Ask alfred_ from Slack.
DM alfred_ in Slack, or @mention it in a channel, and it answers from your email and calendar: what's on tomorrow, who's waiting on you, the reply you still owe. Every answer is a reply in the thread, and nothing is sent until you say yes.
How it works
You need an alfred_ account with at least one email or calendar connected.
- Sign in to alfred_ with your email and calendar connected.
- Open Integrations, then Slack, and press Add to Slack.
- alfred_ sends you a DM in Slack. Ask it anything you would text it.
- Anyone in the workspace can open the alfred_ app in Slack and send it a message.
- The first time, alfred_ replies with a link. They sign in to alfred_, then confirm with Slack.
- From then on it answers each person from their own email and calendar. Nobody sees anyone else's.
Things to ask
- What's on my calendar tomorrow?
- Who's waiting on a reply from me?
- Draft a reply to the last email from Dana.
- Find the contract Sam sent last week.
- Move my 3pm with Priya to Thursday.
What alfred_ does in Slack
The same assistant you text, answering where you already work.
Every answer is a reply under your question, and a follow-up inside that thread stays in it. While it works, the reply says what it is doing.
The same alfred_ you text: it reads your inbox, checks your calendar, pulls up a thread and remembers what you told it.
Replies, forwards and invites are shown to you first. Nothing leaves your mailbox until you say yes.
@mention alfred_ in a channel it has been added to and it answers in the thread, from your email and calendar, for the channel to see. For anything private, ask it in your DM.
- Join a channel conversation unless you @mention it.
- Post as you, or read anyone else's email or calendar.
- Open files you drop into the DM, for now.
- Send anything without your yes.
alfred_ answers only people who have linked their own account, and each person only from their own email and calendar. More in Security.
Questions
Does my Slack admin need to approve it?
Only if your workspace requires approval for new apps. Then Slack asks your admin when you press Add to Slack, and everyone can use it once it is approved.
Can alfred_ read my Slack messages?
Only what you bring to it. alfred_ in Slack sees the messages you send it in your DM. When you @mention it in a channel it has been added to, it also reads that thread, or the last few messages above your question, so it can answer. It never reads a channel on its own.
What does alfred_ keep?
Your messages to it and its answers, in your DM and in channels, so it can follow the conversation, the same way it keeps your texts with it. Remove the app and it stops reading.
How do I remove it?
In alfred_, open Integrations, then Slack, and press Remove. A Slack admin can also remove the app from the workspace.