Response Types

When a skill runs in Slack, the result can be delivered in two ways: as an ephemeral message visible only to you, or as a channel message visible to everyone. Understanding when to use each type helps you protect sensitive data while keeping your team informed.

Ephemeral Messages (Default)

Ephemeral messages are the default response type for all on-demand slash commands. Only the person who ran the command can see the result.

When to Use Ephemeral

• Sensitive data -- Revenue numbers, customer details, payment information, or any data you would not want the entire channel to see
• Quick lookups -- Personal checks where the result is only relevant to you
• Testing new skills -- Verify output before sharing with the team
• Exploratory queries -- Running multiple variations to find what you need

Ephemeral Behavior

Ephemeral messages have some unique characteristics in Slack:

• They display an "Only visible to you" indicator
• They cannot be threaded or replied to by others
• They disappear when you reload Slack or switch devices (they are not persisted in Slack's message history)
• Action buttons still work on ephemeral messages -- clicking a button executes the action and updates the message for you
• The skill execution is still logged in alice's audit trail regardless of the response type

In-Channel Messages

In-channel messages are visible to everyone in the channel where the command was run. Use the --channel flag to switch from ephemeral to in-channel:

/alice mrr --channel

When to Use In-Channel

• Sharing metrics with the team -- Post MRR or signups to #revenue so everyone stays informed
• Collaborative troubleshooting -- Share a churn-risk report in #ops for the team to review together
• Standup updates -- Post daily metrics to #standup before the meeting
• Demonstrating a skill -- Show colleagues what a new skill does

In-Channel Behavior

• The message persists in the channel's message history
• Other members can react, thread, and reply to the message
• Action buttons are visible to everyone but can be clicked by any member with the appropriate permissions
• The message shows who ran the command in the footer: "Ran by @sarah"
• alice must be a member of the channel for in-channel delivery to work

Setting the Default Response Type

Each skill has a default response type configured in the skill builder:

1. Open Dashboard > Skills > [Skill] > Edit
2. In the Format step, set the default response type to Ephemeral or In-Channel
3. Save the skill

The default determines what happens when you run the skill without the --channel flag. Users can always override the default at runtime:

Most teams set sensitive skills (revenue, customer data) to ephemeral by default and team-facing skills (standup metrics, weekly summaries) to in-channel.

Scheduled Reports

Scheduled reports always post to the channel. This is by design -- scheduled reports are meant to be shared with the team, and there is no user to receive an ephemeral message since the execution is automated.

When configuring a scheduled report, you select the target Slack channel. The report posts as a standard channel message, visible to all members of that channel. Ensure alice is invited to the channel before setting up the schedule.

Monitor Alerts

Monitor alerts also post to the channel. When a monitor condition triggers (for example, "churn rate exceeds 5%"), the alert is delivered to the configured channel so the entire team is aware.

Monitor alerts include the same action buttons as on-demand skill results, allowing team members to act immediately when an alert fires.

Permissions for In-Channel Posting

You can restrict which roles are allowed to post skill results in-channel. This is useful when you want to prevent members from accidentally sharing sensitive data:

Configure this per-skill in the skill builder's permissions section, or set a workspace-wide default in Workspace Settings.

Privacy Considerations

When deciding between ephemeral and in-channel, consider:

• Revenue and financial data -- Generally keep ephemeral unless sharing in a restricted finance channel
• Customer PII (names, emails) -- Use ephemeral to avoid exposing personal data broadly
• Aggregate metrics (counts, rates, percentages) -- Safe for in-channel since no individual data is exposed
• Operational alerts (failed payments, churn risk) -- In-channel for team awareness, but consider that customer names may be included

If a skill returns data with mixed sensitivity, consider creating two versions: one with full details (ephemeral default) and one with aggregated numbers (in-channel default).

Next Steps

• Slash Commands -- Full command reference including the --channel flag
• Scheduled Reports -- Set up automatic in-channel delivery
• Monitors -- Configure alert-based channel notifications
• Action Buttons -- Interactive buttons on both response types
• Members & Roles -- Role-based access control
• Security -- Audit logging regardless of response type