Resources · Make integration

Slack Make integrationAutomate Slack with Make.

Slack is where the work gets discussed, Make is where it gets done. The Slack Make integration opens 46 modules, the bricks you drop into a scenario, the automation Make runs for you. Seven of them watch the workspace. This page shows you the first one to build.

Try the Slack integration on MakeSee the 46 modules

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What you can automate

What can the Slack Make integration actually automate?

It ties your Slack workspace to Make, the tool where you draw an automation as a chain of steps, called a scenario. Make holds 46 Slack modules: seven of them watch the workspace and start the chain, the rest post, fetch, create or clean up once it has started. You link the account once, that link is the connection, and every Slack module reuses it.

Three results teams build first. A support channel that shows its own state: Watch Public Channel Messages picks up what arrives and Add a Reaction marks the request as taken, so nobody has to ask who is on it.

An arrival that sets itself up: Watch Users spots the new member, Create a Channel opens the space, Invite Users puts the right people in it. And a report that leaves the tool where it was built: Upload a File pushes the export into Slack, Send a File Message posts it with a line of context above.

What Make will not do here. The Watch modules only accept a user connection, so a bot on its own listens to nothing. A Send a Message run on a bot connection needs that bot inside the channel, otherwise the run stops on Error 200: Channel Not Found. Slack applies its own rate limits too, worth knowing before you point a scenario at the busiest channel of the workspace.

The same workspace can be driven from n8n, and the honest way to choose is to read the criteria: the n8n vs Make comparison sets them side by side, and the Slack n8n integration page lists what that side exposes. If the editor itself is the unknown, the Make training starts from an empty canvas.

Connect

How do you connect Slack to Make?

  1. 01

    Add the module and start the connection

    You need a Slack account and the right to install an app in the workspace. In your scenario, add any Slack module, then click Create a connection. Make does the rest of the talking with Slack.

  2. 02

    Pick the connection type

    Some modules ask for a Connection type first: Slack (user) acts as the person who signs in, Slack (bot) acts as an app. Name it when several workspaces end up side by side, and open Advanced settings only if you bring your own client credentials.

  3. 03

    Save and grant access

    Click Save, then authenticate if Slack asks for it. An account that belongs to several workspaces shows a picker in the top-right corner, so choose the one you mean before granting access to Make.

First scenario

Your first scenario: a file arrives, the channel hears about it

GoalWhen someone shares a file in Slack, Make posts a message about it in the channel you choose.

  1. 01

    Create the scenario

    From the Scenarios page, create a new scenario and click the plus to add the first module. Search Slack, then pick Watch Files. That trigger reports what has just been shared in the workspace, file by file.

  2. 02

    Link your account

    The module asks for a connection. Click Create a connection, choose the user type, sign in and grant access to the workspace you use every day. The Watch modules need a user connection. A bot will not do.

  3. 03

    Add the message

    Click the plus on the right of Watch Files and add Send a Message. Pick the channel. Then build the text from the fields the trigger brings, with the file name first so the channel knows what landed.

  4. 04

    Test with Run once

    Share a file in Slack, then click Run once. The scenario executes a single time. Open each module to read the bundle it received, the item that travels from one module to the next.

  5. 05

    Schedule it and switch it on

    The clock on the first module holds the Scheduling. A new scenario checks every 15 minutes, which is also the floor on the Free plan. Set the pace you want, then switch the scenario on.

Triggers

What starts a Slack scenario

7 modules start a scenario when something happens in Slack. A scheduled trigger is checked by Make on the scenario's schedule; an instant one is called by Slack as soon as it happens.

Slack1Watch Public Channel Messages

Watch Public Channel Messages

Scheduled trigger

In Make“Triggers when a new message is added to a public channel.”

Watch Public Channel Messages keeps an eye on one public channel and hands every new message to the scenario, text, author and timestamp included.

How it fires
scheduled, Make goes and looks at the channel on the scenario's pace, so a message arrives at the next check.
When to use it
a channel where colleagues drop their requests and nobody wants to play switchboard all day.
Watch out
the Watch modules only accept a user connection, a bot on its own sees nothing go by.
Slack2Watch Private Channel Messages

Watch Private Channel Messages

Scheduled trigger

In Make“Triggers when a new message is added to a private channel.”

A private channel stays out of reach until you point this module at it. From then on, every message written there becomes a bundle the scenario can work with.

How it fires
scheduled, nothing gets pushed to Make here, Make asks Slack at the interval set on the first module.
When to use it
the private channel where quotes get approved, copied into the tracker your team actually reads.
Watch out
the account behind the connection has to be a member of that channel, otherwise there is nothing to read.
Slack3Watch Direct Messages

Watch Direct Messages

Scheduled trigger

In Make“Triggers when a new message is added to a direct message channel.”

Direct messages sent to the account behind your connection enter the scenario one at a time, like any other source.

How it fires
scheduled, Make reads the conversation again at each run, fifteen minutes apart at the closest on the Free plan.
When to use it
a service account the team writes to in private, whose messages become tickets somewhere else.
Watch out
you are reading somebody's inbox, so think about what that means before plugging in a personal account.
Slack4Watch Multiparty Direct Messages

Watch Multiparty Direct Messages

Scheduled trigger

In Make“Triggers when a new message is added to a multiparty direct message channel.”

Group conversations with no channel behind them, the ones opened between three or four people, have their own trigger, and each new message comes out of it on its own.

How it fires
scheduled, the scenario sets the pace and Make reads the conversation again at every pass, never before.
When to use it
a group put together for one urgent case, the kind of exchange that has to leave a trace outside Slack before everyone forgets it.
Slack5Watch Files

Watch Files

Scheduled trigger

In Make“Triggers when a new file is added.”

Every file shared in the workspace reaches the scenario with its details, ready to be copied somewhere else.

How it fires
scheduled, like the other Watch modules: Make checks the files at each run of the scenario.
When to use it
photos from the field dropped in a channel, filed in the client folder without anyone renaming them by hand.
Watch out
the Free plan stops at 5 MB per file, so anything heavier needs a paid plan or a link instead of an attachment.
Slack6Watch New Events

Watch New Events

Instant trigger

In Make“Triggers when a new message or another event is created.”

This one does not wait for Make to come and look: Slack pushes the event the moment it happens.

How it fires
instant, the app calls Make through a webhook, the call an app makes on its own without being asked.
When to use it
an alert that has to leave immediately, or one precise event type that you choose when you create the webhook.
Watch out
on an instant module, click Create a webhook first, then Create a connection; an interactive bot needs the Custom webhook module instead.
Slack7Watch Users

Watch Users

Scheduled trigger

In Make“Triggers when a new user is added or an existing user has changed. Only emit the latest change since the last scenario run.”

Arrivals and profile changes in the workspace come through this module, one bundle per change.

How it fires
scheduled, Make reads the member list on the scenario's pace and only reports the latest change since the previous run.
When to use it
the person who just joined, to be created in your HR tool and invited to the channels that matter, without anyone having to think about it.
Watch out
only the latest change comes out, so a profile edited twice between two runs reaches the scenario once.
Modules

What Slack can do inside a scenario

Slack gives you 39 modules in 2 groups. For each one: what it does for you, when to reach for it, and what to watch out for.

To help manage this change, the following modules now include the Enable pagination option when the Show advanced settings toggle is switched on:

1 module
Slack1

List Replies

Search

In Make“Retrieves a thread of messages posted to a conversation.”

List Replies unrolls a whole thread, the first post and everything written under it, one bundle per message.

When to use it
an incident channel where the real summary sits in the answers and has to end up in a report.
Watch out
the parent message always comes out first, so add a filter when you only want the replies.

Other modules

38 modules
Slack2

Add a Reaction

Action

In Make“Adds a reaction to a message.”

Add a Reaction sticks an emoji on a message, the cheapest way for an automation to say that it has seen something.

When to use it
every request picked up by the scenario gets its marker, so the channel shows at a glance what is already handled.
Slack3

Add a Star

Action

In Make“Adds a star to a channel.”

Add a Star flags a channel for the connected account, the same star you would click yourself in Slack.

When to use it
a channel that becomes central for a while, moved to the top of the sidebar by the scenario.
Slack4

Archive a Channel

Action

In Make“Archives a channel.”

Archive a Channel closes a conversation without erasing it: the history stays readable, nobody writes there any more.

When to use it
the project ships, the channel is archived by the same scenario that opened it, and the workspace stops growing sideways.
Slack5

Create a Channel

Action

In Make“Creates a channel.”

Create a Channel opens a new conversation in the workspace, named by the scenario rather than by hand.

When to use it
a deal marked as won in the CRM, and the delivery channel exists before the kick-off call is booked.
Watch out
a scenario that creates one channel per record fills a workspace fast, so put a filter in front of it.
Slack6

Create a Reminder

Action

In Make“Creates a reminder.”

Create a Reminder sets a Slack reminder for the connected account, the same nudge you would set for yourself.

When to use it
a quote that goes out and a follow-up created in the same run, so nobody has to rely on memory.
Slack7

Delete a File

Action

In Make“Deletes a file.”

Delete a File removes a document from the workspace for everybody, not only from the conversation where it was shared.

When to use it
a retention rule that clears old exports once they have been copied to your own storage.
Watch out
there is no bin to fish it out of, so copy first and delete second.
Slack8

Delete a Message

Action

In Make“Removes a message.”

Delete a Message removes a post from the conversation, and the channel goes back to the way it looked before.

When to use it
a temporary notice, a duplicate posted by a scenario that ran twice, a test left behind in a real channel.
Watch out
nothing brings it back, so put a filter in front of this module rather than sending every bundle to it.
Slack9

Edit a Message

Action

In Make“Edits a message.”

Edit a Message rewrites a post that is already there instead of adding another one underneath.

When to use it
a deployment notice that moves from queued to done, or a stock level that corrects itself rather than flooding the channel.
Watch out
the scenario needs the ID of the message it posted earlier, so keep it in the flow or store it somewhere.
Slack10

Get a Channel

Action

In Make“Returns details about a channel.”

Get a Channel returns the record Slack holds on a single channel, the step a scenario takes before writing in it or changing anything.

When to use it
a scenario that kept the channel ID from an earlier run and wants to check the topic before it rewrites it.
Slack11

Get a File

Action

In Make“Returns details about a file.”

Get a File returns what Slack knows about one document, which is exactly what the next module needs before it can copy or rename anything.

When to use it
a trigger has just spotted a new file and the scenario has to know what it is before sending it anywhere.
Slack12

Get a Private Channel Message

Action

In Make“Returns a message with a given ID from a specified private channel.”

When your scenario already holds the ID of a message posted in a private channel, this module goes and fetches the message itself.

When to use it
an incident record that stores the link to the internal thread, and you want the text of that thread before you answer the client.
Watch out
the connection has to belong to someone who sits in that private channel, otherwise Slack has nothing to hand over.
Slack13

Get a Public Channel Message

Action

In Make“Returns a message with a given ID from a specified public channel.”

A public message can be read again at any moment from its ID, which is how a scenario picks up a post it saw go by earlier.

When to use it
an announcement whose ID your automation kept, and whose final wording you want once the author has been through it.
Slack14

Get a User

Action

In Make“Returns details about a member of a workspace.”

Get a User returns the profile behind an ID: the name, the details Slack exposes, enough for a message to read properly.

When to use it
a list of member IDs that has to become a readable list of names before it reaches a report.
Slack15

Invite Users

Action

In Make“Invites 1-30 users to a public or private channel.”

Invite Users adds people to a public or a private channel in a single run, so the room fills as soon as it exists.

When to use it
a project channel that opens with the account manager, the lead developer and whoever signed the deal already inside.
Slack16

Join a Channel

Action

In Make“Joins to an existing channel.”

Join a Channel puts the account behind your connection into an existing channel, which is often what a scenario has to do before it can post there.

When to use it
a service account that has to write in every new project channel without waiting for an invitation.
Slack17

Kick a User

Action

In Make“Removes a user from a channel.”

Kick a User removes somebody from a channel without touching their account in the workspace.

When to use it
a client channel that has to reflect the current contacts, cleaned up when a name leaves the account.
Watch out
the person is out immediately, so put a human validation step before this module rather than after.
Slack18

Leave a Channel

Action

In Make“Leaves a channel.”

Leave a Channel does the opposite and takes the connected account out of the conversation, quietly.

When to use it
the end of a project, when the automation no longer needs to read the channel and you would rather it stopped.
Slack19

Make an API Call

Action

In Make“Performs an arbitrary authorized API call.”

Make an API Call reaches any endpoint of the Slack API, the door a program uses to talk to the platform, with the connection you already created.

When to use it
a Slack feature with no module of its own, called straight from the scenario instead of waiting for one to appear.
Watch out
nothing is prepared for you here, the request has to be right, and the Slack rate limits apply exactly as they do elsewhere.
Slack20

Pin a Message

Action

In Make“Pins a message to a channel.”

Pin a Message fixes a post at the top of its channel, where everybody who opens the conversation sees it first.

When to use it
the recap of the last team meeting, pinned by the scenario that posted it, so the channel always shows the current one.
Slack21

Remove a Reaction

Action

In Make“Removes a reaction from a message.”

Remove a Reaction peels an emoji back off a message, which matters when that emoji is the status your team reads.

When to use it
a request marked as handled that reopens, and whose marker has to go before anyone trusts it.
Slack22

Remove a Star

Action

In Make“Removes a star from a channel.”

Remove a Star clears that flag once the channel stops deserving the top of the list.

When to use it
the launch is over, the war room goes back to being an ordinary channel, and nobody has to remember to unstar it.
Slack23

Remove Saved Item

Action

In Make“Removes a saved item.”

Remove Saved Item takes an entry off that shelf once it has served its purpose, which keeps the saved list short enough to be useful.

When to use it
the ticket closes in your support tool and the message saved when it opened leaves the list on its own.
Slack24

Save an Item

Action

In Make“Adds an Item to saved items.”

Save an Item puts something aside in the saved list of the connected account, the shelf you keep for later.

When to use it
a message that mentions a contract number, saved on its own so the person on duty finds it without scrolling.
Slack25

Send a File Message

Action

In Make“Sends a file message.”

Send a File Message posts a file into a conversation as a message, so the document arrives with a line of context around it rather than on its own.

When to use it
a signed quote dropped in the account channel with the client name and the amount written above it.
Slack26

Send a Message

Action

In Make“Sends a message.”

Send a Message writes into the channel or the conversation you choose, with the text your scenario has just assembled.

When to use it
a form filled on your site that lands in the sales channel with the name, the budget and the link, before anyone opens their inbox.
Watch out
on a bot connection the bot has to be a member of the channel, otherwise the run stops on Error 200: Channel Not Found.
Slack27

Set a Status

Action

In Make“Update a user's current status.”

Set a Status writes the current status of a user, the line and the emoji that show up next to the name.

When to use it
a calendar that fills up and a status that announces the meeting without anybody typing it.
Watch out
it writes over whatever was there, so a scenario that runs often can erase a status somebody set by hand.
Slack28

Set the Purpose of a Channel

Action

In Make“Changes the purpose of a channel.”

The longer description of a channel gets replaced here by the text your scenario builds, which keeps it in step with the tool that owns the information.

When to use it
a client channel that opens with the account name, the contract reference and where the files live.
Slack29

Set the Topic of a Channel

Action

In Make“Changes the topic of a channel.”

Set the Topic of a Channel rewrites the short line that sits at the top of the conversation.

When to use it
a support channel whose topic shows who is on duty, updated by the scenario instead of by hand.
Slack30

Unarchive a Channel

Action

In Make“Unarchives a channel.”

Unarchive a Channel brings back a conversation that had been archived, and the workspace shows it again as an open channel.

When to use it
a client comes back six months later, and the old channel beats a new one that nobody knows how to search.
Slack31

Unpin a Message

Action

In Make“Unpins a message from a channel.”

Unpin a Message releases the post from the top of the channel and leaves it in the history.

When to use it
the previous recap comes down as soon as the new one goes up, and the pinned list stays down to one item.
Slack32

Upload a File

Action

In Make“Creates or uploads a file.”

Upload a File takes a document produced earlier in the scenario and puts it into Slack.

When to use it
an export that leaves your database and lands in the channel where the team reads it.
Watch out
the Free plan stops at 5 MB per file, so a heavy export needs a paid plan or a link rather than an attachment.
Slack33

List Channels

Search

In Make“Returns a list of channels in a workspace.”

List Channels brings back the channels of the workspace, one bundle each, with what Slack knows about them.

When to use it
an inventory of the project channels still alive, before the team decides which ones to close.
Watch out
the list follows what your connection is allowed to see, so a private channel nobody invited you to stays out of it.
Slack34

List Files

Search

In Make“Returns a list of files within a team.”

List Files goes through the files of the workspace and hands them to the scenario one after another.

When to use it
an inventory before archiving, to see what has been left lying in the channels since a project closed.
Watch out
each file that comes out is a bundle, and a busy workspace makes for a long run, so keep the scenario light around it.
Slack35

List Members in a Channel

Search

In Make“Retrieves IDs of members in a channel.”

List Members in a Channel returns the IDs of everyone sitting in the channel, one per bundle, ready for the module that comes next.

When to use it
a check of who remains in a client channel once the project has been delivered.
Watch out
you get IDs, not names, so pair it with Get a User when the message has to read like a human wrote it.
Slack36

List Reactions

Search

In Make“Returns reactions a user made.”

List Reactions returns the reactions a given person has left, one bundle per item.

When to use it
a review ritual where a thumbs up counts as approval, and the scenario needs to know what that person signed off.
Watch out
it reads the reactions made by a user, not the reactions sitting on one message, which is a different question.
Slack37

List Users

Search

In Make“Returns a list of all users in a workspace.”

List Users walks the whole member list of the workspace and returns everyone, one bundle per person.

When to use it
a reconciliation between the people present in the workspace and the list your HR tool keeps.
Watch out
a large workspace turns into a large number of bundles, and every one of them counts as an operation.
Slack38

Search for Message

Search

In Make“Returns messages matching a search query.”

Search for Message runs a query across the conversations your connection can read and brings back what matches, one message per bundle.

When to use it
a customer writes back about an order and you need the thread where that order was first discussed.
Watch out
a search can come back empty or with a long list, and every bundle counts as an operation, the unit Make measures on your plan, so narrow the query first.
Slack39

Search for User

Search

In Make“Retrieves a single user by looking them up by their registered email address.”

Search for User finds one person from the email address registered in the workspace and returns their Slack identity.

When to use it
your CRM holds the email of the account manager and the scenario needs the Slack ID to mention that person in a message.
Watch out
the address has to be the one attached to the Slack account, otherwise nothing comes back and the next module runs empty.
Need help

Need help automating Slack with Make?

A person reads every message.

FAQ

Questions that come up next

01Is the Slack Make integration free?
Yes, within the Free plan. Slack counts as a standard app in Make, so you can use it without paying, inside the caps of that plan: two active scenarios, fifteen minutes minimum between two scheduled runs, five minutes of execution per run, files up to 5 MB and 512 MB of transfer. Paid plans bring the interval down to one minute, lift the cap on active scenarios and go up to 40 minutes of execution, with usage counted in operations. What Slack itself costs is a separate matter and has nothing to do with Make.
02What do you need to connect Slack to Make?
A Slack account, and the right to install an app in the workspace. In the editor you add a Slack module, click Create a connection, then pick the type when the module asks for it: Slack (user) acts as the person who signs in, Slack (bot) acts as an app. The name field helps when several workspaces look alike. The advanced settings only matter to people who bring their own client credentials or extra scopes. Then you save, authenticate, choose the workspace in the top-right corner and grant access.
03Does the Slack trigger react in real time?
One of the seven does. Watch New Events is instant: Slack calls Make as soon as the event happens, through a webhook. The other six are scheduled, which means Make goes and looks by itself, at the pace set on the first module of the scenario. On the Free plan the shortest gap between two checks is fifteen minutes, and paid plans go down to one minute. For most uses a scheduled check is plenty. When the reaction has to follow the message immediately, build on the instant trigger and choose the event type when you create the webhook.
04What if a Slack module is missing in Make?
Make an API Call fills the gap. It is a module like the others, it uses the same connection and it calls any endpoint of the Slack API, so whatever the platform exposes stays within reach even with no dedicated module. Two limits are worth knowing before you go that way. Slack applies its own rate limits, and a Send a Message on a bot connection fails with the Channel Not Found error as long as the bot is not a member of the channel. For an interactive bot listening to events, the Custom webhook module takes over, not the Watch modules.
05Make or n8n for Slack?
Both drive the same workspace, the question is how you like to work. Make draws the scenario module by module and counts operations, which keeps it readable by someone who did not build the automation. If Slack is one link in a chain you already run in n8n, keep the whole thing in one place rather than splitting the work across two tools. If you are starting out and your needs fit inside the modules listed on this page, Make gets you there faster. The comparison page goes through these criteria one by one.
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