Manage app approval for your workspace

Who can use this feature?

• Workspace owners
• Available on all subscriptions

Apps connect third-party services to Slack, and by default, members can install them without approval from a workspace owner. If they like, workspace owners can enable app approval to pre-approve or restrict certain apps for their workspace. With app approval enabled, workspace owners can manage the following settings: 

• Allow members to request apps and Workflow Builder connector steps that have not been pre-approved
• Create customised rules to automate app requests
• Grant members permission to manage app requests
• Decide whether members can sign in to other services with their Slack accounts

Note: Workspace owners can also set other permissions to manage how apps work in Slack, whether app approval has been enabled or not.

Manage app approval

Workspace owners can enable app approval to pre-approve and restrict certain apps for their workspace:

1. From your desktop, click your workspace name in the sidebar.
   
2. Hover over Tools & settings, then select Manage apps.
3. Click App management settings in the left column. 
4. Click the toggle next to Require app approval. 

Note: If you're a workspace owner in an Enterprise Grid organisation, app approval will automatically be enabled for your workspace if an org owner has set an app management policy.

Pre-approve or restrict apps

When app approval has been enabled, members can install and start using pre-approved apps straight away. They cannot install or request any apps that you choose to restrict.

Pre-approve apps

Restrict apps

1. From your desktop, click your workspace name in the sidebar.
   
2. Hover over Tools & settings, then select Manage apps.
3. Click Browse in the top right.
4. Search for and select an app.
5. From the app page, click Approve.

Members can find pre-approved apps for your workspace from the Pre-Approved category in the Slack Marketplace.

1. From your desktop, click your workspace name in the sidebar.
   
2. Hover over Tools & settings, then select Manage apps.
3. Click Browse in the top right.
4. Search for and select an app.
5. From the app page, click Restrict.

If an app that you restrict has already been installed to your workspace, members can continue using it. You can uninstall any app that you don't want people to use.

Note: When approving a request to install an app, you are approving the scopes that it will use to take actions in your workspace. An app's steps and workflows use the same scopes and can be added after an internally developed app has been requested and approved.

Choose how to manage app requests

Allow members to request apps  

When app approval has been enabled, you can allow members to request apps that haven't been pre-approved (as long as they're not restricted). Here’s how:

1. From your desktop, click your workspace name in the sidebar.
   
2. Hover over Tools & settings, then select Manage apps.
3. Click App management settings in the left column.
4. Tick or untick the box next to Allow members to request approval for apps. You can also require comments along with app requests.

Create automation rules

If you like, you can configure rules that automatically review app requests. Requests can be approved, restricted, dismissed or flagged for human review based on conditions that your rules look out for. To learn more about automation rules, read our guide, then follow the steps in Configure automations for app approval.

Select members to help manage app requests

By default, any app requests that need review will be sent to workspace owners via direct messages (DMs) from Slackbot. If you'd like a larger group to help review app requests, you can appoint other members as app managers: 

1. From your desktop, click your workspace name in the sidebar.
   
2. Hover over Tools & settings, then select Manage apps. 
3. Click App management settings in the left column.
4. Below Select app managers to manage apps, choose Workspace owners and selected members or groups. Then, select specific members or user groups from the drop-down menu.

Tip: If you're using automation rules, you can create a rule to send app requests to a channel that all of your app managers belong to for review.

Manage Sign in with Slack permissions

Some third-party services offer the option to sign in to their website or app using your Slack account credentials. By default, members cannot sign up for or sign in to other services with their Slack accounts. To grant this permission, follow the steps below: 

1. From your desktop, click your workspace name in the sidebar
   
2. Hover over Tools & settings, then click Manage apps. 
3. Click App management settings in the left column. 
4. Make sure that app approval is enabled. Then, tick the box next to Enable Sign in with Slack.