Channels (Inbound Messaging)

Channels let users trigger CrewForm agents and teams directly from messaging platforms. Send a message — CrewForm creates a task, runs the agent, and replies in the same conversation. Supported platforms:

Platform	Trigger method	Reply method
Telegram	Any message or `/ask`	Bot reply in the same chat
Slack	Any message in the connected channel	Thread reply
Discord	`/ask` slash command	Follow-up message (deferred)
Email	Email to a dedicated inbound address	Reply email via Resend
Trello	Card created or moved to trigger list	Comment on the original card
Linear	Issue created, state change, or label applied	Comment on the original issue

How Channels Work

Each channel is a two-way bridge between a messaging platform and a CrewForm agent or team:

User sends message
       │
       ▼
Platform webhook → CrewForm Edge Function
       │
       ▼
Task / Team Run created (status: dispatched)
       │
       ▼
Task Runner picks up → Agent executes
       │
       ▼
Result sent back to originating chat

Channels are separate from Output Routes. Output routes push results to destinations proactively; channels are two-way — they accept inbound messages and send replies back to the originating conversation.

Managed Bot vs Bring Your Own Bot (BYOB)

All channel platforms (except Email, Trello, and Linear) support two modes:

Managed Bot

CrewForm hosts and operates the bot. You connect your chat to it using a connect code generated in Settings. Fast to set up — no bot registration needed. Requires TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN, SLACK_BOT_TOKEN, or DISCORD_BOT_TOKEN to be set in your Supabase Edge Function secrets (or .env for self-hosted). These are set by default in the CrewForm cloud.

Bring Your Own Bot (BYOB)

Register your own bot application, paste its credentials into CrewForm, and CrewForm uses your bot instead. Full control over name, avatar, and permissions. Required if your org policy prohibits third-party bots.

Managed Bot Setup

Create the channel in CrewForm:
- Go to Settings → Channels → New Channel → Telegram
- Toggle Managed Bot ON
- Set a Default Agent or Default Team
- Save — a connect code is generated
Link your Telegram chat:
- Open the chat, group, or channel in Telegram
- Send: /connect <your_connect_code>
- The bot replies: ✅ Connected! Messages in this chat will be routed to your configured agent.
Send tasks:
- Any text message is routed to the agent
- Or use /ask <prompt> to be explicit

BYOB Setup

Create a bot via @BotFather → /newbot → copy the Bot Token
In CrewForm: Settings → Channels → New Channel → Telegram
Toggle Managed Bot OFF
Paste the Bot Token and your Chat ID

Set the Webhook URL on your bot:

curl -X POST "https://api.telegram.org/bot<TOKEN>/setWebhook" \
  -d "url=https://<your-supabase-project>.supabase.co/functions/v1/channel-telegram"

How Messages Are Handled

Message	Behaviour
`/connect <code>`	Links the chat to the CrewForm channel
`/ask <prompt>`	Routes the prompt to the configured agent/team
Any other text	Routed to the configured agent/team
Other `/commands`	Ignored silently

The bot sends a typing indicator (...) while the task is being processed, then replies with the result in the same chat.

Required Environment Variables (Self-Hosted)

Variable	Description
`TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN`	Managed bot token (for managed mode)

Slack

Managed Bot Setup

Create the channel in CrewForm:
- Go to Settings → Channels → New Channel → Slack
- Toggle Managed Bot ON
- Set a Default Agent or Default Team
- Save — a connect code is generated
Invite the bot to your Slack channel:
- In Slack, type /invite @CrewForm in the target channel
Link the Slack channel:
- In the Slack channel, send: connect <your_connect_code>
- The bot replies: ✅ Connected! Messages in this channel will now be routed to your configured agent.
Send tasks:
- Any message in the channel is routed to the agent

BYOB Setup

Create a Slack app at api.slack.com/apps
Enable Event Subscriptions and add message.channels (or message.groups for private channels) under Subscribe to bot events
Set the Request URL to:
https://<your-supabase-project>.supabase.co/functions/v1/channel-slack
Slack will send a url_verification challenge — CrewForm responds to it automatically.
Go to OAuth & Permissions → add scopes: chat:write, reactions:add, channels:history
Install the app to your workspace and copy the Bot User OAuth Token (xoxb-...)
In CrewForm: Settings → Channels → New Channel → Slack
- Toggle Managed Bot OFF
- Paste the Bot Token and Channel ID

How Messages Are Handled

Message	Behaviour
`connect <code>`	Links the Slack channel to CrewForm
Any other message	Routed to the configured agent/team
Bot messages	Ignored (prevents loops)

When a task is received, the bot reacts to the message with ⏳ (:hourglass_flowing_sand:) to indicate processing. When the task completes, the result is posted as a thread reply to the original message.

Required Environment Variables (Self-Hosted)

Variable	Description
`SLACK_BOT_TOKEN`	Managed bot token (for managed mode)

Discord

Discord channels use slash commands (/connect and /ask) instead of plain text triggers. Full setup instructions are in the dedicated Discord Integration guide, covering:

Managed bot flow (invite → connect code → /connect → /ask)
BYOB flow (custom Discord app, Ed25519 signature verification, slash command registration)
Deferred responses and the “thinking…” indicator
Troubleshooting

Required Environment Variables (Self-Hosted)

Variable	Description
`DISCORD_BOT_TOKEN`	Managed bot token
`DISCORD_PUBLIC_KEY`	Ed25519 public key for signature verification

Email

Email channels accept inbound emails and route them as tasks to a configured agent or team. Replies are sent back to the sender via Resend.

How It Works

Emails arrive at a dedicated inbound address (e.g. agent@mail.yourapp.com)
Resend receives the email and fires an email.received webhook to CrewForm
CrewForm fetches the email body via the Resend API, creates a task, and runs the agent
The agent’s result is sent back as a reply email to the original sender

Setup

1. Configure Resend Inbound

Add an MX record to your domain DNS:

Type: MX
Name: mail  (or your inbound subdomain)
Value: inbound-smtp.us-east-1.resend.com
Priority: 10
TTL: 300

This routes emails sent to @mail.yourdomain.com through Resend.

In the Resend dashboard → Inbound → Add Webhook:
- Event: email.received
- URL:
  https://<your-supabase-project>.supabase.co/functions/v1/channel-email

2. Create the Channel in CrewForm

Go to Settings → Channels → New Channel → Email
Set the Inbound Address — the full email address or prefix that should trigger this channel (e.g. agent@mail.yourdomain.com)
Set a Default Agent or Default Team
Save

Emails sent to the configured inbound address are now routed to your agent.

3. Configure Reply Sending

Set these as Supabase Edge Function secrets (or .env for self-hosted):

Variable	Description
`RESEND_API_KEY`	Your Resend API key (for fetching email bodies and sending replies)
`RESEND_FROM_ADDRESS`	Reply-from address, e.g. `CrewForm <noreply@crewform.tech>`

How Emails Are Processed

Email content	Used as
Subject	Task title (also included in the prompt)
Plain text body	Prompt body
HTML body (fallback)	HTML tags stripped, plain text used
To address	Matched against configured `inbound_address`

Attachments: Email attachments are not currently included in the agent prompt. Only the subject and body are used.

Reply Format

The agent’s result is sent back as an email reply:

From: RESEND_FROM_ADDRESS
To: Original sender
Subject: Re: <original subject>
Body: Agent result in a styled HTML block

Results over 10,000 characters are truncated in the reply email.

Routing Multiple Agents

You can create multiple email channels with different inbound addresses to route different types of emails to different agents:

Inbound Address	Agent
`support@mail.yourdomain.com`	Support Triage Agent
`research@mail.yourdomain.com`	Research Analyst
`report@mail.yourdomain.com`	Report Generator

Required Environment Variables (Self-Hosted)

Variable	Description
`RESEND_API_KEY`	Resend API key (fetching bodies + sending replies)
`RESEND_FROM_ADDRESS`	Sender address for reply emails

Trello

Trello channels trigger agents when cards are created or moved to a specific list on a Trello board. Agent results are posted back as comments on the original card, and the card is optionally moved to a review list. Trello channels are always BYOB — you provide your own API Key and Token (similar to Email).

Setup

1. Get Trello API Credentials

Go to trello.com/power-ups/admin
Create or select a Power-Up to get your API Key
From the API key page, click the Token link to generate a token with read/write access

2. Find Your Board and List IDs

Board ID — open the board in Trello; the short ID is in the URL: https://trello.com/b/<BOARD_ID>/...
List IDs — use the Trello API:
curl "https://api.trello.com/1/boards/<BOARD_ID>/lists?key=<KEY>&token=<TOKEN>"
You’ll need:
- Trigger List ID — cards created or moved here start agent tasks
- Review List ID (optional) — completed cards are moved here after results are posted

3. Create the Channel in CrewForm

Go to Settings → Channels → New Channel → Trello
Enter your API Key, Token, Board ID, Trigger List ID, and optionally a Review List ID
Set a Default Agent or Default Team
Save — CrewForm registers a webhook on the board automatically via the trello-webhook-register Edge Function

How Cards Are Handled

Card event	Behaviour
Card created in the trigger list	Task created with card name as title, card description as prompt
Card moved to the trigger list	Task created with card name as title, card description as prompt
Card created in other lists	Ignored
Card moved between other lists	Ignored

When the agent completes the task:

The result is posted as a comment on the original Trello card
If a Review List is configured, the card is moved there
A trello_card_mappings record links the Trello card to the CrewForm task

Bidirectional Flow with Output Routes

Trello channels work with Trello Output Routes for a full round-trip:

Card moved to "AI Work" list
       │
       ▼
CrewForm creates task + card mapping
       │
       ▼
Agent processes the prompt
       │
       ▼
Result posted as comment on card
       │
       ▼
Card moved to "Review" list

Tip: Create two lists on your board — “AI Work” (trigger) and “Review” (review) — for a clean Kanban workflow with your AI agents.

Webhook Management

When you create a Trello channel, CrewForm automatically registers a webhook on your board via the Trello API. When you delete the channel, the webhook is unregistered. If you need to manually manage webhooks, use the trello-webhook-register Edge Function:

# Register
curl -X POST "https://<your-project>.supabase.co/functions/v1/trello-webhook-register" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer <supabase-anon-key>" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"action": "register", "channelId": "<channel-uuid>"}'

# Unregister
curl -X POST "https://<your-project>.supabase.co/functions/v1/trello-webhook-register" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer <supabase-anon-key>" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"action": "unregister", "channelId": "<channel-uuid>"}'

Required Environment Variables (Self-Hosted)

No additional environment variables are needed — all Trello credentials (API Key, Token) are stored per-channel in the database.

Linear

Linear channels trigger CrewForm agents when issues are created, moved to a specific state, or labelled. Agent results are posted back as comments on the original Linear issue, and the issue is optionally moved to a “Done” state. Linear channels are always BYOB — you provide a Linear Personal API Key.

Setup

1. Get a Linear Personal API Key

Go to linear.app/settings/api
Click Create key → give it a label (e.g. “CrewForm”)
Copy the key (lin_api_...)

2. Find Your Team ID

In Linear, go to Settings → Teams → [Your Team]
The Team ID (UUID) is visible in the URL: https://linear.app/<workspace>/settings/teams/<TEAM_ID>

3. Create the Channel in CrewForm

Go to Settings → Channels → New Channel → Linear
Enter your Personal API Key and Team ID
Configure triggers:
- Trigger On — comma-separated list: create, state_change, label
- Trigger States (optional) — comma-separated state names, e.g. Triage,Todo
- Trigger Labels (optional) — comma-separated label names, e.g. crewform,ai-task
- Done State (optional) — move the issue to this state when the agent completes (e.g. Done)
Set a Default Agent or Default Team
Save — CrewForm automatically registers a webhook on your Linear team via the linear-webhook-register Edge Function

Trigger Configuration

You can combine multiple trigger types for fine-grained control:

Trigger	Config	Behaviour
`create`	`trigger_on: create`	Agent runs on every new issue in the team
`state_change`	`trigger_on: state_change` + `trigger_states: Triage`	Agent runs when an issue is moved to “Triage”
`label`	`trigger_on: label` + `trigger_labels: crewform`	Agent runs when the “crewform” label is added

Tip: Use state_change or label triggers to avoid processing every new issue. For example, label issues with “ai-task” to selectively trigger your agent.

How Issues Are Handled

Issue event	Behaviour
Issue created in the team	Task created (if `create` trigger is active)
Issue moved to a trigger state	Task created (if `state_change` trigger is active)
Trigger label added to an issue	Task created (if `label` trigger is active)
Issue already mapped to a task	Skipped (no duplicate processing)

When the agent completes the task:

The result is posted as a comment on the original Linear issue
If a Done State is configured, the issue is moved to that state
A linear_issue_mappings record links the Linear issue to the CrewForm task

Bidirectional Flow

Linear channels provide a full round-trip:

Issue created / state changed / label added
       │
       ▼
CrewForm creates task + issue mapping
       │
       ▼
Agent processes the prompt (issue description)
       │
       ▼
Result posted as comment on issue
       │
       ▼
Issue moved to "Done" state (optional)

Priority Mapping

Linear issue priorities are mapped to CrewForm task priorities:

Linear Priority	CrewForm Priority
No priority (0)	Low
Urgent (1)	Urgent
High (2)	High
Medium (3)	Medium
Low (4)	Low

Webhook Management

When you create a Linear channel, CrewForm automatically registers a webhook on your Linear team via the Linear GraphQL API. The webhook secret is stored in the channel config for HMAC signature verification. If you need to manually manage webhooks, use the Linear API:

# List webhooks
curl -X POST https://api.linear.app/graphql \
  -H "Authorization: lin_api_..." \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"query": "{ webhooks { nodes { id url enabled } } }"}'

Required Environment Variables (Self-Hosted)

No additional environment variables are needed — the Linear API Key is stored per-channel in the database.

Message Log

All inbound and outbound channel messages are logged. View them in Settings → Channels → [Channel Name] → Message Log:

Column	Description
Direction	Inbound (user → CrewForm) or Outbound (CrewForm → user)
Preview	First 200 characters of the message
Task / Run	Link to the associated task or team run
Status	`delivered` or `failed`
Timestamp	When the message was sent or received

Choosing Managed Bot vs BYOB

	Managed Bot	BYOB
Setup time	~2 minutes	15–30 minutes
Bot name/avatar	CrewForm branded	Fully customisable
Token management	Handled by CrewForm	You manage the bot
Works for self-hosted?	Requires env var set	✅ Full control
Multi-workspace	Shared bot	Dedicated per workspace

For most teams, Managed Bot is the right starting point. Switch to BYOB if you need a branded bot, organisation-specific permissions, or if your team policy requires it.

​Channels (Inbound Messaging)

​How Channels Work

​Managed Bot vs Bring Your Own Bot (BYOB)

​Managed Bot

​Bring Your Own Bot (BYOB)

​Telegram

​Managed Bot Setup

​BYOB Setup

​How Messages Are Handled

​Required Environment Variables (Self-Hosted)

​Slack

​Managed Bot Setup

​BYOB Setup

​How Messages Are Handled

​Required Environment Variables (Self-Hosted)

​Discord

​Required Environment Variables (Self-Hosted)

​Email

​How It Works

​Setup

​1. Configure Resend Inbound

​2. Create the Channel in CrewForm

​3. Configure Reply Sending

​How Emails Are Processed

​Reply Format

​Routing Multiple Agents

​Required Environment Variables (Self-Hosted)

​Trello

​Setup

​1. Get Trello API Credentials

​2. Find Your Board and List IDs

​3. Create the Channel in CrewForm

​How Cards Are Handled

​Bidirectional Flow with Output Routes

​Webhook Management

​Required Environment Variables (Self-Hosted)

​Linear

​Setup

​1. Get a Linear Personal API Key

​2. Find Your Team ID

​3. Create the Channel in CrewForm

​Trigger Configuration

​How Issues Are Handled

​Bidirectional Flow

​Priority Mapping

​Webhook Management

​Required Environment Variables (Self-Hosted)

​Message Log

​Choosing Managed Bot vs BYOB

Channels (Inbound Messaging)

How Channels Work

Managed Bot vs Bring Your Own Bot (BYOB)

Managed Bot

Bring Your Own Bot (BYOB)

Telegram

Managed Bot Setup

BYOB Setup

How Messages Are Handled

Required Environment Variables (Self-Hosted)

Slack

Managed Bot Setup

BYOB Setup

How Messages Are Handled

Required Environment Variables (Self-Hosted)

Discord

Required Environment Variables (Self-Hosted)

Email

How It Works

Setup

1. Configure Resend Inbound

2. Create the Channel in CrewForm

3. Configure Reply Sending

How Emails Are Processed

Reply Format

Routing Multiple Agents

Required Environment Variables (Self-Hosted)

Trello

Setup

1. Get Trello API Credentials

2. Find Your Board and List IDs

3. Create the Channel in CrewForm

How Cards Are Handled

Bidirectional Flow with Output Routes

Webhook Management

Required Environment Variables (Self-Hosted)

Linear

Setup

1. Get a Linear Personal API Key

2. Find Your Team ID

3. Create the Channel in CrewForm

Trigger Configuration

How Issues Are Handled

Bidirectional Flow

Priority Mapping

Webhook Management

Required Environment Variables (Self-Hosted)

Message Log

Choosing Managed Bot vs BYOB