From clone to first handoff.

You need Node.js 20 or newer and permission to install an app in your Slack workspace. Create two safe test channels such as #test-client and #test-eng.

The repository's manifest.json declares the scopes, events, interactivity, and /relay command. The Slack CLI is the shortest repeatable route:

git clone https://github.com/Kurama07a/relay.git
cd relay
npm install

slack login
slack install

You can also create an app “from a manifest” at api.slack.com/apps and paste manifest.json.

Copy the example environment file and add the two Slack tokens. Keep the editor API disabled for the first Slack-only test.

cp .env.example .env

# edit .env
SLACK_BOT_TOKEN=xoxb-your-token
SLACK_APP_TOKEN=xapp-your-token
API_ENABLED=false

# start the socket connection
npm run dev

Invite Relay to every channel you plan to pair. In Slack, open each channel and use /invite @Relay.

Run /relay setup in Slack. Choose Add pairing, select the test client channel and engineering channel, then save.

Relay validates membership and rejects routes that would loop or double-post. Each client channel can route to its own team channel, or several clients can share one engineering channel.

Post “the export button is broken” in #test-client. Confirm that Relay adds an eyes reaction and creates a card in #test-eng.

1. React with ✋ on the team card and confirm the client hears who picked it up.
2. Run !start, then !ask which browser? in the card thread.
3. Reply in the client thread and confirm the answer returns to the team thread.
4. Run !done fixed the export and confirm both sides close cleanly.

# validate granted Slack scopes and live config
npm run doctor

# run the local smoke suites
npm test

Coolify runs the long-lived bot process. The static product website in website/ is separate and is not part of this deployment.

Relay uses an outbound Slack Socket Mode connection, so the bot needs no public domain. It does need exactly one instance and a persistent volume mounted at /data.

# add Coolify credentials and target ids to .env
COOLIFY_URL=https://coolify.example.com
COOLIFY_TOKEN=your-write-token
COOLIFY_SERVER_UUID=...
COOLIFY_PROJECT_UUID=...
COOLIFY_ENVIRONMENT=production

# inspect, create, configure, deploy
npm run coolify probe
npm run coolify create
# add the printed COOLIFY_APP_UUID to .env
npm run coolify env
npm run coolify deploy
npm run coolify status

Set SLACK_BOT_TOKEN and SLACK_APP_TOKEN in the local .env before running npm run coolify env. The helper sends values without printing them. Keep replicas at one and leave the API port unexposed unless you have deliberately configured remote CLI authentication.