Channels

Use GitBook Assistant and GitBook Agent in Slack, GitHub, and Linear

Channels are currently in early access

Channels bring GitBook Assistant and GitBook Agent into the tools where work already happens.

Channels bring GitBook Assistant and GitBook Agent into the tools your team already uses. Once connected, your team can mention @GitBook in Slack, GitHub, or Linear to ask questions, open change requests, and keep your docs up to date — without leaving their existing workflow.

This feature is available on the Ultimate site plan.

Channels bring GitBook Assistant and GitBook Agent into the tools your team already uses. Once connected, your team can mention @GitBook in Slack, GitHub, or Linear to ask questions, open change requests, and keep your docs up to date — without leaving their existing workflow.

When you add a channel, you choose how GitBook shows up in that tool. Each configuration runs in one of two modes:

Support agent: GitBook Assistant answers questions from your team or visitors directly in the channel. Ask a question, get an answer pulled from your docs. In Slack, citations in these replies link to the published site URL for the docs they reference. For example, a cited answer links to your docs site, not app.gitbook.com.

Collaborator: GitBook Agent joins as a teammate. Mention @GitBook to open change requests, request edits, or keep your docs in sync with what's happening in that tool. In Slack, messages can link to app.gitbook.com when they reference internal workflow context, such as a change request or draft content. When Agent creates a change request from a channel, it automatically links it to the originating thread, issue, or pull request.

You can run multiple configurations per channel — for example, Support Agent mode for one customer-facing Slack channel, and Collaborator mode in another channel for your docs team.

To add a channel, open your site’s Settings and click on Channels.

Use Channels when support questions, bug reports, or product feedback start in Slack, GitHub, or Linear and you want GitBook to respond in place.

Looking to embed GitBook Assistant in your website or product?

Head to Embed in your product to learn how to embed GitBook Assistant.

Available channels

Slack

Available

Linear

Available

GitHub

Available

Coming soon

Discord

Planned

Intercom

Planned

Microsoft Teams

Planned

Google Chat

Planned

Overview

Channels connect GitBook to external workflows.

They let you:

  • Answer questions without leaving the source conversation.

  • Bring existing docs context into support and product workflows.

  • Turn important conversations into docs updates with GitBook Agent.

Use Channels when the conversation starts outside GitBook, but the answer or follow-up belongs in your docs process.

Supported platforms

Channels currently support these platforms:

  • Slack for conversations and support threads.

  • GitHub for issues, pull-request context, and discussion workflows.

  • Linear for issue tracking and product feedback workflows.

Each platform uses the same core model.

GitBook receives supported events from the connected platform, gathers context from your knowledge, and responds through either GitBook Assistant or GitBook Agent.

Roles and permissions

Channels support two roles:

  • Collaborator — can make changes.

  • Support agent — provides read-only information.

Choose the role based on what the channel needs to do.

Collaborator

Use Collaborator when the channel must help turn conversations into documentation work.

A collaborator channel can use GitBook Agent to help create or update docs work in GitBook, such as opening or progressing a change request.

Support agent

Use Support agent when the channel only needs to answer questions.

A support agent channel uses existing docs and connected knowledge to reply with read-only context. It does not make content changes.

How it works

Channels handle incoming events from your connected platform.

An incoming event can be a new message, a mention, an issue update, or other supported activity from Slack, GitHub, or Linear.

GitBook processes those events in four steps:

1

Receive an event

The connected platform sends a supported event to GitBook through the channel you installed.

2

Gather context

GitBook looks up the relevant docs context and any other knowledge available to the site.

3

Apply the channel role

If the channel is a Support agent, GitBook returns read-only information.

If the channel is a Collaborator, GitBook can also turn the conversation into docs work through GitBook Agent.

4

Reply in the source tool

The response appears back in Slack, GitHub, or Linear, so the workflow stays in one place.

Exact event coverage depends on the platform and your early access rollout. If a trigger is not available in your workspace yet, it has not been documented publicly.

Install and authorization

To install a channel, open your site dashboard and choose SettingsChannels.

Then choose the platform you want to connect.

Each platform uses an OAuth or app-install flow. GitBook sends you to the platform, you approve access, and then you return to GitBook to finish setup.

1

Start the install

In SettingsChannels, select Slack.

2

Authorize Slack

Sign in to Slack if needed.

Then choose the Slack workspace where you want to install the channel and approve the requested access.

3

Finish setup in GitBook

After Slack redirects you back, finish the channel setup in GitBook.

Choose the role the channel should use and save the configuration.

Feedback and reactions

Reactions let your team give quick feedback on channel replies.

Use reactions when you want to signal whether a response was helpful.

That feedback helps GitBook understand which responses are working well in real workflows.

The exact reaction mapping is not documented yet and can vary by platform during early access.

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