A self-hosted AI assistant for Slack and Telegram
Write to your AIK from the chat app you already have open. It does the work with your own agents and files, and nothing goes out until you press Approve.
What you can ask it
This is the same AIK you use in the browser, with your model, your connections and your files. The chat app is only another door to it. So from your phone you can write:
- "Process the invoices in the incoming folder." It runs the document work and tells you which ones it held and why.
- "Run the weekly report." It starts your agent or workflow, and the run appears on the Runs page like any other.
- "Send me New.xlsx." The file arrives in the chat.
- A photo of a receipt with the caption "add this to the invoices". The photo is saved in your files and the caption is the task.
Nothing goes out without your OK
A chatbot that can act is only useful if you can trust it. In AIK, anything that would send or post stops first. The message "This needs your OK first" arrives in the chat with Approve and Refuse buttons, and it says what would happen. Press one and that message turns into the outcome. A larger job comes as a plan with a Go ahead button, and nothing is created before you press it.
This rule is in AIK's code, not in the words given to the model, so a model that gets confused cannot talk its way past it.
Set up Telegram
- In Telegram, open @BotFather and make a new bot.
- In AIK, open Integrations, then AIK in Telegram, and paste the bot's key.
- Press Open in Telegram, then Start. That account is now the only one the bot answers.
Anyone else who finds the bot is told it only works for its owner. /new starts a fresh conversation. Files you send are kept in My Files under from-telegram, up to 20 MB each.
In a group, tag the bot or reply to it and it answers there, and only to you. In @BotFather, send /setprivacy, choose Disable, then add the bot to the group again.
Set up Slack
- In AIK, open Integrations, then AIK in Slack. A ready-made app description creates the Slack app in one click.
- Paste the two keys Slack gives you.
- Link your account with the one-time code in a private chat with the app.
Private chats work like Telegram, with buttons and files in both directions.
In a Slack channel, for the whole team
Write "@AIK" and your request in a channel and the answer comes in that thread. Each thread keeps its own conversation. A colleague who tags @AIK for the first time gets a private link only they can see, signs in to AIK and confirms. You can remove anyone at any time. AIK then works as that person's own account, with their files and their rights. An Approve button only works for the person whose request it is, so a colleague cannot press it for you.
Your own server, with no public address
Many self-hosted tools need a public web address so that Slack or Telegram can reach them. AIK does not. It reaches out to the service itself, by polling Telegram and through Slack's Socket Mode, so it works from a server inside your office with nothing opened to the internet. AIK runs on your server and works with your files there, and it can use a local model too.
To be plain about the limit: what you write in the chat, and any file you send there, still passes through Telegram or Slack, because that is how those apps work. For documents that must not leave the building, use AIK in the browser on your own network.
For you, not for your customers
This is your own AIK for your own work. To answer customers on WhatsApp, Viber, Telegram or your website, AIK has a separate AI receptionist, which can only use the front-desk tools you give it.
Frequently asked questions
Is this the same AIK as in the browser?
Yes. Each message is an ordinary AIK chat turn as you: the same model, connections, files and safety rules.
Who can talk to my bot?
On Telegram, only the account that opened the one-time link. On Slack, you and colleagues who link their own AIK account: they tag @AIK, get a private link, sign in and confirm.
Can it send an e-mail without asking?
No. Anything that sends or posts waits for your Approve button, in the chat itself.
Do I need a public address for my server?
No. AIK connects out to Telegram and Slack, so it works on a server with nothing opened to the internet.
Do my messages stay on my server?
Your files and AIK itself do. What you write in the chat, and files you send there, pass through Telegram or Slack.
Can I send files?
Yes, in both directions. A file you send is saved in My Files, and when you ask for a file it arrives in the chat. On Telegram the limit is 20 MB.
What if I write while AIK is still working?
AIK handles one of your messages at a time. A message sent in the same chat while it is busy gets a short note and is not kept, so send it again after the answer.
Can I use a bot I already use for an Assistant?
No. Make a new bot or app for this; one that an Assistant or your agents already use is refused.