Slack

Connect one Slack workspace for the organization, then link each Flow team to a channel.

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Connect Slack

An organization administrator manages the workspace connection. You can also open Integrations → Add connection and select Slack. This opens the same workspace setup. Manage channel links from Settings → Chat or the Slack connection’s Chat tab. Flow uses one primary chat provider per organization. If Microsoft Teams is connected, disconnect it in Settings → Chat before connecting Slack. Disconnecting stops Teams replies and removes team-channel links. Link each Flow team to a Slack channel after switching.

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Link a team channel

You can connect a channel from Slack or from Flow, including the first channel in a newly connected workspace. Flow matches your confirmed Slack email to your existing Flow membership. You do not need to sign in to Flow again to connect the channel.

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Link from Slack

Only the person who invited Flow sees the setup choices. That person must be an existing Flow member with permission to manage the team, or an organization administrator. Flow shows only active Flow teams that the person can manage and that do not already have a Slack channel. Connecting a channel for the first time requires confirmation.

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Link from Flow

Open Settings → Chat and select the team’s Slack channel. Channels that Flow has already joined load first. You can also choose an available public channel and let Flow join it, or create a new channel during setup. You can open a channel Flow creates. For a private channel, invite teammates in Slack. Linking an existing channel does not change who is already in it. To link an existing private channel, open it in Slack, invite Flow, then refresh the channel list. If the invitation also produces a private setup prompt, you can finish in Flow and ignore that prompt.

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Restoring a channel after Flow is removed

Invite @Flow back to the same channel. Flow checks its access and restores the existing team connection automatically, including for private channels. You do not need to mention Flow, select the team again, or reconnect the channel in settings. If the connection does not recover immediately, allow a few minutes for the next automatic access check. Slack outages or rate limits can delay it. Flow does not rejoin a channel automatically after someone removes it. You can also re-link a public channel from Settings → Chat and let Flow join it. For a private channel, invite Flow back first. If you disabled the channel connection in Flow, connect it again explicitly.

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When setup needs attention

• If Flow cannot verify your identity, check that your confirmed Slack email matches your Flow membership. Automatic first-time verification requires a full Slack workspace member account. You can still use Settings → Chat in Flow or ask a team manager or organization administrator to connect the channel.
• If no teams are available, check your team permissions and whether the team already has a Slack channel. Review an existing connection in Flow settings.
• If a channel needs attention, confirm that it still exists and that Flow can access it. Invite Flow back if it was removed. If the warning remains, check the workspace connection in Settings → Chat and re-link the channel.
• Slack’s private setup messages are temporary. If the prompt disappears after a refresh, mention Flow again in the unconnected channel.

After setup, post a request in the channel, mention @Flow, or send Flow a direct message. Flow responds to channel posts when it determines that a reply is appropriate. Slack requester messages appear in Requester chat. When Flow has a valid route back, operators can select it under Communication Channel.

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When Flow replies

Flow decides whether a channel message needs its attention instead of answering every message. Slack and Microsoft Teams use the same timing policy for this check: one attempt, with at most three seconds after the eligible conversation context is ready. Flow does not repeat the check or try a second model. This limit covers the reply decision, not the time needed to answer. If the check times out, encounters a temporary service problem, or returns an unusable decision, Flow continues processing an otherwise eligible message. A valid decision that no response is needed still leaves Flow silent. Identity, access, connection setup, and conversation-context checks still apply; a canceled request does not resume through this path.

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Requester access

By default, active members and guests of the connected Slack workspace can ask for help without signing in to the Flow web app or being imported from a directory first. This does not include bots, suspended or deactivated accounts, or people from other workspaces through Slack Connect. Flow verifies the Slack account, then finds or creates a requester account. Requester enrollment does not grant browser login, team roles, or permission to connect channels. Channel setup still requires the permissions described above. Organizations can require an active synced directory identity through Require IdP-verified identities in Settings → Identity → Advanced identity settings. Revoked access and identity conflicts still block access. See Identity and directory.

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Checking a request’s progress

Ask for an update using the tracking number. In channels, Flow reports only the current speaker’s requests. It can distinguish the latest automation run’s status from the request’s status. A denied or failed automation can leave the request open for the service team. Detailed run output and private approval information stay out of channel replies. In channels and group DMs, Flow can suggest an existing open request by tracking number and ask whether to use it or open a new one. This helps avoid duplicate work. Confirm that you want a separate request before Flow creates another.

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Adding a Slack file to a request

Share the file in your conversation with Flow, then explicitly ask Flow to add it to a request. Name the file and include the tracking number when more than one file or request could match. Flow checks the file and your access before adding it. The same reply confirms that the file was added or explains what prevented the action. Sharing a file, mentioning a tracking number, or asking Flow to read a file does not add it to a request by itself. You can refer to a file from an earlier message in the same conversation. If more than one file could match, Flow asks you to choose instead of guessing. If Flow cannot use a file, it keeps the explanation in the conversation for follow-up questions, even when it does not reply immediately. Other files that pass its checks remain available. Flow keeps bounded text previews so large documents leave room for the conversation. If a file takes too long to read, share it again to retry. While an earlier image remains in the conversation context, follow-up messages use a model that can read images, even when the new message contains only text. If no compatible model is available, Flow explains that it cannot read the image instead of guessing. When attachments exceed the conversation’s input limit, Flow prioritizes the current message, then recent messages. It keeps an explanation for attachments that do not fit. Flow accepts up to 10 files from one Slack message. Each GIF can be up to 5 MB, each video can be up to 20 MB, and each other supported file can be up to 10 MB. See Request tracking for the supported formats. The browser limits on that page apply only when you upload through Flow. Flow can read worksheet cells and saved formula results from unprotected XLSX files up to 10 MB. Dense workbooks may show only part of each worksheet; Flow marks omitted cells. If a formula has no saved result, recalculate and save the workbook, or export the relevant worksheet as CSV.

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Related topics

• Channels
• Request tracking
• Microsoft Teams