How to Connect Slack to Gmail: Native Options, Automation Tools, and Knack Workflows

In today’s fast-moving digital workplace, integrating Slack and Gmail is essential for teams and businesses that want to centralize communication, streamline workflows, and respond faster—without drowning in manual tasks. 

Connecting these platforms allows emails to trigger Slack messages, conversations to turn into actionable tasks, and critical information to live in one shared workspace. And with Knack as the automation layer, Slack and Gmail interactions become structured, trackable records that power real business processes—from lead management to customer support. 

In this guide, we’ll break down native integrations, third-party tools, automation platforms, and advanced workflows using Knack, so you can build a smarter, more connected communication system.

Key Takeaways: Best Ways to Connect Slack and Gmail

• Connecting Slack and Gmail streamlines workflows and centralizes messaging, making it especially valuable for teams managing high volumes of communication.
• Teams can integrate natively through options like the Slack for Gmail Add-On, forwarding Gmail messages to Slack channels or DMs, email forwarding to dedicated Slack email addresses, or email alerts via Slackbot DMs.
• However, native integrations don’t provide a centralized system of record, which can lead to unclear ownership and difficulty tracking progress across workflows.
• Knack serves as the backbone that connects communication to operations, turning messages and emails into structured, trackable records.
• Teams can build workflows using Slack Workflow Builder for basic automation or Knack Flows to connect triggers, actions, and conditions seamlessly.
• Common use cases for an integration through Knack include customer support, project management, and other internal processes requiring visibility and accountability.
• Best practices include using Knack as a single source of truth, standardizing intake and routing, and monitoring performance through dashboards.

Why Connect Slack to Gmail for Team Communication and Workflow Automation?

While Slack and Gmail are both powerful platforms on their own, connecting them unlocks even greater value—especially for teams managing high volumes of communication. From streamlined workflows and centralized messaging to improved collaboration and faster response times, the benefits of integrating the two are significant and far-reaching.

How Slack–Gmail Integration Streamlines Team Communication

Gmail notifications in Slack reduce inbox overload by surfacing important emails where teams already collaborate, helping them respond faster without constantly switching tools. With Knack, these interactions can be captured as structured records instead of one-off messages, turning conversations into trackable workflows and business data. 

These capabilities are especially valuable for sales, support, and operations teams that rely on shared visibility and centralized record-keeping to stay organized and responsive.

How Gmail and Slack Automation Improves Workflow Efficiency

A Slack–Gmail integration becomes far more powerful when emails and messages automatically trigger workflows, assignments, and approvals that are stored and tracked in Knack. For example, a customer support team can turn incoming Gmail tickets into Slack alerts that create Knack records, assign agents, track status, and route approvals—ensuring nothing falls through the cracks. 

Without introducing Knack into the equation, these actions remain scattered across inboxes and chat threads, making it difficult to maintain visibility and a reliable system of record.

Improving Team Collaboration with Slack and Gmail Integration

Shared visibility improves when Gmail conversations forwarded into Slack are logged in Knack as tickets or tasks with clear ownership and status tracking. This ensures no task gets lost in the noise while fostering transparency and accountability across team members. 

78% of organizations report centralizing customer data management, highlighting how critical these capabilities are to delivering a strong customer experience.

Native Ways to Connect Slack to Gmail (Built-In Integrations)

Native integrations are built-in connections between platforms that are typically easier to set up, maintain, and support than external tools or custom APIs, making them ideal for simple or standardized workflows. A Slack–Gmail integration can be configured natively in a few different ways—review the options outlined below to see if any align with your organization’s requirements.

Slack for Gmail Add-On: Features, Limits, and Use Cases

The Slack for Gmail Add-On is a native tool that lets users send emails directly from Gmail to Slack channels or direct messages, making it easier to share important conversations with teammates. Its core features include message previews, basic formatting, and the ability to notify specific channels or users, but it lacks advanced automation and workflow capabilities. 

As a result, it’s primarily notification-based and one-directional, pushing emails into Slack without structured data capture or follow-up automation.

Installing Slack for Gmail via Google Workspace Marketplace

The Slack for Gmail Add-On is available in the Google Workspace Marketplace, which offers thousands of custom solutions that extend the functionality of Google Workspace apps, including Gmail. 

Installation is handled directly through Google Workspace, where users or admins approve the app and grant the necessary permissions for Gmail and Slack access. Once authorized, the add-on is automatically enabled within Gmail and ready for use.

How to Set Up the Slack for Gmail Add-On (Step-by-Step)

Here’s how to set up and use the Slack for Gmail Add-On in just a few simple steps:

• Install the Add-on: Install the official “Slack for Gmail” add-on from the Google Workspace Marketplace to connect your Gmail and Slack accounts.
• Access in Gmail: Once installed, the add-on appears as an icon (usually the Slack logo) in your Gmail interface, often alongside the email.
• Forward to Slack: With an email open, click the Slack icon, choose a channel or person, add a note or attachments, and send the email content into Slack for team discussion.

Forwarding Gmail Emails to Slack Channels or Direct Messages

As an alternative to the Slack for Gmail Add-On, users can manually forward emails directly to Slack using channel email addresses. However, this method still lacks structured tracking, ownership, and workflow management, making it less reliable for most teams. 

For instance, a sales team forwarding deal emails into a Slack channel may struggle to assign follow-ups, track status, or prevent messages from being missed in busy threads, leading to delays and dropped opportunities.

Sending Gmail Emails to Slack Using Channel Email Addresses

Slack’s Email app allows entire channels to receive emails directly, turning incoming messages into Slack posts for team visibility and discussion. Unlike the Slack for Gmail Add-On, it’s designed for broader email ingestion rather than individual email notifications, and it offers limited interactivity or structured workflow tracking. 

Teams managing general notifications or shared inboxes might prefer this method, while customer-facing or process-driven teams often opt for solutions like Knack to ensure emails become actionable, trackable records.

Using Slackbot DMs for Gmail Email Alerts

Slackbot DMs are automated direct messages sent by Slack’s built-in bot to notify users of specific events or updates. They can be used for personal alerts, such as notifying an individual when a high-priority Gmail message arrives or a task requires attention, keeping users informed without checking multiple tools. 

Still, this approach is limited for team workflows because messages are private, unstructured, and not tracked centrally, making collaboration and accountability difficult.

Limitations of Native Slack–Gmail Integrations

While native integrations are often considered the easiest way to set up a Slack–Gmail connection, they typically don’t offer the greatest long-term benefits. Because Slack and Gmail alone don’t provide a centralized system of record, teams can struggle with lost messages and difficulty tracking progress across workflows.

Why Slack and Gmail Lack a Centralized System of Record

Having a unified database in a Gmail–Slack connection is vital because it turns scattered messages and emails into structured, trackable records that support workflows and reporting. Without a central database, communications live in silos, making it difficult to maintain historical records or ensure follow-ups are completed. 

No-code platforms like Knack empower users of any technical skill level to configure these databases, offering simplicity rivaling that of a native integration while delivering far more powerful functionality and visibility.

Limits of Workflow Logic in Native Slack–Gmail Integrations

While native tools can alert teams to emails or messages, they can’t enforce approvals, SLAs, or conditional logic within workflows. For example, a finance team manually notified of invoice submissions via Slack might miss critical approval deadlines or route errors, leading to delayed payments or compliance issues. 

Knack acts as a bridge by capturing these interactions as structured records, enabling automated approvals and conditional workflows that go far beyond the capabilities of native integrations.

Lack of Ownership and Accountability in Native Integrations

When there’s no ownership or accountability among team members, organizations can struggle to ensure tasks are completed or follow-ups are made, creating gaps in workflow efficiency. With native integrations, messages can quickly scroll out of view in Slack or get buried in Gmail, causing teams to lose visibility and miss critical actions. 

By providing features like assigned ownership, status tracking, and centralized records, Knack allows teams to correct mistakes quickly and maintain cohesive engagement over time and across platforms.

Using Knack to Build Scalable Slack–Gmail Workflows

Knack serves as the backbone that connects communication to operations in a Slack–Gmail integration, turning scattered messages and emails into structured, actionable records. By unifying these interactions, Knack elevates a basic connection into an invaluable organizational asset, linking platforms in a way that drives accountability and long-term workflow transformation.

Turning Gmail Emails into Structured, Trackable Records

Gmail messages can be logged into Knack as tickets, leads, tasks, or requests, complete with assigned owners and status tracking, turning emails into workable, organized records. This structure benefits teams by ensuring no message is lost, and progress is easily monitored, unlike a basic Slack–Gmail connection, where emails may get buried or ignored. 

For instance, a customer support team could have incoming support emails automatically create Knack tickets, assign agents, track resolution status, and trigger notifications for overdue cases, ensuring timely responses and consistent service quality.

Slack as the Action Layer, Knack as the System of Record

In workflow automation, triggers are events—like receiving an email or a Slack message—that automatically initiate actions within a workflow, such as sending notifications or creating tasks. Meanwhile, Knack stores the underlying data, rules, and workflow state, ensuring that every triggered action is tracked and structured, which prevents tasks from being lost or duplicated. 

For example, a sales team could have an incoming Gmail lead trigger a Slack notification, automatically create a Knack lead record, assign it to a salesperson, and track follow-up progress until the deal is closed.

Using Knack with Zapier, Make, and Automation Platforms

While Knack acts as a structured backend to centralize data, it’s often paired with an automation platform, like Zapier or Make, to connect effectively with Slack and Gmail. 

Once properly integrated, teams can use Knack to enable:

• Conditional routing: Automatically direct messages, emails, or tasks to the right team member or department based on predefined criteria.
• Approval workflows: Streamline decision-making by requiring specific actions or sign-offs before tasks or requests proceed.
• Multi-step processes: Automate complex sequences of actions, ensuring each step in a workflow is executed consistently.
• Status-based notifications: Send alerts or reminders based on changes in task or ticket status to keep teams informed and accountable.

Third-Party Tools for Advanced Slack–Gmail Integrations

Help desk, two-way sync, and ticketing platforms are often used to enhance a Slack–Gmail integration by centralizing communication, enabling real-time updates, and tracking requests across teams. Knack complements these third-party tools by providing structured data storage and workflow automation, extending functionality beyond what these platforms can offer on their own.

Hiver: Gmail-Based Shared Inbox with Slack Integration

Hiver is a Gmail-based collaboration platform that transforms email accounts into shared inboxes for teams, allowing multiple users to manage emails without forwarding or duplication. Its shared inbox features, including assignment and internal notes, help organizations improve collaboration by keeping team interactions organized and visible. 

Knack is frequently used alongside Hiver to store extended workflow data, track progress, and manage structured records beyond what email threads can capture by themselves.

ClearFeed and Two-Way Sync Between Slack and Gmail

Two-way sync tools are often needed for a Slack–Gmail integration to ensure that updates in one platform—like a Slack message or a Gmail response—are automatically reflected in the other. Popular tools in this space include Automate.io, which offers easy-to-use, no-code workflow automation ideal for small to mid-sized teams, and Workato, which provides enterprise-grade integrations and complex logic for larger organizations with sophisticated needs. 

By structuring the data and enforcing rules, Knack adds governance and custom workflows to these tools, enabling visibility into processes that would otherwise remain siloed.

Ticketing and Helpdesk Platforms for Slack–Gmail Workflows

When using a third-party ticketing system in a Slack–Gmail connection, incoming emails can automatically be converted into tickets, assigned to team members, and tracked through predefined workflows. Without this system, teams may struggle with lost emails and inconsistent follow-ups, leading to delays and frustrated customers. 

Knack can replace or extend rigid ticketing systems by applying custom logic, automating approvals, and creating flexible workflows tailored to a team’s specific processes.

Shared Inbox Solutions for Slack and Gmail Teams

Shared inboxes act as email accounts or folders accessed and managed collectively by a team, allowing multiple users to respond to and organize messages in a centralized space. 

In a Slack–Gmail integration, shared inboxes ensure that important emails trigger notifications or actions in Slack, keeping teams aligned and reducing the risk of missed communications. For instance, a marketing team could use a shared inbox to manage incoming campaign inquiries, forwarding relevant messages to Slack channels for discussion while assigning follow-ups to team members. 

Knack enhances this setup by adding accountability through ownership assignment, tracking SLAs to ensure timely responses, and providing dashboards that give teams a real-time view of workflow status and performance metrics.

How to Automate Gmail and Slack Collaboration

Once you’ve identified the tools to connect and your preferred integration method, the next step is to start building workflows that span across platforms. When employing a no-code approach, team members of any technical skill level can set up these automations, ensuring seamless execution across systems with minimal manual effort.

Using Slack Workflow Builder for Gmail Automation

Slack Workflow Builder allows teams to create basic automations such as sending messages, collecting form responses, and routing simple requests within Slack channels or DMs. Small teams or departments looking to streamline repetitive tasks and improve internal communication may find this approach useful, as it requires no coding and can be set up quickly. 

However, these workflows have limitations—they lack advanced conditional logic and cross-platform integration—so many teams eventually outgrow them. Signs that it may be time to move on include frequent missed tasks, lack of visibility into process status, and increasing manual follow-ups.

Automation Platforms for Slack–Gmail Integration (Zapier, Make, Workato)

Dedicated automation platforms like Zapier and Make provide far more functionality and control than Slack Workflow Builder by connecting multiple apps and enabling complex, multi-step workflows. 

For example, when integrated with Knack, events in Slack or Gmail can trigger Knack workflows, automatically creating or updating records and enforcing structured processes. Knack also adds advanced conditional logic, SLA tracking, and cross-platform integration—capabilities that aren’t available natively in Slack—giving teams greater visibility and efficiency across their operations.

Using Knack Flows to Manage Slack–Gmail Business Logic

Knack Flows are automated workflows that let teams define and execute processes based on data captured in Knack, connecting triggers, actions, and conditions seamlessly. They manage approvals, escalations, and notifications, ensuring tasks move through the correct channels and deadlines are met without manual intervention. 

This approach enables teams to improve consistency and accountability, reducing errors and improving visibility across complex workflows.

Use Cases for Slack, Gmail, and Knack Workflows

Introducing Knack into a Slack–Gmail connection gives teams greater functionality and flexibility, allowing them to tailor the integration to their specific use case and workflow needs. From customer support to project management and other internal processes, this combination improves visibility and reduces confusion across teams of all sizes and departments.

Customer Support & Helpdesks

Imagine a customer support team using Knack to turn incoming support emails into Slack alerts, which then automatically create Knack tickets with assigned owners, priority levels, and SLA tracking. This ensures that every request is captured, monitored, and resolved on time, enhancing accountability and efficiency across the team. 

Without Knack, emails can get lost in inboxes or Slack threads, and SLA compliance would be difficult to track, leading to slower response times and frustrated customers.

Project Management & Task Assignments

In a project management scenario, Knack can be leveraged to turn emails into tasks with assigned owners, due dates, and status dashboards, creating a clear and trackable workflow. For instance, a marketing team could have campaign requests sent via Gmail automatically converted into Knack tasks, assigned to specific team members, and tracked on a dashboard for progress and deadlines. 

With this approach, teams can improve visibility and efficiency, ensuring that no task is overlooked and that projects move forward smoothly.

Internal Requests & Approvals

Consider a scenario where finance, HR, and operations requests—such as invoice approvals, leave requests, or equipment orders—are submitted via Gmail and automatically captured in Knack. Each request becomes a structured record with assigned owners, status tracking, and due dates, allowing teams to monitor progress and collaborate more efficiently across departments. 

Here, teams can easily centralize data and improve accountability by ensuring all requests are tracked and completed in a timely manner.

Best Practices for Managing Gmail in Slack with Knack

To position your Slack–Gmail integration through Knack for success, it’s vital to follow a proven set of best practices to guide your setup and workflow design. Adhering to the tips outlined below helps ensure your data remains unified, consistent, and up to date, keeping your workflows seamless and reliable over time.

Use Knack as the Source of Truth

Having a single source of truth in a Slack–Gmail connection is crucial to prevent miscommunication, duplicated work, and lost information across teams. Knack typically serves as this central repository, managing data and task ownership, while Slack remains the hub for real-time communication and collaboration. 

Without a unified system, teams risk missing deadlines and confusion from relying on multiple scattered sources of information.

Standardize Intake and Routing

Establishing uniform processes for intake and routing helps ensure that every incoming email is handled consistently and reaches the right person or team. This makes it vital that each important email generates a structured record in Knack—not just a Slack message—so no requests are overlooked or mismanaged. 

For example, a customer support team could automatically route all incoming support emails into Knack tickets, assign them to agents based on predefined rules, and use templates or workflow triggers to standardize the process for every request.

Monitor Performance with Dashboards

Even after the initial implementation of a Slack–Gmail integration, the work is far from over, as workflows, team needs, and communication volumes evolve over time, making ongoing monitoring essential to maintain efficiency.

Teams can use Knack to track response times, backlog, and ownership, giving them clear visibility into how well requests are being handled and where bottlenecks may occur. If issues are noticed—such as delayed responses or unassigned tasks—teams should update workflows, reassign ownership, or refine SLA thresholds to keep processes running smoothly.

Scale Without More Tools

Knack’s centralized platform replaces scattered spreadsheets and point solutions by consolidating data, workflows, and records into a single, organized system. 

This unification makes it easier for teams to scale operations as their processes grow and become more complex, without losing visibility or control. Additionally, Knack offers various packages that allow teams to expand functionality seamlessly within the platform, ensuring it can evolve alongside the organization’s needs.

Conclusion: Turning Slack and Gmail into Scalable Systems

Slack and Gmail handle communication by facilitating real-time messages and email exchanges, but these workflows become far more efficient when connected, allowing information to flow seamlessly between platforms. Knack turns this communication into structured operational workflows, enabling teams to assign ownership and track progress, significantly improving both accountability and efficiency across an organization.

Ready to move beyond basic notifications and start building scalable systems that grow with your business requirements? 

Sign up for your free, no-risk trial of Knack today!

FAQs: Connecting Slack to Gmail

How do I automatically turn Gmail emails into Slack notifications?

You can use native Slack–Gmail add-ons or an automation platform like Zapier or Make to send alerts to Slack whenever a new email arrives, keeping your team updated in real time.

How can I turn Gmail emails into tracked records instead of one-off Slack messages?

By integrating Gmail and Slack with Knack, emails can be captured as structured records—like tickets, tasks, or requests—so nothing gets lost and every message is tracked and actionable.

Can Slack replies update the status of Gmail-related tasks?

Yes. When using Knack or another automation platform, Slack replies can trigger updates to the corresponding record in Knack, keeping task status current without switching apps.

How do I route Gmail emails to different Slack channels automatically?

You can set up rules in automation platforms or native Slack workflows to forward emails to specific channels based on sender, subject, or keywords, ensuring messages reach the right team every time. With Knack, you can also apply conditional logic and track ownership and status for full workflow visibility.