diff --git a/app/components/SlackAuthLink/SlackAuthLink.js b/app/components/SlackAuthLink/SlackAuthLink.js
index a5b9d56a0..d4f8c164b 100644
--- a/app/components/SlackAuthLink/SlackAuthLink.js
+++ b/app/components/SlackAuthLink/SlackAuthLink.js
@@ -1,47 +1,22 @@
 // @flow
 import React from 'react';
-import { observer, inject } from 'mobx-react';
+import { inject } from 'mobx-react';
+import { slackAuth } from 'shared/utils/routeHelpers';
 import AuthStore from 'stores/AuthStore';
 
 type Props = {
   children: React$Element<*>,
-  scopes?: string[],
   auth: AuthStore,
-  redirectUri: string,
+  scopes?: string[],
+  redirectUri?: string,
 };
 
-@observer
-class SlackAuthLink extends React.Component {
-  props: Props;
-
-  static defaultProps = {
-    scopes: [
-      'identity.email',
-      'identity.basic',
-      'identity.avatar',
-      'identity.team',
-    ],
-  };
-
-  slackUrl = () => {
-    const baseUrl = 'https://slack.com/oauth/authorize';
-    const params = {
-      client_id: SLACK_KEY,
-      scope: this.props.scopes ? this.props.scopes.join(' ') : '',
-      redirect_uri: this.props.redirectUri || SLACK_REDIRECT_URI,
-      state: this.props.auth.getOauthState(),
-    };
-
-    const urlParams = Object.keys(params)
-      .map(key => `${key}=${encodeURIComponent(params[key])}`)
-      .join('&');
-
-    return `${baseUrl}?${urlParams}`;
-  };
-
-  render() {
-    return <a href={this.slackUrl()}>{this.props.children}</a>;
-  }
+function SlackAuthLink({ auth, children, scopes, redirectUri }: Props) {
+  return (
+    <a href={slackAuth(auth.getOauthState(), scopes, redirectUri)}>
+      {children}
+    </a>
+  );
 }
 
 export default inject('auth')(SlackAuthLink);
diff --git a/app/scenes/SlackAuth/SlackAuth.js b/app/scenes/SlackAuth/SlackAuth.js
index 0d1e9ef3a..b4a45ec6d 100644
--- a/app/scenes/SlackAuth/SlackAuth.js
+++ b/app/scenes/SlackAuth/SlackAuth.js
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ import queryString from 'query-string';
 import { observable } from 'mobx';
 import { observer, inject } from 'mobx-react';
 import { client } from 'utils/ApiClient';
-import { slackAuth } from 'utils/routeHelpers';
+import { slackAuth } from 'shared/utils/routeHelpers';
 
 import AuthStore from 'stores/AuthStore';
 
diff --git a/app/stores/AuthStore.js b/app/stores/AuthStore.js
index 5bb7e7fc5..6ee2d9a38 100644
--- a/app/stores/AuthStore.js
+++ b/app/stores/AuthStore.js
@@ -53,7 +53,10 @@ class AuthStore {
 
   @action
   authWithSlack = async (code: string, state: string) => {
-    if (state !== this.oauthState) {
+    // in the case of direct install from the Slack app store the state is
+    // created on the server and set as a cookie
+    const serverState = Cookie.get('state', { path: '/' });
+    if (state !== this.oauthState && state !== serverState) {
       return {
         success: false,
       };
@@ -68,6 +71,9 @@ class AuthStore {
       };
     }
 
+    // State can only ever be used once so now's the time to remove it.
+    Cookie.remove('state', { path: '/' });
+
     invariant(
       res && res.data && res.data.user && res.data.team && res.data.accessToken,
       'All values should be available'
diff --git a/app/utils/routeHelpers.js b/app/utils/routeHelpers.js
index 668f5ab56..a0926970d 100644
--- a/app/utils/routeHelpers.js
+++ b/app/utils/routeHelpers.js
@@ -22,31 +22,6 @@ export function documentUrl(doc: Document): string {
   return doc.url;
 }
 
-export function slackAuth(
-  state: string,
-  scopes: string[] = [
-    'identity.email',
-    'identity.basic',
-    'identity.avatar',
-    'identity.team',
-  ],
-  redirectUri: string = `${BASE_URL}/auth/slack`
-): string {
-  const baseUrl = 'https://slack.com/oauth/authorize';
-  const params = {
-    client_id: SLACK_KEY,
-    scope: scopes ? scopes.join(' ') : '',
-    redirect_uri: redirectUri,
-    state,
-  };
-
-  const urlParams = Object.keys(params)
-    .map(key => `${key}=${encodeURIComponent(params[key])}`)
-    .join('&');
-
-  return `${baseUrl}?${urlParams}`;
-}
-
 export function documentNewUrl(doc: Document): string {
   const newUrl = `${doc.collection.url}/new`;
   if (doc.parentDocumentId) {
diff --git a/server/routes.js b/server/routes.js
index b96ff7d1e..23e06dbd8 100644
--- a/server/routes.js
+++ b/server/routes.js
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ import sendfile from 'koa-sendfile';
 import serve from 'koa-static';
 import subdomainRedirect from './middlewares/subdomainRedirect';
 import renderpage from './utils/renderpage';
+import { slackAuth } from '../shared/utils/routeHelpers';
 
 import Home from './pages/Home';
 import About from './pages/About';
@@ -44,6 +45,19 @@ if (process.env.NODE_ENV === 'production') {
   });
 }
 
+// slack direct install
+router.get('/auth/slack/install', async ctx => {
+  const state = Math.random()
+    .toString(36)
+    .substring(7);
+
+  ctx.cookies.set('state', state, {
+    httpOnly: false,
+    expires: new Date('2100'),
+  });
+  ctx.redirect(slackAuth(state));
+});
+
 // static pages
 router.get('/about', ctx => renderpage(ctx, <About />));
 router.get('/pricing', ctx => renderpage(ctx, <Pricing />));
diff --git a/shared/utils/routeHelpers.js b/shared/utils/routeHelpers.js
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..d5ecf65c3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/shared/utils/routeHelpers.js
@@ -0,0 +1,26 @@
+// @flow
+
+export function slackAuth(
+  state: string,
+  scopes: string[] = [
+    'identity.email',
+    'identity.basic',
+    'identity.avatar',
+    'identity.team',
+  ],
+  redirectUri: string = `${process.env.URL}/auth/slack`
+): string {
+  const baseUrl = 'https://slack.com/oauth/authorize';
+  const params = {
+    client_id: process.env.SLACK_KEY,
+    scope: scopes ? scopes.join(' ') : '',
+    redirect_uri: redirectUri,
+    state,
+  };
+
+  const urlParams = Object.keys(params)
+    .map(key => `${key}=${encodeURIComponent(params[key])}`)
+    .join('&');
+
+  return `${baseUrl}?${urlParams}`;
+}
diff --git a/webpack.config.js b/webpack.config.js
index 33e30a30a..6a74d542f 100644
--- a/webpack.config.js
+++ b/webpack.config.js
@@ -11,10 +11,13 @@ const definePlugin = new webpack.DefinePlugin({
     JSON.parse(process.env.BUILD_PRERELEASE || 'false')
   ),
   SLACK_REDIRECT_URI: JSON.stringify(process.env.SLACK_REDIRECT_URI),
-  SLACK_KEY: JSON.stringify(process.env.SLACK_KEY),
   BASE_URL: JSON.stringify(process.env.URL),
   BUGSNAG_KEY: JSON.stringify(process.env.BUGSNAG_KEY),
-  DEPLOYMENT: JSON.stringify(process.env.DEPLOYMENT || 'hosted')
+  DEPLOYMENT: JSON.stringify(process.env.DEPLOYMENT || 'hosted'),
+  'process.env': {
+    URL: JSON.stringify(process.env.URL),
+    SLACK_KEY: JSON.stringify(process.env.SLACK_KEY),
+  }
 });
 
 module.exports = {