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Talk to me here

Microsoft Teams

A private chat with your assistant, at work.

  • About 8 minutes
  • A bot of your own
  • A public address, just for its messages
  • Private chats only
  • Nobody gets in unless you let them

Connect it

In Conch, open Apps, choose Talk to me here, then Microsoft Teams. You make a Teams bot of your own, Conch gives it an address Teams can deliver to, and you add it to Teams.

  1. Make the bot. Open the Teams Developer Portal and sign in with your work or school account. Press New Bot, name it after your assistant and press Add. If your organisation makes bots in Azure instead, an Azure Bot works the same.
  2. Copy its ID and a secret. On the bot's page, copy the Bot ID. Open Client secrets, press Add a client secret for your bot and copy the secret it shows. Conch checks both with Microsoft. If your bot only works in your organisation, Conch asks for its Directory (tenant) ID too.
  3. Give it an address Teams can reach. Press Turn on with Tailscale. If you already run a reverse proxy or a tunnel, choose I have an address of my own instead.
  4. Tell Teams where to deliver. On the bot's page, open Configure, paste the Endpoint address Conch shows, and press Save.
  5. Add it to Teams. Press Download the Teams app. In Teams, open Apps → Manage your apps → Upload an app → Upload a custom app, choose the file and press Add.
  6. Say hello. Open the bot in Teams and send it anything. Conch asks Is this you? with your name. Press That's me.
  • Basic information
  • Configure
  • Client secrets (open this)

Conch

Bot ID1a2b3c4d-5e6f-…Add a client secret for your bot (press this)

The address Teams delivers to

Teams only delivers a bot's messages to a web address. Conch gives it one that leads to a small door of its own, not to Conch itself. The door lets in nothing but messages Microsoft signed for your bot, and Conch checks each signature before it reads a word.

  • Basic information
  • Configure (open this)
  • Client secrets

Configure

Endpoint addresshttps://mac.tail1234.ts.net/conch/hooks/…Save (press this)

Your first hello

  1. You:
    hi
  2. Conch:
    Hi Ada! 👋 I’m Conch, and I’m connected to Conch on your computer. Ask me anything.

Good to know

  • No Upload an app in Teams? Your organisation turned custom apps off. Ask whoever runs Teams for you to allow it, or to upload the file for you.
  • Approvals come as a card with Allow, Always in this chat and Don't allow.
  • While it works Teams shows "typing…".
  • Files you send in the chat come too: the app asks Teams for that.
  • Turn the address off under the channel's Where Teams delivers when you stop using Teams.