Complete Tasks in Google Sheets With a Slack Reaction
Updating task status in multiple places is friction. With this automation, a checkmark reaction on a Slack task message automatically updates its status to complete in your Sheets tracker.
Trigger
Message Reaction Added
Triggered when a reaction is added to a message in Slack. Supports optional filtering by channel and emoji name.
Action
Batch update spreadsheet
Updates a specified range in a google sheet with given values, or appends them as new rows if `first cell location` is omitted; ensure the target sheet exists and the spreadsheet contains at least one worksheet.
Why this helps
Neurodivergent founders juggle updating task status in Slack and spreadsheets, creating cognitive load and often resulting in mismatched status between tools.
- One-click task completion in Slack
- Automatic status sync to Sheets
- Reduce manual status updates
- Visual feedback (emoji confirms action)
- Faster task workflow without context switching
Setup
Build it in a few focused steps.
- 1Connect Slack and Google Sheets to Notis.
- 2Create a new automation with 'Message Reaction Added' as the trigger.
- 3Specify to watch for the ✅ (checkmark) emoji only.
- 4Write your prompt: 'When a checkmark emoji is added to a message in my task channels, find that task in my tracking sheet by message content and update its status to Complete with today's date in the Completed column.'
- 5Test by reacting with ✅ to a task message and checking Sheets for the update.
Questions about this workflow
What if someone reacts with checkmark by accident?
You can set Notis to require a specific message format (like 'Task: [task name]') before it processes the reaction, reducing false positives.
Can I use different emojis for different status types?
Yes. Set up multiple automations: ✅ for complete, 🚀 for in-progress, 🔄 for blocked, etc. Each updates a different status column.
What about tasks already marked complete that get a reaction?
Notis will check the current status first and skip updates if already marked complete, preventing duplicate entries or confusion.
When this happens · Trigger
Do this · Action
Supported Triggers and Actions
Notis builds workflows that link Slack to Google Sheets. A trigger fires from one place; an action lands in another.
Slack triggers
Google Sheets actions
New Channel Created Trigger
Triggered when a new channel is created in Slack.
Add Sheet to Spreadsheet
Adds a new sheet (worksheet) to a spreadsheet. use this tool to create a new tab within an existing google sheet, optionally specifying its title, index, size, and other properties.
Channel Message Received
Triggered when a message is posted in a Slack channel (public, private, or multi-party IM). Does NOT match direct messages.
Aggregate Column Data
Searches for rows where a specific column matches a value and performs mathematical operations on data from another column.
Direct Message Received
Triggered when a new direct message (DM) is sent to a user in Slack. Catches all DMs across all DM channels.
Append Dimension
Tool to append new rows or columns to a sheet, increasing its size. use when you need to add empty rows or columns to an existing sheet.
Message Reaction Added
Triggered when a reaction is added to a message in Slack. Supports optional filtering by channel and emoji name.
Batch get spreadsheet
Retrieves data from specified cell ranges in a google spreadsheet; ensure the spreadsheet has at least one worksheet and any explicitly referenced sheet names in ranges exist.
Message Reaction Removed
Triggered when a reaction is removed from a message in Slack. Supports optional filtering by channel and emoji name.
Batch update spreadsheet
Updates a specified range in a google sheet with given values, or appends them as new rows if `first cell location` is omitted; ensure the target sheet exists and the spreadsheet contains at least one worksheet.
Reaction Added Trigger
DEPRECATED: use `SLACK_MESSAGE_REACTION_ADDED` instead. Triggered when a reaction is added to a message in Slack.
Batch Update Values by Data Filter
Tool to update values in ranges matching data filters. use when you need to update specific data in a google sheet based on criteria rather than fixed cell ranges.
Reaction Removed Trigger
DEPRECATED: use `SLACK_MESSAGE_REACTION_REMOVED` instead. Triggered when a reaction is removed from a message.
Clear Basic Filter
Tool to clear the basic filter from a sheet. use when you need to remove an existing basic filter from a specific sheet within a google spreadsheet.
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.
Clear spreadsheet values
Clears cell content (preserving formatting and notes) from a specified a1 notation range in a google spreadsheet; the range must correspond to an existing sheet and cells.
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When this happens · Trigger
Do this · Action
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