Quick Start — back up Slack in 5 minutes

This is the condensed path. Each step links to its full guide if you want more detail.

Step 1 — Create your Slack app

SlackVault reads your workspace through a Slack app you own. We only request read permissions.

1. Go to api.slack.com/apps and click Create New App.
2. Choose From an app manifest for easy setup.
3. Select your workspace from the dropdown (you must be an admin or owner).
4. Paste the SlackVault manifest (see Create the Slack app).
5. Review the permissions and click Create.

tip

The app manifest pre-configures every OAuth scope SlackVault needs — no manual configuration.

Step 2 — Configure Firebase

Create a Firebase project to store your Slack data. It stays in your Firebase — SlackVault never sees it.

1. Go to console.firebase.google.com and click Add project.
2. In the Build section, enable Firestore Database.
3. Open Project Settings → General, scroll down, and copy your Firebase config object.

tip

Firebase's free tier includes 50,000 reads and 20,000 writes per day — more than enough for most teams.

Step 3 — Install the browser extension

The extension runs in your browser and handles all syncing, locally.

1. Add SlackVault from the Chrome Web Store (or load it unpacked for development).
2. Click the puzzle icon and pin SlackVault.
3. Click the SlackVault icon to open setup.

tip

The extension only acts when you trigger a sync — there are no surprise background processes.

Step 4 — Connect everything

The final step ties your Slack app and Firebase to the extension.

1. In the extension, paste your Firebase config.
2. Click Connect to Slack to start OAuth.
3. Authorize the app in your Slack workspace.
4. Click Start Sync to begin backing up.

tip

Your credentials are stored locally in your browser — they never leave your machine.

What happens next

The first sync captures your history; subsequent syncs are incremental (only new messages), so they're much faster. A workspace with ~10,000 messages typically takes 2–5 minutes for the first sync. Watch progress on the extension dashboard, then open the archive viewer to browse, search, and export.

Troubleshooting

Issue	Fix
invalid_client_id	Re-copy the Client ID from Basic Information (not the App ID).
Firebase permission denied	Update Firestore security rules — see Firebase setup.
Extension not loading	Disable and re-enable it in chrome://extensions.
Sync stuck at 0%	Check the browser console; usually a network or permission issue.

Need the long version of any step? See Installation and the Guides.