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agents.sessions.setStatus method

Facts​

DescriptionSet an agent session's lifecycle status, creating the session if needed.
Method Access
POST https://slack.com/api/agents.sessions.setStatus
Scopes
Bot token:
Content types
application/x-www-form-urlencoded
application/json
Rate LimitsTier 3: 50+ per minute

Arguments​

Required arguments

tokenstringRequired

Authentication token bearing the chat:write scope. Must be a granular bot token.

Example: xxxx-xxxxxxxxx-xxxx
channel_idstringRequired

ID of the channel containing the agent session.

statusstringRequired

The lifecycle status to set.

Acceptable values: active processing suspended closed

Optional arguments

thread_tsstringOptional

Timestamp of the thread root message the session is scoped to. Required for thread-based sessions in regular channels and DMs. Must be omitted for session channels.

titlestringOptional

Title for the agent session (max 200 characters). Only used when creating a new session; ignored if the session already exists. To rename an existing session, use agents.sessions.rename.

initiator_user_idstringOptional

The user who initiated the session. Only used when creating a new session; ignored if the session already exists. Must be a member of the channel.

icon_emojistringOptional

Emoji to use as the agent's icon. Takes priority over icon_url. Remains in effect until you clear it (pass null) or set a new value. Requires the chat:write.customize scope.

icon_urlstringOptional

URL to an image to use as the agent's icon. Remains in effect until you clear it (pass null) or set a new value. Requires the chat:write.customize scope.

usernamestringOptional

Display name override for the agent (max 200 characters). Remains in effect until you clear it (pass null) or set a new value. Requires the chat:write.customize scope.

Usage info​

This method sets the lifecycle status of an agent session, creating the session if it does not already exist. This is the primary API method for managing an agent session's status.

To rename a session, use the agents.sessions.rename API method.

Your app must be a member of the channel specified in channel_id.

Setting status on a session thread (regular channel or DM):

{
  "channel_id": "C123ABC",
  "thread_ts": "1717171717.123456",
  "status": "processing",
  "title": "Scuba diving research"
}

The status field in the response is the session-level status, derived from the statuses of all agents in the session (priority: suspended > processing > active > closed). The agent_status field is the calling agent's own status, the value your call just wrote.

In a session with more than one agent, these can differ: if another agent is still processing when you set active, the response is { "status": "processing", "agent_status": "active" }. The session is still busy, but your write went through.

Starting work​

Call this when your agent begins working on a task. While in processing, Slack shows a stop button and a loading UX to the user.

{
  "channel_id": "C123ABC",
  "thread_ts": "1717171717.123456",
  "status": "processing"
}

Creating a session with a title and initiator​

The title and initiator_user_id arguments are applied only when the session is first created:

{
  "channel_id": "C123ABC",
  "thread_ts": "1717171717.123456",
  "status": "processing",
  "title": "Scuba diving research",
  "initiator_user_id": "U123ABC456"
}

Customizing agent identity​

You can override the agent's icon and display name. These require the chat:write.customize scope. Overrides remain in effect until you clear them (by passing null) or set a new value; they are not cleared automatically on status transition.

{
  "channel_id": "C123ABC",
  "thread_ts": "1717171717.123456",
  "status": "processing",
  "icon_emoji": ":robot_face:",
  "username": "Custom Agent Name"
}

Suspending (awaiting user input)​

Call this when your agent needs clarification or approval before continuing:

{
  "channel_id": "C123ABC",
  "thread_ts": "1717171717.123456",
  "status": "suspended"
}

Closing a session​

Call this when the conversation is complete:

{
  "channel_id": "C123ABC",
  "thread_ts": "1717171717.123456",
  "status": "closed"
}

Response​

Typical success response

{
  "ok": true,
  "status": "processing",
  "agent_status": "processing",
  "title": "Scuba diving research"
}

Typical error response

{
  "ok": false,
  "error": "thread_ts_required"
}

Errors​

This table lists the expected errors that this method could return. However, other errors can be returned in the case where the service is down or other unexpected factors affect processing. Callers should always check the value of the ok parameter in the response.

Error
Description
access_denied

Access to a resource specified in the request is denied.

accesslimited

Access to this method is limited on the current network

account_inactive

Authentication token is for a deleted user or workspace when using a bot token.

channel_not_found

The specified channel does not exist or is not accessible.

deprecated_endpoint

The endpoint has been deprecated.

ekm_access_denied

Administrators have suspended the ability to post a message.

enterprise_is_restricted

The method cannot be called from an Enterprise.

fatal_error

The server could not complete your operation(s) without encountering a catastrophic error. It's possible some aspect of the operation succeeded before the error was raised.

feature_disabled

The agent tasks feature is not enabled for this workspace.

internal_error

An internal error occurred while updating the session.

internal_error

The server could not complete your operation(s) without encountering an error, likely due to a transient issue on our end. It's possible some aspect of the operation succeeded before the error was raised.

invalid_arg_name

The method was passed an argument whose name falls outside the bounds of accepted or expected values. This includes very long names and names with non-alphanumeric characters other than _. If you get this error, it is typically an indication that you have made a very malformed API call.

invalid_arguments

The method was called with invalid arguments.

invalid_array_arg

The method was passed an array as an argument. Please only input valid strings.

invalid_auth

Some aspect of authentication cannot be validated. Either the provided token is invalid or the request originates from an IP address disallowed from making the request.

invalid_charset

The method was called via a POST request, but the charset specified in the Content-Type header was invalid. Valid charset names are: utf-8 iso-8859-1.

invalid_form_data

The method was called via a POST request with Content-Type application/x-www-form-urlencoded or multipart/form-data, but the form data was either missing or syntactically invalid.

invalid_post_type

The method was called via a POST request, but the specified Content-Type was invalid. Valid types are: application/json application/x-www-form-urlencoded multipart/form-data text/plain.

invalid_status

The status value is not a valid agent session status. Must be one of: active, processing, suspended, closed.

method_deprecated

The method has been deprecated.

missing_post_type

The method was called via a POST request and included a data payload, but the request did not include a Content-Type header.

missing_scope

The token used is not granted the specific scope permissions required to complete this request.

no_permission

The workspace token used in this request does not have the permissions necessary to complete the request. Make sure your app is a member of the conversation it's attempting to post a message to.

not_allowed_token_type

The token type used in this request is not allowed.

not_authed

No authentication token provided.

not_authorized

The caller is not a member of the specified channel.

org_login_required

The workspace is undergoing an enterprise migration and will not be available until migration is complete.

ratelimited

The request has been ratelimited. Refer to the Retry-After header for when to retry the request.

request_timeout

The method was called via a POST request, but the POST data was either missing or truncated.

service_unavailable

The service is temporarily unavailable

team_access_not_granted

The token used is not granted the specific workspace access required to complete this request.

team_added_to_org

The workspace associated with your request is currently undergoing migration to an Enterprise Organization. Web API and other platform operations will be intermittently unavailable until the transition is complete.

thread_ts_not_allowed

thread_ts must not be provided for session channels. The channel-level session is updated automatically.

thread_ts_required

thread_ts is required for thread-based sessions in regular channels and DMs.

token_expired

Authentication token has expired

token_revoked

Authentication token is for a deleted user or workspace or the app has been removed when using a user token.

two_factor_setup_required

Two factor setup is required.

user_not_found

The specified initiator_user_id does not exist or is not accessible.