Troubleshooting Slack integration issues

Troubleshooting Slack integration issues

Overview: Fix common problems with your Slack integration, from connection failures to missing notifications. This guide covers the most frequent issues and their solutions.

Prerequisites

• Access to both your Workflow and Slack accounts

• Admin or workspace owner privileges in at least one of the tools

• Basic understanding of your account email addresses

Who this affects

This troubleshooting guide applies to all Workflow users on any plan who have attempted to connect Slack or are experiencing problems with Slack notifications. Guest users cannot access Slack integration settings, so this guide assumes you have at least non-guest account access.

Quick diagnostic checklist

Before diving into specific issues, run through this quick checklist:

1. ✓ Is Slack connected? Go to Settings → Slack and verify "Connected to Slack" status is shown

2. ✓ Are notifications enabled? Go to Settings → Notifications and check "Receive notifications in Slack" box

3. ✓ Do emails match? Go to Settings → Personal Info and compare your Workflow email with your Slack email in the "Email for Slack" field

4. ✓ Can you send a test message? In Settings → Slack, look for "Send a test message" option

If all four checks pass, your integration should be working. If any fail, proceed to the issue that matches your situation.

Issue 1: Connection fails with "Oops! Something went wrong"

Symptoms

• You click "Connect to Slack" but see an error message

• The Slack authorization window appears but closes unexpectedly

• After authorizing in Slack, you're redirected back to Workflow with an error

Likely causes

• The Slack authorization window closed before you completed the authorization

• You denied permissions during the Slack OAuth flow

• Your browser's pop-up settings are blocking the Slack window

• Temporary connection issue between Workflow and Slack servers

• Your Slack account doesn't have admin privileges in the workspace

Solutions (try in order)

Solution 1: Enable pop-ups for Workflow

1. Check your browser's pop-up blocker settings

2. Add Workflow to the allowed list (exact steps vary by browser)

3. Return to Settings → Slack and click "Connect to Slack" again

4. Watch for the Slack authorization window and don't close it

Solution 2: Complete the full authorization

1. Click "Connect to Slack" in Workflow

2. When the Slack authorization window opens, select your workspace from the dropdown

3. Review the permissions Workflow is requesting

4. Click Allow (or "Approve" depending on your Slack version)

5. Wait for the page to redirect back to Workflow automatically

6. Don't close the authorization window until the redirect completes

Solution 3: Verify Slack permissions

1. In Slack, go to Workspace Settings (click your workspace name in top left)

2. Click Apps and integrations

3. Search for "Workflow"

4. If Workflow is already authorized, click it and verify permissions were granted

5. If you see a permission denied message, remove the app and try connecting again

6. Ensure you have workspace owner or admin privileges to authorize apps

Solution 4: Try again after a moment

1. Wait 5 minutes

2. Return to Settings → Slack in Workflow

3. Click "Connect to Slack" and complete the authorization again

4. If you continue to see errors, proceed to the "Getting help" section

Issue 2: You're not receiving Slack notifications

Symptoms

• Slack is connected but you don't receive any notification direct messages

• Other team members receive notifications, but you don't

• You used to receive notifications but they stopped

• You enabled notifications in Settings but nothing appears in Slack

Likely causes (in order of frequency)

• Email mismatch (most common): Your Workflow email doesn't match your Slack email

• Slack notifications are disabled in your user settings

• Your Slack account isn't receiving direct messages (DM settings issue)

• Workflow permissions were revoked in Slack

• You're a guest user (guests can't receive notifications)

Diagnostic steps

Step 1: Check for email mismatch (most likely cause)

1. Go to Settings → Personal Info

2. Note your Email field (this is your Workflow email)

3. Open Slack in another window

4. Click your profile icon (top right in Slack)

5. Click Profile and check your email address in Slack

6. Compare the two emails: Do they match exactly?

Step 2: Fix email mismatch if found

If your emails don't match:

1. Go to Settings → Personal Info in Workflow

2. Find the Email for Slack field (only visible if Slack is connected)

3. Enter your Slack email address

4. Click Update

5. Expected result: Notifications will start arriving within a few minutes

Step 3: Verify notifications are enabled

1. Go to Settings → Notifications

2. Scroll to the Slack section

3. Confirm the checkbox next to Receive notifications in Slack is checked

4. Click Update to save (even if already checked)

Step 4: Send a test message

1. Go to Settings → Slack

2. Look for "Send a test message" option in the Slack settings panel

3. Click it to send a test notification to yourself

4. Result 1 (Success): You receive a test message in Slack - your integration works!

5. Result 2 (No message): Proceed to Step 5

Step 5: Check Slack direct message settings

If you didn't receive the test message, Slack's DM settings might be blocking Workflow:

1. Open Slack

2. Click your profile icon (top right)

3. Click Preferences

4. Go to Privacy and Safety

5. Find the setting "Who can DM me"

6. Ensure it's set to Allow messages from everyone or at least includes workspace members

7. Click Save

8. Return to Workflow and try the test message again

Solutions

Issue 3: "Email for Slack" field is not visible

Symptoms

• You go to Settings → Personal Info but don't see the "Email for Slack" field

• You need to update your Slack email but the field isn't there

Cause

The "Email for Slack" field only appears after you've successfully connected your Slack workspace. If you haven't connected Slack yet, this field is hidden.

Solution

1. Go to Settings → Slack

2. Click Connect to Slack

3. Complete the Slack authorization (see Issue 1 if you need help)

4. After connecting, return to Settings → Personal Info

5. Expected result: The "Email for Slack" field now appears

Issue 4: "Receive notifications in Slack" checkbox is greyed out

Symptoms

• In Settings → Notifications, the "Receive notifications in Slack" checkbox exists but is disabled (greyed out)

• You can't click the checkbox to enable Slack notifications

Cause

This checkbox is only available after your Slack workspace is successfully connected. If Slack isn't connected, the checkbox is disabled as a visual hint that you need to connect first.

Solution

1. Go to Settings → Slack

2. Click Connect to Slack

3. Complete the Slack authorization

4. Return to Settings → Notifications

5. Expected result: The "Receive notifications in Slack" checkbox is now enabled and you can check it

Issue 5: You don't see the Slack settings option

Symptoms

• You open Settings but there's no "Slack" option in the Account section

• You can't find where to connect Slack

Likely causes

• You're a guest user (guests can't access Slack settings)

• You're on a very old version of Workflow (older versions may not have Slack integration)

Solution

1. If you're a guest user: Ask a workspace admin or owner to configure the Slack connection, or request to be converted to a full team member

2. If you're a full team member but still don't see the option: Refresh your browser (Cmd+R or Ctrl+R) and try again

3. If it still doesn't appear: Clear your browser cache and try in an incognito/private window

Issue 6: Notifications stopped working after a Slack update

Symptoms

• Notifications were working fine, but suddenly stopped

• This happened around the time Slack was updated or you updated your workspace settings

• The Slack integration still shows as "Connected"

Likely causes

• Workflow's app permissions were revoked in Slack during a security update

• Your Slack email address was changed

• Your Slack account was disabled or removed from the workspace

• Slack's DM settings were changed to block apps

Solutions (try in order)

Solution 1: Reconnect Slack

1. Go to Settings → Slack

2. Click the disconnect icon next to "Connected to Slack"

3. Click Connect to Slack again

4. Complete the full authorization process

5. Go to Settings → Notifications and re-enable "Receive notifications in Slack"

Solution 2: Verify your Slack email hasn't changed

1. Open Slack and check your profile email (Profile → Email)

2. Go to Workflow Settings → Personal Info

3. Compare your Workflow email with your Slack email

4. If they don't match, update the "Email for Slack" field

Solution 3: Check Slack workspace permissions

1. In Slack, go to Workspace Settings → Apps and integrations

2. Search for "Workflow"

3. If the app shows a permission warning, click it and grant the necessary permissions

4. If Workflow isn't listed, it was likely removed - return to Workflow and reconnect

Prevention tips

• Keep emails in sync: If you change your email address in either Workflow or Slack, update the "Email for Slack" field to match

• Periodically test notifications: Use the "Send a test message" feature monthly to confirm everything is working

• Monitor workspace changes: If your Slack workspace admin makes security or app management changes, double-check that Workflow still has the required permissions

• Review DM settings after Slack updates: Slack sometimes resets privacy settings during updates - verify your DM settings still allow notifications from apps

Escalation path

If you've worked through all issues above and still can't resolve the problem, here's when and how to reach out to Workflow support:

Gather this information before contacting support

• Your Workflow email address

• Your Slack workspace name

• Your Slack email address (from Slack → Profile)

• The date/time when notifications last worked (if applicable)

• Exact error messages you see (screenshot if possible)

• Steps you've already tried from this guide

• Whether other team members can receive notifications (yes/no)

• Your browser and browser version

How to contact support

Reach out to Workflow support with the information above. Include a note that you've worked through this troubleshooting guide. This helps us resolve your issue faster.

Getting back to the main guide

Return to "How to connect Slack to Workflow" for the complete setup and configuration guide.

Related articles

• How to connect Slack to Workflow - Main setup guide

• Advanced tips for Slack integration - Power user workflows