Turn Slack DMs Into Idea Records

Thoughts hit you at random times. Instead of losing them in Slack or switching to Airtable, just DM Notis your idea. It instantly creates a record in your Airtable ideas table, tagged and ready to review.

Trigger

Direct Message Received

Triggered when a new direct message (DM) is sent to a user in Slack. Catches all DMs across all DM channels.

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Action

Create a record

Creates a new record in a specified airtable table; field values must conform to the table's column types.

Why this helps

Neurodivergent founders struggle with scattered idea capture. A good thought arrives in Slack DM, you intend to add it to Airtable later, and it's forgotten. By the time you remember, the context is lost.

  • Ideas captured instantly without context-switching
  • Full DM text preserved with timestamp
  • Automatic tagging by date and sender
  • Searchable idea database

Setup

Build it in a few focused steps.

  • 1Connect Slack and Airtable to Notis (one-time setup)
  • 2Tell Notis: 'When I send you a direct message, create a record in my ideas table with the message as the idea title and content'
  • 3Choose which Airtable table stores ideas and what fields to populate
  • 4Set your notification channel so Notis confirms each capture
  • 5Send Notis a test DM and confirm the record appears

Questions about this workflow

Can I use a specific keyword or format to trigger this?

Yes. You can ask Notis to only create records when your DM starts with a certain word, like 'idea:' or '@notis'. Notis will apply that filter automatically.

What if I send multiple ideas in one DM?

Notis treats the entire DM as one idea record. If you want separate records, send separate messages or ask Notis to parse by bullet points or line breaks.

Can Notis add these to different tables based on topic?

Absolutely. Tell Notis: 'Put product ideas in the product table and marketing ideas in the marketing table based on content.' It learns your categorization.

When this happens · Trigger

Do this · Action

Supported Triggers and Actions

Notis builds workflows that link Slack to Airtable. A trigger fires from one place; an action lands in another.

Slack logo

Slack triggers

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Airtable actions

New Channel Created Trigger

Triggered when a new channel is created in Slack.

TriggerInstant

Create base

Creates a new airtable base with specified tables and fields within a workspace; ensure field options are valid for their type.

ActionInstant

Channel Message Received

Triggered when a message is posted in a Slack channel (public, private, or multi-party IM). Does NOT match direct messages.

TriggerInstant

Create Comment

Creates a new comment on a specific record within an airtable base and table.

ActionInstant

Direct Message Received

Triggered when a new direct message (DM) is sent to a user in Slack. Catches all DMs across all DM channels.

TriggerInstant

Create Field

Creates a new field within a specified table in an airtable base.

ActionInstant

Message Reaction Added

Triggered when a reaction is added to a message in Slack. Supports optional filtering by channel and emoji name.

TriggerInstant

Create multiple records

Creates multiple new records in a specified airtable table.

ActionInstant

Message Reaction Removed

Triggered when a reaction is removed from a message in Slack. Supports optional filtering by channel and emoji name.

TriggerInstant

Create a record

Creates a new record in a specified airtable table; field values must conform to the table's column types.

ActionInstant

Reaction Added Trigger

DEPRECATED: use `SLACK_MESSAGE_REACTION_ADDED` instead. Triggered when a reaction is added to a message in Slack.

TriggerInstant

Create table

Creates a new table within a specified existing airtable base, allowing definition of its name, description, and field structure.

ActionInstant

Reaction Removed Trigger

DEPRECATED: use `SLACK_MESSAGE_REACTION_REMOVED` instead. Triggered when a reaction is removed from a message.

TriggerInstant

Delete Comment

Deletes an existing comment from a specified record in an airtable table.

ActionInstant

New Bot Message Received Trigger

DEPRECATED: use `SLACK_CHANNEL_MESSAGE_RECEIVED` with `is_bot_message=true` instead. Triggered when a new bot message is posted to a Slack channel.

TriggerInstant

Delete multiple records

Deletes up to 10 specified records from a table within an airtable base.

ActionInstant

Connect any two apps with Notis in the middle.

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When this happens · Trigger

Do this · Action

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