Using Workflows to send a Slack message when a topic or post is assigned

You can use Workflows, Assign, and Chat Integration to automatically send a Slack message whenever a topic or post is assigned or unassigned on your site. This makes it easier to keep your teammates informed when something in the community needs their attention.

In this topic, we’ll provide the workflow template and walk you through how to set everything up.

:discourse: The Workflows and Assign features are available on the Business and Enterprise plans.

Prerequisites

Before getting started, make sure the following are in place:

1. Import the workflow

  1. Go to Admin → Plugins → Workflows (/admin/plugins/discourse-workflows/workflows).

  2. Click Import.

  3. Upload this JSON file:

    workflow-nodes-2026-09-02.json (11.1 KB)

After importing, you’ll see the workflow in the list. Click into it to configure it for your site.

2. Configure the workflow

The workflow contains several nodes you’ll need to customize before it will function. Many of these steps are optional, but recommended for best results.

Filter by category

Select the category that should trigger the Slack notification. Assignments in topics outside this category will be ignored.

To trigger this workflow for multiple categories:

  • Set the node’s Match node field to Any condition can pass
  • Add conditions for each category

To trigger this workflow for any category, delete this node and connect the preceding and subsequent nodes (e.g., connect the “No” branch from Is PM to Filter by tag).

Filter by tag

Select the tag that should trigger the Slack notification. Assignments in topics without this tags will be ignored.

To trigger this workflow for multiple tags:

  • Set the node’s Match node field to Any condition can pass
  • Add conditions for each tag

To trigger this workflow for any tag, delete this node and connect the preceding and subsequent nodes (e.g., connect Filter by category to Check assignee group).

Check assignee group

Select the group that the assignee must belong to in order to trigger the notification. This is useful for limiting notifications, such as for your support team.

To trigger this workflow for users in any group, select the trust_level_0 group in the node conditions.

Template

This node controls the text of the Slack message. The workflow includes four message templates:

  • Regular topic — assigned
  • Regular topic — unassigned
  • PM — assigned
  • PM — unassigned

Each template has access to variables including the assignee’s username, display name, topic title, and topic URL. Edit any of these to customize the message format.

Send Slack

Select the Slack channel where messages will be posted. This list is populated from the channels you’ve already configured in the Chat Integration plugin at /admin/plugins/discourse-chat-integration/providers/slack.

3. Activate the workflow

Once all nodes are configured, toggle the workflow to Active at the top of the editor. The workflow will now run whenever a topic or post is assigned on your site, as long as it meets any category, tag, or assignee group requirements.

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