Turning a Slack mention into a pull request

Route requests from one Slack channel to a factory in Warp Factories and return pull request links in the original thread. A person reviews and merges the changes.

Use an existing factory with a foreman and an implementation agent, or adapt the 01-single-repo-quickstart example. The steps below replace its issue-label intake with Slack mentions. For emoji-reaction triggers, see factory automations for Slack.

Prerequisites

• A factory with access to the target repository and permission to push branches and open pull requests.
• Slack connected to the factory, with the factory’s app invited to the intake channel.
• Active membership in the factory’s Warp team and a linked Slack account for each requester.
• Available usage in your team’s balance for factory runs. Add usage if needed. See access and billing requirements.
• Permission to edit the factory definition.

Configure the mention trigger

Use the slack / app_mention event to start work from mentions. Filter it to one channel so mentions elsewhere do not start this automation.

1. In the factory dashboard, open Automations and find the existing Slack mention automation. Connecting Slack during setup creates one. Reuse it to avoid duplicate runs.

   • Warp-managed factory - Edit the automation in the dashboard.
   • GitHub-backed factory - Edit its definition file. The dashboard view is read-only.

2. Set the trigger’s channels filter to the exact name of your intake channel. Replace YOUR_CHANNEL in the following example. Invite the app to the channel before applying the definition so Warp can resolve its name.

   automations/slack-intake/automation.md

   ---
   triggers:
     - provider: slack
       event: app_mention
       filter:
         channels: [YOUR_CHANNEL]
   ---
   Someone @-mentioned the factory in the intake channel. Treat the message and
   its thread as a work request for this factory's repository. Reply in the same
   thread with one sentence that restates the deliverable, drive it to a pull
   request, and post the PR link back in that thread. If the request is too
   vague to restate, ask one clarifying question in the thread and stop.
   Delegate implementation to the implementation agent. Require tests and a
   verification summary on its pull request. A person reviews and merges;
   do not merge.

   This example omits agent, so requests go to the foreman. To narrow matching further, add users for Slack usernames or email addresses, or keywords for case-insensitive substrings of the message. See Slack events and filters.

3. Apply the definition change.

   • Warp-managed factory - Save the edits in the factory dashboard.
   • GitHub-backed factory - Open a pull request, confirm the warp/factory-config check passes, then merge it into the factory’s production branch.

   A channel name must resolve to exactly one channel the app can see. Resolution errors appear when the definition is applied, not during validation.

Delegate from Slack

1. Write a request with the behavior to add, change, or fix, verifiable acceptance criteria, and any constraints the agent cannot infer.
2. Send the request in the intake channel, mentioning the factory’s app by its foreman name. The message and thread provide the task context.

For a factory whose foreman name is Intake, use a request like this:

Example mention

@Intake add a GET /healthz route that returns {"status":"ok"} with a 200,
and a test that covers it.

Add files, context, or corrections in the same thread. Replies continue its existing work item without another mention. To require mentions on replies, set slack.autoRespondToThreadReplies: false in the Slack integration entry.

What comes back

Check for:

• Acknowledgement - The app adds an eyes reaction to the message, and a work item appears on the factory’s Runs page.
• Scope confirmation - The foreman restates the requested change in the thread. Reply there if it misunderstood.
• Pull request - The implementation agent opens a pull request with tests and a verification summary.
• Handoff - The foreman posts the pull request link in the thread, then stops. A person reviews and merges.

Questions from the foreman also appear in your inbox. To see the factory’s work items by stage, open the app’s Home tab in Slack.

Unmatched and vague requests

A mention outside the channel filter starts no run through this automation. Direct messages use a separate event, message_dm. Other matching automations can still handle those messages. Check the factory’s Runs page to distinguish an unmatched event from a failed run.

The instructions above ask the foreman to clarify vague requests, such as “make the API faster”, before implementation. Answer in the thread to continue the same work item.

Troubleshooting

• The app does not react to a mention - The app needs channel access and a matching automation. Confirm it is in the channel, the automation is enabled, and the channel filter matches the exact name. After fixing the cause, mention the factory again. The original event is not replayed. See an event that should start work doesn’t.
• The app asks you to connect an account - Your Slack account must be linked to a Warp account with membership in the factory’s team. Follow the prompt while signed in to that Warp account, then send the mention again.
• One mention starts two runs - Overlapping automations can handle the same message. Narrow or remove the duplicate mention or Message posted in channel trigger. See one action starts two runs.
• Applying the definition fails on the channel name - The name must resolve to exactly one channel the app can see. Invite the app to the channel, check the spelling in channels, and apply the definition again.

Set it up with a prompt

1. Replace OWNER/REPO with your repository and CHANNEL with your intake channel in the following prompt.
2. Paste the completed prompt into a conversation with your factory’s foreman (New Chat in the factory dashboard) or a coding agent connected through Factory MCP.

Prompt

Read https://docs.warp.dev/factories/guides/slack-to-pull-request.md.
Set up Slack intake for my factory: one slack/app_mention
automation filtered to the channel #CHANNEL, routed to the foreman, for my
repository OWNER/REPO. If the factory already has a Slack mention automation,
update its channel filter instead of adding a second one. Validate the
definition before applying it, then list what I still have to do by hand:
connect Slack to the factory, invite the app to #CHANNEL, and have each
requester link their Slack account. Configure the foreman to confirm scope,
ask for missing requirements, delegate to the implementation agent, and
return the PR link and verification results in the thread. Require tests
and human review; never merge. Finish with test steps for a matching mention,
an out-of-channel mention, and a reply continuing the first work item.
Check that no other automation matches the test mention.

Guide navigation

• Previous stage: Testing and tuning your factory
• Next stage: Factory use cases - Extend the workflow as needed
• All stages: Factory guides

Related pages

• Connect Slack to your factory - Permissions, direct messages, reaction triggers, and the app’s Home tab
• Factory automations - How matching works and how to edit filters