Outputs for Slack

Introduction

Sending raw workflow output straight to Slack usually produces walls of text with broken links. Two nodes clean that up: Run Prompt for basic formatting, and Create Slack Block for rich, structured messages using Slack's Block Kit.

Run Prompt: Clean Up Before You Send

Add a Run Prompt node between your workflow's data source and the Slack send node. Use it to reshape raw output into something readable:

Convert long URLs into clean linked text.
Summarize dense content into scannable bullets.
Strip out parts of the data that don't belong in the message.

This is the simplest way to avoid messy Slack posts. Most sales and CS workflows only need this.

Create Slack Block: Rich, Structured Messages

For anything more polished — headers, buttons, context blocks, dividers — use the Create Slack Block node. It outputs a properly formatted Block Kit message that Slack renders cleanly.

Add a Create Slack Block node to your workflow.
Design your message layout in Slack's Block Kit Builder.
Copy the JSON that the Builder generates.
Ask an AI model to convert the JSON into a plain-English prompt — something like "create a prompt that describes this Block Kit JSON in plain English." This gives you a prompt the Create Slack Block node can use.
Paste that prompt into your Create Slack Block node.

Using the Formatted Output

Once the Create Slack Block node is set up, it exposes a {{slackMessage}} variable you reference in the Slack send node.

If you don't see {{slackMessage}} in the variable picker after adding the node, refresh the page — the builder needs to re-read available variables.

Tips

Always pipe raw output through a Run Prompt or Create Slack Block node before hitting Slack.
Design in Block Kit Builder first so you can see the layout before wiring it up.
Test in a quiet Slack channel before switching the workflow on for production.
Keep messages short. Long Slack messages collapse into "Show more" and lose the formatting benefit.

Using Workflow Recipes — pre-built workflows that already handle Slack formatting.
Writing Workflow Prompts — how to structure prompts for node-level formatting.

Need More Help?

Reach the AskElephant support team by clicking the chat button in the bottom right corner of your screen, emailing [email protected], or using @askelephant support in your dedicated Slack channel.