. Name the repositories in your prompt when using a direct message.

Notification subscriptions and Copilot repository defaults are separate. Subscribing to a repository does not select it for agent work, and selecting it for agent work does not subscribe the channel to notifications. For multi-repository sessions, MCP, and Copilot Memory, see Integrating Copilot cloud agent with Slack.

Installing the GitHub integration for Slack on the Slack Enterprise Grid

If you are an admin or owner of a Slack Enterprise Grid organization, you can install the GitHub integration for Slack across multiple workspaces in your organization.

  1. In your Slack Enterprise Grid settings, under "Integrations", click Install apps.
  2. Search for the GitHub app.
  3. Click the ellipsis (...) to the right of the GitHub app and select Add to more workspaces.
  4. Follow the prompts on screen to complete the installation.

Further reading