How to Send Status Change Alerts to Slack with Make

Airtable Base > Help > API Documentation

Enable Airtable webhooks

In your Airtable base, go to the API documentation page and scroll to the webhooks section. Copy your base ID from the URL - it starts with 'app'. You'll need Creator or Owner permissions to set up webhooks. Airtable webhooks fire within 1-2 seconds of record changes.

1. 1Click Help in your Airtable base header
2. 2Select 'API Documentation' from the dropdown
3. 3Copy the Base ID from the intro section
4. 4Note your table name (case sensitive)

Make Dashboard > Scenarios > Create Scenario

Create new Make scenario

Log into Make and create a new scenario. The free tier gives you 1,000 operations per month which covers about 500 status changes (each change uses 2 operations - webhook receive + Slack send). Choose Airtable as your first module and select 'Watch Records' as the trigger.

1. 1Click the + Create a new scenario button
2. 2Search for 'Airtable' in the apps list
3. 3Select 'Watch Records (instant)' trigger
4. 4Click 'Create a webhook' in the webhook field

External API Tool > POST Request

Configure Airtable webhook

Copy the webhook URL from Make and return to Airtable. Register the webhook using Airtable's API or a tool like Postman. The webhook needs to listen for field changes on your status column specifically. Set the specification to only fire when your status field changes to reduce unnecessary triggers.

1. 1Copy the webhook URL from your Make module
2. 2Use curl or Postman to POST to https://api.airtable.com/v0/bases/YOUR_BASE_ID/webhooks
3. 3Include your API key in Authorization header
4. 4Set notificationUrl to your Make webhook URL
5. 5Add specification filters for your status field only

Airtable Base > Your Table > Status Field

Test webhook connection

Go back to your Airtable base and change a record's status field. Within 30 seconds, you should see data appear in Make's webhook module. If nothing appears, check your webhook registration and ensure the API key has the correct base permissions.

1. 1Open any record in your Airtable base
2. 2Change the status field to a different value
3. 3Return to Make and check the webhook module
4. 4Click 'Run once' if the scenario isn't running

Make Scenario > Add Module > Router

Add conditional logic

Add a router after the Airtable module to handle different status changes. Create filters for each status you want to trigger alerts - like 'Status equals Review' or 'Status equals Approved'. This prevents alerts for every minor field change and focuses on meaningful status transitions.

1. 1Click the + icon after your Airtable module
2. 2Search for 'Router' and select it
3. 3Add a route and set up a filter condition
4. 4Choose 'Status' field and set condition to 'Equal to'
5. 5Enter the status value that should trigger alerts

Make Router Route > Add Module > Slack

Connect Slack workspace

Add a Slack module after your router route. Choose 'Create a Direct Message' action since you want to notify specific team members. You'll need to authorize Make to access your Slack workspace with the necessary permissions to send DMs and read user information.

1. 1Click + after your router route
2. 2Search for 'Slack' and select it
3. 3Choose 'Create a Direct Message' action
4. 4Click 'Add' to connect your Slack account
5. 5Authorize the requested permissions

Slack Module > Configuration > To Field

Map recipient field

In the Slack module, you need to specify who receives the DM. If your Airtable has an 'Assigned To' field with Slack usernames or emails, map that field to the 'To' parameter. For email addresses, Make will automatically look up the corresponding Slack user ID.

1. 1Click in the 'To' field of the Slack module
2. 2Select your assigned user field from Airtable data
3. 3Choose 'User by name' if using Slack display names
4. 4Choose 'User by email' if your Airtable stores email addresses

Slack Module > Message Field

Compose message content

Create a message template that includes relevant context. Reference the record name, old status, new status, and a link back to Airtable. Use Make's text functions to create a professional notification that gives the recipient everything they need to take action.

1. 1Click in the 'Text' field of the Slack module
2. 2Type your message template with placeholders
3. 3Map Airtable fields like record name and status
4. 4Add the Airtable record URL for quick access
5. 5Include context about what changed

📬 New entry: {{1.name}}
Email: {{1.email}}
Details: {{1.description}}

Make Scenario > Run Once

Test complete workflow

Run the complete scenario by changing another record's status in Airtable. The assigned team member should receive a Slack DM within 10-15 seconds. Check that the message content looks correct and the Airtable link works. Test with different status values to ensure your routing works properly.

1. 1Click 'Run once' in Make
2. 2Switch to Airtable and change a record's status
3. 3Check the assigned person's Slack DMs
4. 4Verify the message content and Airtable link
5. 5Test with multiple status changes

Make Scenario > Scheduling Toggle

Enable automatic execution

Turn on the scenario to run automatically. Set it to run continuously rather than on a schedule since you're using webhooks for instant triggers. Monitor the first few executions to ensure everything works smoothly, then let it run in the background.

1. 1Click the scheduling toggle to 'ON'
2. 2Select 'Immediately as data arrives'
3. 3Click 'OK' to confirm the scheduling
4. 4Monitor the execution history for any errors

This formula creates dynamic messages based on priority level and includes time-sensitive formatting. Paste it into the Slack message text field to replace static text.

if(
  {{airtable.priority}} = "High";
  "🚨 URGENT: " + {{airtable.name}} + " status changed to " + {{airtable.status}} + "\n" +

if(
  {{airtable.priority}} = "High";
  "🚨 URGENT: " + {{airtable.name}} + " status changed to " + {{airtable.status}} + "\n" +
  "Priority: " + {{airtable.priority}} + "\n" +
  "Due: " + formatDate({{airtable.due_date}}; "MM/DD/YYYY") + "\n" +
  "View record: " + "https://airtable.com/" + {{airtable.base_id}} + "/" + {{airtable.record_id}};
  
  if(
    {{airtable.priority}} = "Medium";
    "📋 " + {{airtable.name}} + " moved to " + {{airtable.status}} + "\n" +
    "Priority: " + {{airtable.priority}} + "\n" +
    "View: " + "https://airtable.com/" + {{airtable.base_id}} + "/" + {{airtable.record_id}};
    
    "✅ Status update: " + {{airtable.name}} + " → " + {{airtable.status}} + "\n" +
    "View: " + "https://airtable.com/" + {{airtable.base_id}} + "/" + {{airtable.record_id}}
  )
)