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Automations are recurring tasks that Slack Agent runs on a schedule. You create and manage them in Slack using the /automations command. The web app provides a read-only view for inspecting their activity. Each automation runs under the scope that applies to the channel or DM where it lives, so it only accesses the repositories, connections, and spend limits that surface is allowed to use.

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Example: daily dependency check

A platform team wants Slack Agent to check for new security advisories every morning. An engineer goes to #platform-eng and sends: 
@coderabbit Check for new dependency vulnerabilities in the main branch
and summarize anything critical. Run this daily.
Slack Agent runs it once as a trial. After reviewing the output, the engineer confirms the automation. From that point on, a fresh thread appears in #platform-eng every morning with the results.

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Creating an automation

Use /automations in any channel or DM. Slack Agent walks you through the setup in a thread. When you create an automation, it runs once as a trial before activating the schedule, so you can review the output and iterate on the prompt before it starts running on its own. Every automation is bound to the channel or DM where it was created, and that binding cannot be changed. If the target surface changes, create a new automation in the new place.

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Schedules

You can schedule automations to run:
  • Every few minutes
  • Hourly
  • Daily
  • Weekly
All schedules are timezone-aware.

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Delivery

Each automation uses one of two delivery modes:
  • Fresh thread: starts a new thread for every run
  • Same thread: posts into the same thread each time (only available when the automation was created from a thread with a concrete root message)

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Who can manage automations

ActionCreatorWorkspace adminOther channel members
Edit, pause, resume, or deleteYesYesNo
Run immediatelyYesYesYes (channels only)
Stop a running automationYesYesYes (channels only)
Automations in DMs can only be managed by the creator or a workspace admin. Other users cannot run or stop them.

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Archival

Automations are archived automatically when their place becomes unavailable:
  • DM automations archive when the DM becomes unusable, the creator leaves the workspace, or the required same_thread root message disappears.
  • Channel automations archive when the channel is deleted, the bot loses access, or the required same_thread root message disappears.
Archived automations are distinct from paused automations and cannot be resumed.

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Viewing automations in the web app

The Automations page in the web app is read-only. It shows which channels have active automations, their schedules, and recent run history. Run entries link to thread reviews when available.

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What’s next

Scopes

Control which repositories and tools automation runs can access.

Thread reviews

Inspect the output of an automation run.

Usage

Review activity after automations run.