Slack and Freelo integration

The Slack and Freelo integration lets you create a task or a comment in Freelo straight from a Slack message. The message becomes the task brief, its attachments come along and nothing gets lost in chat.

In this article, you will learn how to install the app, connect your account and what the app can do.

What the app does

• Task from a message – turn any message into a task in the project and To-Do list you choose. The message becomes the task description or its first comment.
• Comment from a message – add a message as a comment to an existing task.
• Quick action without the menu – react to a message with the :freelo: emoji, or type @Freelo in its thread.
• New task without a message – use + in the message field, the /freelo command or the Home tab.
• Link preview – paste a link to a Freelo task into Slack and you will see its name, project, assignee, due date, labels and the start of the description.
• Home tab – your overdue tasks and tasks due today and tomorrow. You can complete them, move them or set a due date right there.

Install the app in Slack

The app is installed by someone who can add apps to your Slack workspace, usually a workspace admin.

1. Open the install link and click Add to Slack.
2. Pick your workspace and confirm the permissions with Allow.
3. You will see a page with next steps and get a welcome message from the Freelo app in Slack.

If Slack does not let you install the app, ask your workspace admin.

Add the :freelo: emoji

To start a task or comment with a reaction, someone has to add a custom :freelo: emoji to the workspace once. The app cannot do this on its own. In Slack, open Customize workspace, choose Emoji and add a new emoji named freelo. You can use the Freelo app icon, which you will find in the welcome message under the Emoji image link.

Add the app to a channel

Attachments, thread replies, the :freelo: reaction and @Freelo only work in channels where the app has been added. In the channel details, open Integrations and click Add apps.

Connect your Freelo account

Everyone in the workspace connects their own account, just once.

1. In the welcome message from the app, click Log in with Freelo. The app will also offer to log you in on your first action or in the Home tab.
2. Log in to Freelo and confirm access.
3. Go back to Slack, the form will be ready.

The app only shows projects and tasks you can access in Freelo. No account yet? Create one for free right from the welcome message with Create a free account.

Create a task from a message

1. Hover over a message and click the three dots on the right.
2. In the menu, hover over Connect to apps and choose Create task in Freelo.
3. If you do not see the option there, click More message shortcuts… in the same submenu. In the Use a shortcut window, choose Create task in Freelo. You can also find it with the Search message shortcuts… field.
4. In the form, pick the project and To-Do list and check the task name.
5. Tick Use as the task description to make the message text the task description. If you leave it unticked, the text becomes the first comment. Attachments from the message come along.
6. Click Create. The Freelo – done window with the Open in Freelo button appears, and only you can see it.

The form remembers the last project and To-Do list you used. You cannot set an assignee or a due date in it. Add the due date in the Home tab or directly in Freelo.

Colleagues mentioned in the message become mentions in Freelo if the app finds them by email and you share a project with them.

Add a message as a comment

1. Hover over a message and click the three dots on the right.
2. In the menu, hover over Connect to apps and click More message shortcuts….
3. In the Use a shortcut window, choose Add comment in Freelo.
4. Pick the project, To-Do list and task.
5. Check the comment and click Add.

The comment is added to the task discussion, including attachments.

Task or comment without the menu

Instead of the message menu, you can take a quicker route:

• Reaction – react to the message with the :freelo: emoji.
• Mention in a thread – in the message thread, type @Freelo followed by task or comment.

The app then shows you buttons to create a task or add a comment. Only you can see them, and they open the same form as the message menu. Both options only work in channels where the app has been added.

What to attach to a task or comment

The task and comment forms have an Attach section. The app remembers your choices for next time.

• Thread replies – inserted below the message text, each with its author.
• Link to the Slack message – added at the end of the text in Freelo.
• Link to Freelo – the app replies below the Slack message with a link to the new task or comment. The whole channel can see this reply. The option is on by default. If the app is not in the channel, the task is still created and a message tells you to add the app to the channel.

New task without a message

You can also create a task without a specific message:

• click + in the message field and choose Create Freelo task,
• type the /freelo command followed by the task name,
• click Create task in the Home tab.

In the form, pick the project and To-Do list, fill in the task name and optionally a description, and click Create.

Attachments

Attachments only come through from channels where the app has been added. Attachments from direct messages between people cannot be transferred. The form lets you know in advance.

Home tab

Open the Home tab in the Freelo app in Slack. You will see your overdue tasks and tasks due today and tomorrow, up to 10 in each group, based on your time zone in Slack.

Open the menu of any task with the three dots. It offers Open in Freelo, Finish, Move to today, Move to tomorrow and Set due date…. At the top, you will find the Create task and Refresh buttons.

Language and help in the app

The app speaks English or Czech based on the language in your Slack profile. You can switch the language in the Home tab.

Type /freelo help to see all commands. Only you will see the reply.

Disconnect and uninstall

• Disconnect your account – click Disconnect account in the Home tab. The connection is deleted and the app loses access to your Freelo.
• Uninstall the app – uninstalling the app from Slack removes the connection for everyone in the workspace.

FAQ

Does the integration cost anything?

No, the app is free. It works with both free and paid Freelo plans.

Will my colleagues in Slack see my tasks?

The preview of a pasted task link and the optional link to Freelo below the message are visible to the whole channel. The confirmation, the buttons after the :freelo: reaction and the Home tab are visible only to you. In Freelo, everyone only sees what they have access to.

Does the app read all our messages?

No. It only works with the message you send to Freelo yourself and with thread replies if you attach them in the form. See our privacy policy for details.

An attachment did not come through

Add the app to the channel in the channel details under Integrations and Add apps. Attachments from direct messages between people cannot be transferred.

I cannot see the project I want to add the task to

The app only shows projects you are part of in Freelo. Ask the project captain to invite you.

Need help? Write to us at info@freelo.io or use the chat.

Practical use cases

• Requests from chat – a colleague posts a request in a channel and you turn it into a task with the brief and attachments in one step.
• Decisions from a thread – add the outcome of a thread discussion as a comment to a task, including replies and their authors.
• Overview without switching apps – the Home tab shows your tasks for today and tomorrow, and you can complete or move them right away.
• Sharing tasks with the team – paste a task link into a channel and your colleagues see its preview with the due date and assignee.

Related articles: How to create a new task, Site internal links, Create a task from email, Integration with Microsoft Teams.