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Using the bot

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This feature is available on the Scale plan.

Interact with the EventCatalog Slack Bot to query your architecture documentation. The bot responds to @mentions and can auto-reply in dedicated channels.

@Mention in any channel​

Invite the bot to any channel and @mention it to ask questions. The bot replies in a thread to keep channels organized.

Example questions​

@eventcatalog Tell me about the OrderCreated event
@eventcatalog What services consume the InventoryUpdated event?
@eventcatalog List all events in the Orders domain
@eventcatalog Show me the schema for the PaymentProcessed event

The bot reads your EventCatalog documentation and provides detailed answers grounded in your architecture.

Dedicated auto-reply channels​

Create a channel where the bot automatically responds to every message - no @mention needed. This gives your team a dedicated space for architecture questions.

Setup​

  1. Create a new channel (e.g., #ask-eventcatalog or #ask-eda)
  2. Invite the bot to the channel
  3. Get the channel ID:
    • Right-click the channel name
    • Click View channel details
    • Scroll to the bottom to find the Channel ID
  4. Add the channel ID to your config:
slack: {
  autoReplyChannels: ['C0123456789'],
}
  1. Restart the bot

Now anyone can post questions directly in the channel and receive instant answers.

Multiple channels​

Configure multiple auto-reply channels:

slack: {
  autoReplyChannels: ['C0123456789', 'C9876543210'],
}

Thread context​

The bot automatically reads conversation history in threads. This enables natural follow-up questions without repeating context.

Example conversation​

User: Tell me about the OrderCreated event

Bot: The OrderCreated event is published when...

User: What are its consumers?

Bot: Based on our earlier discussion about OrderCreated, the consumers are...

User: Show me the schema

Bot: Here's the schema for OrderCreated...

Thread context works automatically in public channels. For private channels and DMs, add optional scopes to your Slack app:

  • groups:history - Private channels
  • im:history - Direct messages
  • mpim:history - Group DMs

After adding scopes, reinstall the app to your workspace.

Best practices​

Ask specific questions​

The bot performs best with clear, specific questions:

Good:

  • "What services consume the OrderCreated event?"
  • "Show me all events in the Payment domain"
  • "What's the schema format for UserRegistered?"

Less effective:

  • "Tell me about everything"
  • "What does this system do?"

Use thread conversations​

Keep related questions in the same thread. The bot uses thread history to provide better context-aware answers.

Name resources clearly​

Mention specific event names, service names, or domain names to get precise answers:

  • "Tell me about the OrderCreated event"
  • "What events does the PaymentService produce?"
  • "List all events in the Orders domain"

Invite the bot to channels​

The bot can only see messages in channels where it's invited.

Invite the bot​

  1. Navigate to the channel
  2. Click the channel name at the top
  3. Click the Integrations tab
  4. Click Add an app
  5. Search for your bot and add it

Alternatively, type /invite @eventcatalog in the channel.