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Troubleshooting

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This feature is available on the Scale plan.

Common issues and solutions for the EventCatalog Slack Bot.

Bot doesn't respond​

Check bot invitation​

The bot must be invited to the channel where you're trying to use it.

Solution:

  1. Navigate to the channel
  2. Type /invite @eventcatalog (use your bot's actual name)
  3. Try your question again

Verify Socket Mode​

Socket Mode must be enabled in your Slack app settings.

Solution:

  1. Go to api.slack.com/apps
  2. Select your app
  3. Click Socket Mode in the sidebar
  4. Verify it's toggled to On
  5. Restart the bot

Check bot logs​

Look for connection errors or startup issues.

Solution:

View logs based on how you're running the bot:

# Local development
# Check terminal output

# Docker
docker compose logs -f

# Docker (specific container)
docker logs eventcatalog-slack-bot

Look for error messages about:

  • Missing credentials
  • Connection failures
  • License validation issues

Missing API key error​

The bot cannot find the API key for your configured AI provider.

Solution:

  1. Check your .env file contains the correct variable:
# For Anthropic
ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=sk-ant-...

# For OpenAI
OPENAI_API_KEY=sk-...

# For Google
GOOGLE_GENERATIVE_AI_API_KEY=...
  1. Verify your config matches the environment variable:
ai: {
  provider: 'anthropic', // Must match your API key
}
  1. Restart the bot after adding the key

MCP connection errors​

The bot cannot connect to your EventCatalog MCP server.

Verify EventCatalog URL​

Solution:

  1. Check your config has the correct URL:
eventCatalog: {
  url: 'https://your-catalog.example.com',
}
  1. Verify the URL is accessible from where the bot runs:
curl https://your-catalog.example.com/docs/mcp/
  1. For Docker deployments, see Docker networking

Check MCP server status​

Solution:

  1. Visit your MCP endpoint in a browser:
https://your-catalog.example.com/docs/mcp/
  1. You should see JSON output with available tools and resources
  2. If you see an error, verify:

Authentication required​

If your EventCatalog requires authentication, add headers to your config.

Solution:

eventCatalog: {
  url: 'https://your-catalog.example.com',
  headers: {
    'Authorization': 'Bearer your-token',
  },
}

Permission errors​

The bot is missing required Slack permissions.

Solution:

  1. Go to api.slack.com/apps
  2. Select your app
  3. Click OAuth & Permissions
  4. Verify these Bot Token Scopes are added:
    • app_mentions:read
    • chat:write
    • reactions:read
    • reactions:write
    • channels:history
  5. If you added new scopes, click Reinstall to Workspace
  6. Restart the bot

Auto-reply channels not working​

The bot doesn't auto-reply in configured channels.

Verify channel ID​

Solution:

  1. Get the correct channel ID:
    • Right-click channel name
    • Click View channel details
    • Scroll to bottom for Channel ID
  2. Check your config uses the ID (not name):
slack: {
  autoReplyChannels: ['C0123456789'], // Channel ID, not #channel-name
}
  1. Restart the bot after changing config

Check event subscription​

Solution:

  1. Go to api.slack.com/apps
  2. Select your app
  3. Click Event Subscriptions
  4. Verify Enable Events is On
  5. Check message.channels is in Subscribe to bot events

Thread context not working​

The bot doesn't remember previous messages in a thread.

Public channels​

Thread context should work automatically in public channels.

Solution:

  1. Verify channels:history scope is added
  2. Reinstall the app if you just added the scope
  3. Restart the bot

Private channels and DMs​

Thread context requires additional scopes.

Solution:

  1. Go to api.slack.com/apps
  2. Select your app
  3. Click OAuth & Permissions
  4. Add these scopes:
    • groups:history - Private channels
    • im:history - Direct messages
    • mpim:history - Group DMs
  5. Click Reinstall to Workspace
  6. Restart the bot

Docker networking issues​

The bot cannot reach EventCatalog running on localhost.

Solution:

See the Docker networking guide for detailed solutions based on your setup.

Quick fix for local EventCatalog:

eventCatalog: {
  url: 'http://host.docker.internal:3000',
}

License validation errors​

The bot reports an invalid or expired license.

Solution:

  1. Verify your license key is correct in .env:
EVENTCATALOG_SCALE_LICENSE_KEY=XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX
  1. Check your license status at eventcatalog.cloud
  2. For expired trials, upgrade to a paid plan
  3. Restart the bot after updating the key

Getting help​

If you're still experiencing issues:

  1. Check the bot logs for detailed error messages
  2. Review the GitHub repository for known issues
  3. Join the EventCatalog Discord for community support
  4. File an issue on GitHub with:
    • Bot version
    • Error messages from logs
    • Steps to reproduce the issue