Slack is a destination for workflows. Connect one Slack workspace, then any workflow can post to a Slack channel with a Send Slack message step. Ariyel posts messages but can’t read them, and nothing from Slack is saved on your records.
Connect Slack#
- Open Settings → Apps and find Slack: Post messages to Slack channels from workflows.
- Choose Connect. Only owners and admins can connect; other members see Ask an owner or admin to connect Slack.
- Slack opens its own approval page. Approve Ariyel there. You need permission to install apps in your Slack workspace.
Back in Ariyel, the Slack page says Slack is connected. Add a Send Slack message step to a workflow to post to a channel. If you cancel in Slack, it says Slack wasn’t connected: the request was cancelled in Slack.; other failures say Slack couldn’t be connected. Please try again.
If you aren’t allowed to install apps, Slack asks your Slack admins for approval instead of sending you back to Ariyel. Slack stays unconnected in Ariyel until someone who can install apps connects it.
The Slack page#
Choose Manage on the Slack row in Settings → Apps. The Connection table shows Connected by, Slack workspace, Connected at, and Status: Active, or Needs reconnecting when Slack stopped accepting Ariyel’s connection. Owners and admins use the connection menu for Reconnect and Disconnect. Members can open the page but see Only an owner or admin can reconnect or disconnect Slack.
Post from a workflow#
In the workflow editor, add Send Slack message from the Slack group. It has three settings:
- Channel (required): public channels and the private channels Ariyel is in, with search and Refresh. To post to a private channel, add the Ariyel app to that channel in Slack first.
- Message (required): bold, italic, strikethrough, bulleted lists, and links. Type
/to add a field from the record, or@to mention a workspace member. A counter shows the length before fields are filled in, out of 2,900 characters. - Hide “Sent via” line: off by default.
Messages post as Ariyel. Unless you hide it, the last line reads Sent via followed by the workflow’s name. There is no button back to Ariyel; to link to the record, insert its link as a field. Every run posts a new message.
A mention, whether typed with @ or inserted as a person field such as a deal’s owner, becomes a real Slack @mention when that member’s email has a Slack account in the connected Slack workspace. Otherwise their name is written as plain text. A mention never fails the run.
Send a test to me posts the step’s current message to your own Slack messages, marked Test, using the most recently updated record of the trigger’s object. It never posts in the channel, so it’s safe on a live workflow. On success it says Test sent to your Slack messages. It needs a Slack account with your Ariyel email in the connected Slack workspace.
Publish and channels#
A workflow with a Slack step can’t be published while Slack isn’t connected or needs reconnecting; publishing says Connect Slack in Settings › Apps before publishing. The step’s settings show Slack is not connected to this workspace. with Connect Slack, or Slack needs reconnecting. with Reconnect Slack.
When you publish, Ariyel joins each public channel its Slack steps post to, and the channel sees that Ariyel joined. If it can’t, the editor says Ariyel couldn’t join #channel in Slack: publish again to retry, or add the Ariyel app to the channel in Slack. Ariyel can’t join private channels by itself.
If you reconnect to a different Slack workspace, workflows keep their saved channels. A channel the new Slack workspace doesn’t have is flagged Channel not found in followed by the Slack workspace’s name.
When a Slack step fails#
A refused Slack step fails the run like any other step, and the workflow’s failure email goes out if it’s on. Runs shows the reason:
| Runs says | What happened |
|---|---|
| Slack isn't connected | Slack is disconnected or needs reconnecting. |
| Slack needs reconnecting | Slack rejected Ariyel’s connection during the run. The connection is marked Needs reconnecting. |
| #channel wasn't found in Slack | The channel was deleted. |
| #channel was archived in Slack | The channel was archived. |
| Ariyel isn't in #channel. Add the Ariyel app to the channel in Slack. | Ariyel isn’t in a private channel, or couldn’t join a public one. If it was removed from a public channel, it rejoins and retries once first. |
| Message is over 2,900 characters | The message is too long once fields are filled in. |
| Slack didn't respond for an hour | Slack was down, slow, or rate-limiting. Ariyel waits as long as Slack asks (30 seconds if it doesn’t say, at most 5 minutes per wait) and keeps trying for an hour after the first attempt. |
| Slack refused the message (code) | Any other refusal from Slack. |
If Slack disconnects#
The connection changes to Needs reconnecting when someone removes the Ariyel app from Slack, Slack revokes its access, or Slack rejects its connection during a run. The Slack page then says Slack steps in workflows are failing until you reconnect. Workflows keep running; only their Slack steps fail until an owner or admin chooses Reconnect, which opens the same Slack approval page.
When it breaks, every owner and admin gets one email, Slack is disconnected from followed by the Slack workspace’s name, with a Reconnect Slack button. It isn’t sent again while the connection stays broken, and disconnecting on purpose sends nothing.
Disconnect Slack#
Owners and admins choose Disconnect from the connection menu and confirm Disconnect Slack?. The dialog lists the live workflows that have a Slack step; their Slack steps fail until Slack is reconnected, and everything else keeps running. Workflows stay published. Messages already posted stay in Slack, and the Ariyel app stays in channels until someone removes it in Slack.
What Ariyel can see in Slack#
Ariyel never reads messages in any channel or direct message and can’t search Slack. It can see channel names and member counts, and Slack users’ names and emails so it can match mentions and send your tests.