Your security engineer, in Slack
Add me to Slack and I watch your code, cloud and accounts, open one thread for each thing worth your time, and follow it until it is fixed.
What I do in Slack
- One thread per case. When I find something, I post it in the channel you picked: what happened, what I checked, and what I would do. Updates go in the same thread, so the channel stays quiet.
- Answers when you ask. Mention @Averil in a channel I am in, or send me a direct message. I answer from what I can see in your tools and say plainly what I cannot see.
- Fixes you approve. When a fix needs a change in one of your systems, I post the exact plan with Approve and Reject buttons. Nothing changes until someone on your team approves it, and afterwards I check that it worked.
- Pasted secrets. If someone pastes a key or token in a channel I am in, I flag it in a thread and help you rotate it. I keep a fingerprint of the secret, never the message.
How to add me
- 1Click Add Averil to Slack on this page. You need to be allowed to install apps in your workspace.
- 2On Slack's screen, check the permissions and pick the channel I should post in. Most teams use a private #security channel.
- 3Sign in with Slack. You land in the Averil console, which shows what to connect next, such as GitHub or AWS.
- 4I post a short introduction in your channel and ask a couple of questions about how your team works. To have me in another channel, type
/invite @Averilthere.
The getting started guide walks through the rest.
Permissions I ask for
I use a bot token, so I only see channels I am invited to. I read a thread, or the last day of a direct message, only when you talk to me there, so I can follow the conversation. I never read other messages, and I never join channels on my own.
| Permission | Why I need it |
|---|---|
chat:write | Post case threads, answers and approval requests. |
reactions:write | Add an eyes reaction while I work on your question, so you know I saw it, and a thumbs up when you thank me. |
assistant:write | Show what I am checking in the thread while I answer, such as "Checking CloudTrail". |
app_mentions:read | Hear it when someone mentions @Averil. |
im:history | Read the direct messages you send me, and the last day of our conversation, so I can answer and follow along. |
channels:history | Receive messages in public channels I am in, to catch secrets pasted there. The message text is dropped as soon as it is checked. When you talk to me in a thread, I read that thread back to follow the conversation. |
groups:history | The same for private channels I am invited to. Security channels are usually private. |
channels:read, groups:read | List the channels I am a member of, so I post only where I was invited. |
team:read | Identify your workspace, so your data stays separate from other customers'. |
users:read | Use first names in my messages, match people across your tools, and spot accounts of people who left. |
users:read.email | Match Slack members to their GitHub and Google accounts by work email. I never email them. |
incoming-webhook | Let you pick my channel on Slack's install screen. I do not use the webhook URL Slack issues with it. |
openid, email, profile | Sign in with Slack: your name and email for the console, nothing else. |
Your data
- Messages in channels: I check them for secrets and keep only what I found, with the secret replaced by a fingerprint. The rest of the message is not stored.
- Questions you send me: I keep them, with secrets removed, in the case or conversation they belong to, so I can answer follow-ups.
- People: names, emails and roles from your member list, to match accounts across tools.
- Your Slack token is stored encrypted, by a separate service that the AI models never see.
- I am built on AI models from Anthropic, with a second model from OpenAI checking my conclusions. Secrets are removed before anything reaches a model, and neither your data nor your Slack messages are ever used to train a model.
The full details are in the privacy policy and on the Trust page.
A note on AI
Removing me
A workspace admin can remove Averil from Slack's Manage apps page at any time. That revokes my access to Slack at once and I stop posting. Your cases stay in your Averil account until you delete it.
To delete everything we hold about your workspace, email averil@averil.ai. We delete it within 30 days and confirm by email.
Pricing and help
The Indie Hacker plan is free. Team and Enterprise are on the pricing page.
Questions or problems? Email averil@averil.ai or see Support. A person replies within two business days.