Before You Start
To use Productive AI in Slack:
Your account admin must enable Productive AI
The organization-wide Slack integration must be connected
You must connect the personal Slack integration
đ If Slack is not connected, Productive AI will not respond in Slack.
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This article covers the AI Assistant (@Productive) in Slack. If you're looking to talk to a specific agent in Slack (like @Budget Monitor), see Talking to Agents in Slack.
How to Use Productive AI in Slack
You can interact with Productive AI in two ways:
Mention @Productive in a channel thread
Open Apps > Productive and send a direct message
Example: @Productive please create a new task in the Website Redesign Project and assign it to me.
Behavior and Limitations
You can message Productive AI directly via DM
Open Apps > Productive in Slack and send a message. In a DM with the Productive app, you do not need to mention @Productive and you can create tasks, ask questions, and use all AI features.
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In channel threads, you must mention @Productive every time you want a response
If you send a follow-up message without mentioning @Productive, the AI will not respond.
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Multiple people can talk to Productive AI in the same thread
Anyone in the channel can mention @Productive and get a response â you don't need to start a new thread if someone else has already used it in the current one.
Productive AI cannot access private Slack conversations
It does not read or analyze your direct messages between team members.
Tasks can only be created from public or private channels (or the Productive DM)
If you try to mention @Productive in a private 1:1 conversation with a colleague, it will not work.
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Your Productive permissions apply in Slack
Productive AI respects your user permissions. You can only access, view, or modify data that you already have access to in Productive. For example, if you don't have access to a project in Productive, you won't be able to retrieve information about it via Slack.
The Assistant can read attachments from Slack messages
If you ask Productive AI to create a task from a thread that includes attachments, those attachments are automatically added to the task in Productive.
Beyond the AI Assistant
Everything above is about talking to Productive AI from Slack. The Slack Connector works the other way: it lets the AI Assistant reach into Slack on its own, to search messages, read channel history, or work with threads and canvases, without you needing to be in Slack at all. It's a separate connection from the two integrations above.
AI Disclaimer
Productive AI may generate inaccurate responses. Results are provided as-is and should be independently verified before making critical decisions.