Summary

OpenTag offers an open-source, self-hostable AI agent for Slack, providing an alternative to proprietary solutions. It enables users to run custom AI within their workspace, reading threads, answering questions, calling tools, and rendering rich, interactive results inline. Key benefits include freedom from per-seat pricing, vendor lock-in, and full control over the AI runtime and models.

How It Works

Built on the @copilotkit/bot SDK, OpenTag operates with an agent backend (LLM) and a bot (Slack connection). The agent uses a CopilotKitBuiltInAgent with LLMs and optional tools, served via AG-UI. Its core innovation is generative UI, allowing dynamic rendering of tables and charts within Slack, complemented by a human-in-the-loop approval gate for critical actions.

Quick Start & Requirements

Self-hosting requires cloning the CopilotKit monorepo and running from examples/slack. Install dependencies with pnpm install, then start the agent (pnpm --filter slack-example runtime) and bot (pnpm --filter slack-example dev). Prerequisites include a Slack app setup (using api.slack.com/apps and slack-app-manifest.yaml), Bot User OAuth Token (xoxb-...), App-Level Token (xapp-... with connections:write), and an LLM API key (e.g., OPENAI_API_KEY). Detailed setup is in setup.md. A demo video is available at https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/a74fa1cb-add0-463e-a23c-aa09b95d5135.

Highlighted Details

• Generative UI: Dynamically renders tables, charts, and breakdowns inline.
• Tool Integration: Supports custom tools (e.g., Linear, Notion, Redis).
• Human-in-the-Loop: Features an approval gate before actions.
• Platform Agnosticism: SDK supports Slack, Discord, Telegram, and WhatsApp.
• Customization: Agent behavior is steered by a single system prompt.

Maintenance & Community

A managed CopilotKit service is planned. The project invites users to "Talk to an engineer" for support. Specific community channels or contributor details were not provided.

Licensing & Compatibility

Released under the MIT license, permitting commercial use and integration into closed-source projects.

Limitations & Caveats

Self-hosting chat agent infrastructure is complex and operationally demanding. A managed service is offered as a simpler alternative. The bot SDK packages are still undergoing final npm publishing, indicating potential for ongoing development.