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chat.startStream method

Facts​

DescriptionStarts a new streaming conversation.
Method Access
POST https://slack.com/api/chat.startStream
Scopes
Bot token:
Content types
application/x-www-form-urlencoded
application/json
Rate LimitsTier 2: 20+ per minute

Arguments​

Required arguments

tokenstringRequired
Example: xxxx-xxxxxxxxx-xxxx
channelstringRequired

An encoded ID that represents a channel thread or DM.

thread_tsstringRequired

Provide another message's ts value to reply to. Streamed messages should always be replies to a user request.

Example: 1721609600.123456

Optional arguments

chunksarrayOptional

An array of streaming chunks. Chunks can be markdown text chunks, task update chunks, and plan update chunks.

markdown_textstringOptional

Accepts message text formatted in markdown. Limit this field to 12,000 characters.

Example: **This is bold text**
recipient_user_idOptional

The encoded ID of the user to receive the streaming text. Required when streaming to channels.

recipient_team_idstringOptional

The encoded ID of the team the user receiving the streaming text belongs to. Required when streaming to channels.

Example: T0123456789
task_display_modestringOptional

Specifies how tasks are displayed in the message. A timeline displays individual tasks with text in sequential order, and plan displays all tasks together, with the first tasks's placement determining the placement of the rest of the tasks.

Default: timeline
Example: plan

Usage info​

Use the chat.startStream method to start a streaming conversation. Append to the stream with the chat.appendStream method, and stop the stream with the chat.stopStream method.

The Python Slack SDK and Node Slack SDK both provide a helper utility for the chat.*Stream methods that are surfaced in Bolt for Python and Bolt for JavaScript.

Using the chunks parameter​

The chunks parameter can include markdown text chunk objects, task update chunk objects, or plan update chunks.

markdown_text chunks​

The markdown_text chunk is used for streaming text content with markdown formatting support.

{
  "type": "markdown_text",
  "text": "We love Sandra"
}

task_update chunks​

The task_update chunk object looks mighty similar to the task card block!

The task_update chunk is used for displaying task progress in a timeline-style UI.

{
  "type": "task_update",
  "id": "unique_task_id",
  "title": "Remind Sandra how amazing she is",
  "status": "pending" | "in_progress" | "complete" | "error",
  "details": "wow such good details",
  "output": "amazing output here",
  "sources": [
      {
      "type": "url",
      "text": "Example.com",
      "url": "https://example.com"
    }
  ]
}

plan_update chunks​

The plan_update chunk is used for updating the title of a plan.

{
  "type": "plan_update",
  "title": "Sandra's new and improved plan"
}

Response​

Typical success response when starting a streaming message

{
  "ok": true,
  "channel": "C123ABC456",
  "ts": "1503435956.000247"
}

Typical error response

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

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

Value passed for channel was invalid.

channel_type_not_supported

Channel type not supported

deprecated_endpoint

The endpoint has been deprecated.

duplicate_channel_not_found

Channel associated with client_msg_id was invalid.

duplicate_message_not_found

No duplicate message exists associated with client_msg_id.

ekm_access_denied

Your message couldn’t be sent because your admins have disabled sending messages to this channel.

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.

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_blocks

Blocks submitted with this message are not valid

invalid_blocks_format

The blocks is not a valid JSON object or doesn't match the Block Kit syntax.

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_metadata_format

Invalid metadata format provided

invalid_metadata_schema

Invalid metadata schema provided

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.

is_archived

Channel has been archived.

message_limit_exceeded

Members on this team are sending too many messages. For more details, see https://slack.com/help/articles/115002422943-Usage-limits-for-free-workspaces

messages_tab_disabled

Messages tab for the app is disabled.

messaging_processing_failed

Failed to process the message.

metadata_must_be_sent_from_app

Message metadata can only be posted or updated using an app-level token

metadata_too_large

Metadata exceeds size limit

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_recipient_team_id

Missing recipient team ID.

missing_recipient_user_id

Missing recipient user ID.

missing_scope

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

msg_blocks_too_long

Blocks submitted with this message are too long.

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.

no_text

No message text provided

not_allowed_token_type

The token type used in this request is not allowed.

not_authed

No authentication token provided.

not_in_channel

Cannot post user messages to a channel they are not in.

org_login_required

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

rate_limited

Application has posted too many messages, read the Rate Limit documentation for more information

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.

restricted_action

A workspace preference prevents the authenticated user from posting.

restricted_action_non_threadable_channel

Cannot post thread replies into a non_threadable channel.

restricted_action_read_only_channel

Cannot post any message into a read-only channel.

restricted_action_thread_locked

Cannot post replies to a thread that has been locked by admins.

restricted_action_thread_only_channel

Cannot post top-level messages into a thread-only channel.

service_unavailable

The service is temporarily unavailable

slack_connect_canvas_sharing_blocked

Admin has disabled Canvas File sharing in all Slack Connect communications

slack_connect_file_link_sharing_blocked

Admin has disabled Slack File sharing in all Slack Connect communications

slack_connect_lists_sharing_blocked

Admin has disabled Lists sharing in all Slack Connect communications

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.

team_not_found

This error occurs if, when using an org-wide token, the channel_name is passed instead of the channel_id.

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

User not found.