The Rootly Slack integration is built in, and it is the main way teams use Rootly. A Rootly admin goes to Settings, then Integrations, clicks Setup under Slack and approves the app in Slack. After that, anyone can type /rootly new or turn a Slack message into an incident, and Rootly opens a channel for it. Where it stops: the commands work only inside incident channels, the on-call group in Slack only works for people whose email matches in both programs, and tasks still need an owner who finishes them after the channel goes quiet. AI agents do that follow-up work.
What a Rootly Slack integration has to do
Rootly is incident management software. When something breaks, it opens a place to work on it, pulls in the right people, keeps a timeline and tracks the tasks that come out of it. Most of that happens in Slack, because that is where your team already talks. Rootly's own quick start has you connect Slack as the second step, right after you sign up.
So connected has to mean more than a bot in a channel. A problem spotted in any channel should become an incident in seconds. The person on call should be easy to reach. And the tasks agreed during the incident should still get done next week, when nobody is looking at that channel anymore.
Three ways to use Rootly with Slack
All three come with the same Rootly app in Slack. Most teams start with incident channels and add the rest over time.
The Rootly app for incidents
- How it works
- Install the Rootly app from Rootly's Settings. Then type /rootly new in any channel, or open the three dots on a message and click Create an incident. Rootly opens a channel for the incident, posts the first update and adds it to the timeline. Inside that channel, /rootly status, /rootly resolve and /rootly task run the incident.
- Good for
- Teams that want one place to declare, run and close each incident without leaving Slack.
- Where it breaks
- Rootly's guide says the commands only work inside a Rootly incident channel, not a normal one. In some workspaces only admins can create channels, so Rootly needs extra permission from an admin. Only people with permission can add or change tasks, and some teams block new tasks once the incident is resolved.
On-call groups in Slack
- How it works
- Open an on-call schedule in Rootly, go to the Notifications tab and select a Slack user group, like @oncall. Rootly keeps that group set to whoever is on call right now, through handoffs and overrides.
- Good for
- Letting anyone in Slack reach the person on call without knowing whose week it is.
- Where it breaks
- Rootly matches people by email. If someone's Rootly and Slack emails differ, Rootly can't add them and the sync fails for that shift. Mentioning the group doesn't create an alert in Rootly. People from another company in a shared channel can't mention the group at all.
Rootly AI in Slack
- How it works
- An admin turns on Rootly AI and the Rootly Agent in Slack, then refreshes the Slack connection. People mention @Rootly in an incident channel to ask what happened, who is on call, or to draft an update.
- Good for
- Catching up on an incident fast, or writing the summary without reading the whole channel.
- Where it breaks
- Rootly's troubleshooting guide says older installs miss the permissions some actions need, and people without an Incident Response role get refused. It won't touch your production systems, page people through other paging tools, or change settings in other programs.
Arkeo agents
- How it works
- Agents take the requests and follow-ups that come out of an incident, give each one an owner and follow up until it's done. They also read new support tickets and tell the right person in Slack when customers start reporting the same problem.
- Good for
- Small teams where the people fixing the problem are also the ones who have to answer customers and finish the follow-ups.
- Where it breaks
- Declaring the incident, paging and the fix itself stay with your team and Rootly.
How to set up the Rootly Slack integration
These follow Rootly's own guides. Open them for the screens.
- 1Check your Slack plan and who can install
You need to be an Admin or Owner in Rootly and a Workspace Admin or Owner in Slack. Click your organization name at the top left of Slack to see your plan. Free, Pro and Business+ install per workspace. Enterprise Grid installs for the whole organization.
- 2Install the Rootly app
In Rootly, go to Settings, then Integrations, and click Setup under Slack. Select Other Slack Plans, then your workspace, review the permissions and click Allow.
- 3Set your default channels
Go to Settings, then Slack. Set the announcement channel for new incidents, the alerts channel, how incident channels are named, reminders, and when old incident channels get archived.
- 4Create a test incident from Slack
Type /rootly new in any channel and fill in the New Incident form. To match it to your web form, go to Settings, then Forms, click Configure on New Incident and open the Slack tab.
- 5Link your on-call schedule to a Slack group
Open the schedule, go to the Notifications tab, select a Slack user group and save. Rootly adds whoever is on call now. Check that each person uses the same email in Rootly and Slack.
- 6Turn on emoji tasks
Under Settings, Integrations, Slack, turn on emoji reactions. Then a star on a message in an incident channel makes it a task, and a wrench makes it a follow-up.
Where the Rootly Slack integration stops
Rootly runs the incident well inside its own channel. The work around the edges of that channel is still done by people.
It starts only when someone starts it. Rootly's guide says its commands work only inside an incident channel. A customer complaint in your support channel becomes an incident when someone types /rootly new or clicks Create an incident on the message. Until then it is just a message, and on a busy day it scrolls away.
The on-call group depends on matching emails. Rootly's guide says it matches people by email, and if a person has no Slack account with the same email, the sync fails for that shift. It also says Slack groups should add to phone and app paging, not replace them, and that people from another company in a shared channel can't mention your on-call group.
Permissions drift. Rootly's guide says installs made before a feature came out can miss the permissions it needs, and the fix is to click Refresh Connection. Workspaces where only admins can create channels need an admin to grant more access first. Slack's own listing shows Rootly can act as you, act in your channels and administer Slack. Someone at your company has to own that app and keep it current.
Follow-ups outlive the channel. Rootly's own guide says tasks without owners are often forgotten. Rootly's changelog says admins can set deadlines for follow-up tasks and Rootly sends the reminders. But in a 20-person company, the follow-up is often not an engineering fix. It is calling the three customers who were hit, crediting an order, or updating the help page, and that work happens outside Rootly and outside Slack.
The agents that do it
Each agent does one job from start to finish, and your team talks to it in Slack.
Ask once in Slack. Someone owns it.
- Takes requests posted in your Slack channelas they come
- Turns each one into a task with an ownerright away
- Follows up until it's doneevery day
The tickets that matter reach the right person fast.
- Reads new support ticketsevery hour
- Spots angry, urgent or repeat problemsper ticket
- Tells the right person in Slack, with the historyright away
Questions
Is my customers' information safe?
Yes. Agents work in your own Slack and your own support tools, and see only what their job needs. Customer details never go into public AI. Agents connect to AI through business-grade connections audited under SOC 2.
How do I connect Rootly to Slack?
In Rootly, go to Settings, then Integrations, and click Setup under Slack. Select your Slack plan, then your workspace. Review the permissions and click Allow. You need to be an admin in both Rootly and Slack.
Why are Rootly commands not working in Slack?
Rootly's guide says most commands only work inside a Rootly incident channel. In a normal channel, use /rootly new to start an incident first. If a command still fails, you may not have permission, or the incident may be in a state that blocks it.
Can Rootly keep my Slack on-call group up to date?
Yes. Link a schedule to a Slack user group on the schedule's Notifications tab. Rootly changes the group as shifts hand off, as long as each person uses the same email in Rootly and Slack.
What does it cost?
You get the price on the call, along with the hours it saves your team.