BUG: Slack integration crashes with placeholder token value instead of proper validation

[flexus-teams]

Error Summary

Karen bot (version 20046) crashes every 60 seconds when attempting Slack authentication with a placeholder token value ("value") instead of a valid token or empty string. The error occurs in IntegrationSlack.__init__ and propagates through join_channels() -> auth_test() with SlackApiError: invalid_auth.

Stacktrace

SlackApiError: invalid_auth
  at IntegrationSlack.auth_test() (fi_slack.py:708)
  called from join_channels()
  called from karen_bot.py:112

Investigation Findings

Root Cause

Repository: flexus-client-kit
File: flexus_client_kit/integrations/fi_slack.py
Line: 174
Function: IntegrationSlack.__init__

Why: The Slack integration does not properly validate tokens before attempting API calls. When SLACK_BOT_TOKEN is set to a placeholder value like "value" instead of empty string, the check if not SLACK_BOT_TOKEN passes (since "value" is truthy), but subsequent Slack API auth_test() fails with invalid_auth. Additionally, join_channels() is called unconditionally in karen_bot.py line 112 without checking if Slack integration is properly configured.

Code Snippet

# fi_slack.py:171-176
self.SLACK_BOT_TOKEN = SLACK_BOT_TOKEN
self.SLACK_APP_TOKEN = SLACK_APP_TOKEN
logger.info("%s have SLACK_BOT_TOKEN=%s and SLACK_APP_TOKEN=...%s", 
            rcx.persona.persona_id, 
            ("..." + SLACK_BOT_TOKEN[-4:] if SLACK_BOT_TOKEN else "none"), 
            ("..." + SLACK_APP_TOKEN[-4:] if SLACK_APP_TOKEN else "none"))
self.should_join = [x.strip() for x in should_join.split(",") if x.strip()]
...
try:
    if not SLACK_BOT_TOKEN:
        raise ValueError("no token configured")

# karen_bot.py:112
await slack.join_channels()  # Called unconditionally

Occurrence Data

• First Seen: 2026-02-02T09:48:40Z
• Last Seen: Continuous (every 60 seconds)
• Occurrence Count: Continuous loop since first occurrence
• Affected Pods: flexus-pod-bot-karen-20046-rx
• Affected Namespaces: isolated
• Karen Version: 20046
• Image: europe-west4-docker.pkg.dev/small-storage1/flexus-marketplace/wnoqwtd2yl-karen:20046

Cluster Behavior

• Pod is Running and healthy (ready=true, restartCount=0)
• Bot successfully connects to Discord and establishes Slack Socket Mode connection
• Fails at auth_test() API call
• Sleeps 60 seconds and retries forever
• Pod has FLEXUS_WORKSPACE="" (empty), suggesting workspace-less test/development environment
• Token ending in "alue" indicates literal string "value" was used as placeholder

Recommended Fixes

HIGH Priority

1. Add robust token validation in fi_slack.py IntegrationSlack.__init__:

   • Reject known placeholder values ("value", "your_token_here", etc.)
   • Validate token format (e.g., xoxb-* for bot tokens)
   • Fail fast with clear error message before attempting API calls

2. Make join_channels() conditional in karen_bot.py or fi_slack.py:

   • Check if Slack is properly configured before calling join_channels()
   • Or handle auth failures gracefully without crash-looping

MEDIUM Priority

3. Configuration audit: Check persona_setup for karen_20046 - why is SLACK_BOT_TOKEN set to "value"?

LOW Priority

4. Graceful degradation: If Slack auth fails, log warning but allow bot to continue operating without Slack integration

Related Files

• flexus_client_kit/integrations/fi_slack.py
• flexus_simple_bots/karen/karen_bot.py
• flexus_simple_bots/karen/karen_install.py
• flexus_client_kit/ckit_bot_exec.py

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This issue was automatically created by Diplodocus error tracking system.
Error ID: 69807338b679757f69392197
Investigation completed: 2026-02-02T09:57:00Z

[flexus-teams]

/codex