Support slack_file for videos in Block Kit (parity with images)

[osmanpontes]

Problem

Block Kit currently supports slack_file references for images, which allows apps to safely render private Slack-hosted files inside messages without requiring public URLs.

However, this capability is limited to images only. There is no equivalent way to reference Slack-hosted video files (file_id) in Block Kit, even though Slack already supports:

• Video files uploaded to Slack
• A native video block that requires public or embeddable URLs

This creates an inconsistency: images can be rendered from private Slack files, while videos cannot.

Goal

Provide first-class support for using Slack-hosted video files (slack_file) inside Block Kit, similar to how images currently work.

This would allow apps to:

• Upload a video using files.uploadV2
• Reference the resulting file_id in Block Kit
• Render the video inline without requiring a public URL or external hosting

Why this matters

• Many apps handle sensitive or private video content that should not be publicly accessible
• Hosting videos externally (S3, YouTube, etc.) adds operational and security overhead
• Image blocks already solve this problem elegantly via slack_file
• Feature parity between images and videos would greatly improve developer experience

Proposed direction (non-binding)

Examples of possible approaches:

• Allow slack_file as a source for the existing video block
• Or introduce a dedicated video element that accepts { type: "slack_file", file_id }
• Update @slack/types to reflect the new capability

This issue is primarily about API and SDK support; the exact implementation details are up to the Slack team.

Related context

• slack_file is already supported for images in Block Kit
• The video block currently only supports external URLs
• There does not appear to be an existing feature request covering video + slack_file support

Happy to help clarify use cases or test early implementations if needed.

Packages:

Select all that apply:

• @slack/web-api
• @slack/rtm-api
• @slack/webhooks
• @slack/oauth
• @slack/socket-mode
• @slack/types
• I don't know

Requirements

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[WilliamBergamin]

Hi @osmanpontes thanks for opening up this request 💯

This seems like a Slack feature request I've reported it internally you can also report it through developers@slack.com

[osmanpontes]

Thank you @WilliamBergamin . I'm gonna do that 🙂

[github-actions]

👋 It looks like this issue has been open for 30 days with no activity. We'll mark this as stale for now, and wait 10 days for an update or for further comment before closing this issue out. If you think this issue needs to be prioritized, please comment to get the thread going again! Maintainers also review issues marked as stale on a regular basis and comment or adjust status if the issue needs to be reprioritized.

[github-actions]

As this issue has been inactive for more than one month, we will be closing it. Thank you to all the participants! If you would like to raise a related issue, please create a new issue which includes your specific details and references this issue number.