Why connect Ninety and Slack

Many teams run Ninety while spending a lot of time communicating in Slack. Without integration, important accountability updates could stay hidden in Ninety — team members miss when commitments are created, forget to check completion status, and don't celebrate wins where the team already pays attention.

Zapier bridges this gap by automatically surfacing Ninety activity in Slack. You can create workflows that notify channels when To-Dos are created, announce completions where teams see them, and keep accountability visible without asking people to constantly check another tool.

What is Slack

Slack is a team communication platform that organizes conversations into channels, direct messages, and threads. Teams use Slack as their central hub for real-time communication, file sharing, and coordination. Unlike task management tools that focus on tracking work, Slack focuses on facilitating team communication and making information easily accessible through search and organized channels.

Prerequisites

Before building Slack-Ninety workflows, you'll need:

• A Zapier account (free plan works for basic automation; paid plans offer more tasks per month and premium features).
• An active Ninety account with team member/managee permissions or higher that's assigned to one or more teams in the Directory.
• Access to a Slack workspace where you have permissions to add apps and integrations.
• Admin permissions in your Slack workspace if setting up team-wide notifications (individual workflows only require your own Slack account).

How to connect Slack to your Zapier account

Before you can create Zaps that send Ninety updates to Slack, you need to connect your Slack workspace to Zapier. You'll only need to do this once—all your Slack Zaps will use the same connection.

To connect Slack to your Zapier account:

1. Log in to your Zapier account.
2. Click App Connections from Zapier's left navigation menu.
3. Click the + Add Connection button toward the top right of the page.
4. Search for and click "Slack." Then, click the Add Connection button.
5. (Optional) Rename your Slack connection. Then, click Yes, Continue to Slack.
6. Select which Slack workspace you want to connect. If you're a member of multiple workspaces, choose the one where you want to receive Ninety notifications.
7. Review the permissions Zapier is requesting. Zapier needs access to post messages, read channel information, and manage integrations. Click Allow to grant access.
8. Some permissions may require approval from your Slack workspace admin. If you see a message about requesting approval, Zapier will notify you once an admin approves the connection.

After connecting Slack to Zapier, you can create Zaps that post Ninety updates to channels, send direct messages, or trigger workflows based on Slack activity.

Note for team-wide notifications: If you're setting up Zaps that post to shared channels (workflows 1, 2, and 5 in this article), one person (typically an admin or manager) connects Slack and configures the Zaps for the whole team. If you're setting up personal notifications (workflows 3 and 4), each team member connects their own Slack account and configures their individual Zaps.

Who should use this integration

This integration works best for teams who:

• Use Slack as their primary communication platform and want Ninety updates visible where people already work.
• Need to increase visibility of commitments and completions without asking team members to constantly check Ninety.
• Want to celebrate wins publicly when To-Dos are completed during the week.
• Struggle with team members forgetting about commitments made in team Meetings.

If your team doesn't use Slack or prefers to keep all accountability activity contained in Ninety, this integration isn't necessary. But if Slack is where your team lives, bringing Ninety updates there increases engagement and visibility.

Common Zapier workflows for Slack and Ninety

1. Announce new To-Dos in a channel

• What it does: When someone creates a To-Do in Ninety, it automatically posts a message to a designated Slack channel announcing the new commitment.
• Why it matters: Team visibility into commitments happens automatically. Everyone sees new To-Dos in their team channel without needing to log into Ninety, increasing awareness and accountability.
• Best for: Teams who want transparency around new commitments and need everyone to be aware of what others are working on.
• What you'll need: One Zap per team that posts to a specific Slack channel when To-Dos are created on a Ninety team.
• Slack-specific considerations: Choose an appropriate channel for notifications (many teams create dedicated channels like #ninety-updates or #accountability to avoid cluttering general channels).

2. Celebrate completions in a channel

• What it does: When someone marks a To-Do complete in Ninety, it automatically posts a celebration message to a Slack channel.
• Why it matters: Wins get recognized publicly where the team sees them. Completion celebrations build momentum, encourage others, and create positive reinforcement for honoring commitments.
• Best for: Teams who want to build a culture of public wins and recognition.
• What you'll need: One Zap per team that posts to a Slack channel when To-Dos are completed on a Ninety team.
• Slack-specific considerations: Consider using emoji reactions or custom message formatting to make completions stand out. Some teams use different channels for creations vs. completions.

3. Send direct messages for assigned To-Dos

• What it does: When a To-Do is assigned to you in Ninety, you receive a direct message from a Slack bot with the commitment details.
• Why it matters: Personal notifications ensure you never miss a new commitment. The DM arrives where you're already working, with immediate visibility without email or app notifications.
• Best for: Individuals who want personal accountability reminders without channel noise.
• What you'll need: Each person sets up their own Zap that sends them a Slack DM when To-Dos are created for their Ninety account.
• Slack-specific considerations: These are personal Zaps—each team member configures their own. The DM comes from Slackbot or the Zapier bot, depending on your setup.

4. Create To-Dos from saved Slack messages

• What it does: When you save a Slack message for later (using the bookmark feature), it automatically creates a To-Do in Ninety with the message content.
• Why it matters: Conversations naturally identify action items. Instead of manually creating To-Dos, bookmarking a message captures the commitment automatically.
• Best for: Teams who identify next steps during Slack conversations and need them tracked in Ninety.
• What you'll need: Each person sets up their own Zap that creates Ninety To-Dos when they save Slack messages.
• Slack-specific considerations: Use saved messages (not reactions) to trigger this workflow. The To-Do description should include the message text and a link back to the Slack conversation for context.

5. Post due date reminders to channels

• What it does: Posts a message to a Slack channel listing all To-Dos due today or this week for the team.
• Why it matters: Morning or weekly reminders keep urgent commitments top-of-mind without everyone manually checking Ninety's To-Do list.
• Best for: Teams who want scheduled accountability check-ins in Slack.
• What you'll need: A Zap with a scheduled trigger that queries Ninety To-Dos and formats them into a Slack message.
• Slack-specific considerations: This workflow requires Zapier's Schedule trigger plus potentially Formatter steps to compile multiple To-Dos into a readable message. More complex than the other workflows but high value for teams who want daily standup-style updates.

Additional resources

Check out the following resources for assistance with your Zaps:

• Browse Zapier's pre-built Slack templates for examples and inspiration.
• Read Slack's help center article covering automated workflows.
• Explore Zapier's article about their co-pilot feature, which uses AI to help you build Zaps through no-code, natural language prompts.