Slack Developer Tools for in-Slack debugging
What the Slack Developer Tools (SDT) app does inside Slack (inspect a message's Block Kit JSON, look up Web API methods, test an incoming webhook, find IDs and platform status), who can use it, and which jobs belong to the Slack CLI or Block Kit Builder instead.
Utilize Slack Developer Tools (SDT) when developing Slack apps.
~7 min read · 3 practice questions ·
What the exam expects
- Use SDT's Inspect message shortcut to see the Block Kit JSON behind any message in a channel.
- Use
/sdt docs [method name]for a method overview,/sdt test_webhook [webhook url]to test an incoming webhook, and/sdt helpfor the command list. - Use SDT to find IDs for users, workspaces and orgs, and to check platform status, without leaving Slack.
- State who can use SDT: any user in a workspace where the app is installed.
- Tell SDT apart from the Slack CLI (
slack doctor,slack deploy,slack trigger,slack manifest) and Block Kit Builder.
Key terms: Slack Developer Tools (SDT) (a Slack app that brings developer tools and docs into Slack); Inspect message (SDT's message shortcut that shows how a message was built); /sdt (SDT's slash command); incoming webhook URL (a unique URL that posts a JSON payload into one channel); Slack CLI (the terminal tool for creating, running and deploying apps).
Key facts
- Detail
- A Slack app that inspects message payloads and finds API docs, platform status and IDs
- Detail
- App Home, message shortcuts and a slash command
- Detail
- Any user on a workspace where SDT is installed
- Detail
- Shows the Block Kit JSON used to construct a message; hover, more actions, Inspect
/sdt docs [method name]- Detail
- Brief overview and implementation parameters of a Web API method
/sdt test_webhook [webhook url]- Detail
- Sends a test payload to the webhook URL you supply
/sdt help- Detail
- Lists commands and support information
- Detail
- Contains a secret; never share it online
slack doctor- Detail
- Reports system and app dependency versions, not payloads
- Which SDT entry point shows the Block Kit JSON behind an existing message?
- When would you run `/sdt test_webhook`?
- Why can a regular member, not an admin, use SDT?
- Why is `slack doctor` the wrong tool for reading a message's payload?
The questions are free to read. Answers with their sources and self-grading are included with the pack.
Keep reading with the Slack Developer pack
- Core concepts
- Exam traps
- Worked scenario
The pack includes:
- All 38 lessons of the Slack Developer guide, with reading progress
- Interactive decision walks and step-by-step sequence steppers
- Inline practice questions and one-click topic practice (3 questions for this lesson)
- An official source cited for every claim
- An AI tutor that answers from the guide
- Unlimited timed practice exams