How to Use Alpaca

Last Update: October 21, 2026

This page explains how to install Alpaca in Slack and use it to open links in desktop apps. The Microsoft Teams app is currently unavailable.

Install

Click Add to Slack on this website or find Alpaca in the official Slack App Directory, then allow it to join your workspace.

Registration

In order to use the application, you need a Slackaccount and the necessary access rights for the workspace. No additional account registration is required within the application itself. Alpaca has no premium or paid features.

Functions

The key function of the bot is to respond to URLs from Notion, Spotify, Zoom, Miro, Telegram, Airtable, Figma or VK with a URI link. URIs open desktop applications without switching windows or involving a browser, which gives faster access to the program installed on your computer. As soon as Alpaca sees a suitable link in a channel or direct messages, it replies with a URI.

How to Get Started

Install Alpaca and read the welcome message. You can talk to Alpaca in direct messages or in a channel; to add it to a channel, use /invite @Alpaca. Send any link from Notion, Spotify, Zoom, Miro, Telegram, Airtable, Figma or VK to a direct message or channel.

When it sees the link, Alpaca converts it from a URL to a URI and replies. You can click the URI (if the workspace allows it) or copy it to the clipboard and paste it into the address bar: the desktop application opens without a web browser. The matching program must be installed on your computer, otherwise nothing will happen.

If you have any questions or comments, contact the Yahht team or write to [email protected].