How to Turn Slack Client Messages into Asana Tasks with n8n

api.slack.com/apps > Create New App > Event Subscriptions

Create a Slack App and Enable Event Subscriptions

Go to api.slack.com/apps and click 'Create New App', then choose 'From scratch'. Name it something recognizable like 'n8n Task Router'. You need to create this app — not just connect your existing Slack account — because n8n's Slack trigger relies on Slack's Events API, which requires a verified webhook URL. Once created, navigate to 'Event Subscriptions' in the left sidebar and toggle it ON.

1. 1Go to api.slack.com/apps and click 'Create New App'
2. 2Select 'From scratch', enter your app name, and pick your workspace
3. 3In the left sidebar click 'Event Subscriptions'
4. 4Toggle 'Enable Events' to ON — leave the Request URL blank for now

Paste this into the first Code node (Step 5). It parses the Slack webhook payload, extracts message context, scores priority by keyword weight, builds the Slack deep link, and calculates the due date — all before the Asana node runs. The $input.first().json path targets n8n's Webhook node output structure.

// n8n Code Node — Slack payload parser with priority scoring
// Place this as the first Code node after your Webhook node
const event = $input.first().json.body.event;

// n8n Code Node — Slack payload parser with priority scoring
// Place this as the first Code node after your Webhook node

const event = $input.first().json.body.event;

if (!event || !event.text) {
  throw new Error('No message text found in Slack event payload');
}

const messageText = event.text || '';
const channelId = event.channel || '';
const userId = event.user || '';
const ts = event.ts || '';

// Priority keyword scoring — higher score = higher priority
const highKeywords = ['urgent', 'critical', 'asap', 'down', 'outage', 'emergency'];
const normalKeywords = ['issue', 'broken', 'error', 'problem', 'bug', 'failing', 'wrong', 'off'];
const lowKeywords = ['question', 'wondering', 'when', 'update', 'fyi', 'heads up'];

const lowerText = messageText.toLowerCase();

let priority = 'LOW';
let priorityScore = 0;

for (const word of highKeywords) {
  if (lowerText.includes(word)) {
    priorityScore += 3;
  }
}
for (const word of normalKeywords) {
  if (lowerText.includes(word)) {
    priorityScore += 1;
  }
}
for (const word of lowKeywords) {
  if (lowerText.includes(word)) {
    priorityScore -= 1;
  }
}

if (priorityScore >= 3) {
  priority = 'HIGH';
} else if (priorityScore >= 1) {
  priority = 'NORMAL';
}

// Build Slack deep link from channel ID and message timestamp
// Slack deep link format: /archives/CHANNEL/pTIMESTAMP (ts dots removed)
const tsFormatted = ts.replace('.', '');
const workspaceSlug = 'your-workspace'; // Replace with your actual workspace slug
const slackLink = `https://${workspaceSlug}.slack.com/archives/${channelId}/p${tsFormatted}`;

// Calculate due date based on priority
const now = new Date();
const daysToAdd = priority === 'HIGH' ? 1 : priority === 'NORMAL' ? 3 : 7;
const dueDate = new Date(now);
dueDate.setDate(now.getDate() + daysToAdd);

// Skip weekends for due date calculation
while (dueDate.getDay() === 0 || dueDate.getDay() === 6) {
  dueDate.setDate(dueDate.getDate() + 1);
}

const dueDateFormatted = dueDate.toISOString().split('T')[0]; // YYYY-MM-DD for Asana

// Truncate message for task name (Asana has 255 char limit on task names)
const truncatedText = messageText.length > 80
  ? messageText.substring(0, 77) + '...'
  : messageText;

return [
  {
    json: {
      messageText,
      truncatedText,
      channelId,
      userId,
      timestamp: ts,
      priority,
      priorityScore,
      slackLink,
      dueDate: dueDateFormatted,
      taskName: `[${priority}] ${truncatedText}`,
    }
  }
];

n8n > + New Workflow > + Add Node > Webhook

Build the n8n Workflow and Copy the Webhook URL

Open your n8n instance, click '+ New Workflow', and add your first node. Search for 'Webhook' (not the Slack node) and select it. Set the HTTP method to POST and note the generated webhook URL shown in the node panel — it looks like https://your-n8n-instance.com/webhook/abc123. This URL is what you'll paste into Slack's Event Subscriptions page. Click 'Listen for Test Event' to activate the URL temporarily for verification.

1. 1Click '+ New Workflow' in the top left of n8n
2. 2Click the '+' node button and search for 'Webhook'
3. 3Set HTTP Method to 'POST'
4. 4Copy the 'Test URL' shown — you'll need this in the next step
5. 5Click 'Listen for Test Event' so n8n accepts the Slack verification ping

api.slack.com/apps > Your App > Event Subscriptions > Subscribe to Bot Events

Register the Webhook in Slack and Subscribe to Message Events

Go back to your Slack app's Event Subscriptions page and paste the n8n test webhook URL into the Request URL field. Slack sends a challenge POST request immediately — n8n's Webhook node handles this automatically by responding with the challenge token. Once Slack shows a green 'Verified' checkmark, scroll down to 'Subscribe to Bot Events' and add the event type you need.

1. 1Paste the n8n webhook test URL into the 'Request URL' field
2. 2Wait for the green 'Verified' checkmark to appear
3. 3Scroll to 'Subscribe to Bot Events' and click 'Add Bot User Event'
4. 4Search for and select 'message.channels' to capture public channel messages
5. 5Click 'Save Changes' at the bottom of the page

api.slack.com/apps > Your App > OAuth & Permissions > Bot Token Scopes

Grant Bot Permissions and Install the App to Your Workspace

In the Slack app dashboard, go to 'OAuth & Permissions' in the left sidebar. Scroll to 'Bot Token Scopes' and add the required scopes. Then scroll to the top and click 'Install to Workspace' — Slack will ask you to authorize the permissions. After authorization, copy the 'Bot User OAuth Token' (starts with xoxb-) from this page. You'll also need to manually invite this bot to each client Slack channel it should monitor.

1. 1Click 'OAuth & Permissions' in the left sidebar
2. 2Under 'Bot Token Scopes' click 'Add an OAuth Scope'
3. 3Add: channels:history, channels:read, users:read
4. 4Scroll up and click 'Install to Workspace', then click 'Allow'
5. 5Copy the 'Bot User OAuth Token' starting with xoxb-

n8n Workflow Canvas > + Add Node > Code

Add a Code Node to Parse Priority and Extract Context

Add a 'Code' node after the Webhook node in n8n. This node reads the Slack event payload, extracts the message text, channel ID, user ID, and timestamp, then parses a priority level based on keywords in the message. This is where n8n earns its value — you'd need a separate Zapier step and a Formatter step to approximate this logic, whereas here it's one block. Paste the code from the pro tip section into this node.

1. 1Click '+' after the Webhook node and search for 'Code'
2. 2Select 'Run Once for All Items' mode
3. 3Paste the priority-parsing code into the JavaScript editor
4. 4Click 'Test Step' to run it against the sample Slack payload

Paste this into the first Code node (Step 5). It parses the Slack webhook payload, extracts message context, scores priority by keyword weight, builds the Slack deep link, and calculates the due date — all before the Asana node runs. The $input.first().json path targets n8n's Webhook node output structure.

// n8n Code Node — Slack payload parser with priority scoring
// Place this as the first Code node after your Webhook node
const event = $input.first().json.body.event;

// n8n Code Node — Slack payload parser with priority scoring
// Place this as the first Code node after your Webhook node

const event = $input.first().json.body.event;

if (!event || !event.text) {
  throw new Error('No message text found in Slack event payload');
}

const messageText = event.text || '';
const channelId = event.channel || '';
const userId = event.user || '';
const ts = event.ts || '';

// Priority keyword scoring — higher score = higher priority
const highKeywords = ['urgent', 'critical', 'asap', 'down', 'outage', 'emergency'];
const normalKeywords = ['issue', 'broken', 'error', 'problem', 'bug', 'failing', 'wrong', 'off'];
const lowKeywords = ['question', 'wondering', 'when', 'update', 'fyi', 'heads up'];

const lowerText = messageText.toLowerCase();

let priority = 'LOW';
let priorityScore = 0;

for (const word of highKeywords) {
  if (lowerText.includes(word)) {
    priorityScore += 3;
  }
}
for (const word of normalKeywords) {
  if (lowerText.includes(word)) {
    priorityScore += 1;
  }
}
for (const word of lowKeywords) {
  if (lowerText.includes(word)) {
    priorityScore -= 1;
  }
}

if (priorityScore >= 3) {
  priority = 'HIGH';
} else if (priorityScore >= 1) {
  priority = 'NORMAL';
}

// Build Slack deep link from channel ID and message timestamp
// Slack deep link format: /archives/CHANNEL/pTIMESTAMP (ts dots removed)
const tsFormatted = ts.replace('.', '');
const workspaceSlug = 'your-workspace'; // Replace with your actual workspace slug
const slackLink = `https://${workspaceSlug}.slack.com/archives/${channelId}/p${tsFormatted}`;

// Calculate due date based on priority
const now = new Date();
const daysToAdd = priority === 'HIGH' ? 1 : priority === 'NORMAL' ? 3 : 7;
const dueDate = new Date(now);
dueDate.setDate(now.getDate() + daysToAdd);

// Skip weekends for due date calculation
while (dueDate.getDay() === 0 || dueDate.getDay() === 6) {
  dueDate.setDate(dueDate.getDate() + 1);
}

const dueDateFormatted = dueDate.toISOString().split('T')[0]; // YYYY-MM-DD for Asana

// Truncate message for task name (Asana has 255 char limit on task names)
const truncatedText = messageText.length > 80
  ? messageText.substring(0, 77) + '...'
  : messageText;

return [
  {
    json: {
      messageText,
      truncatedText,
      channelId,
      userId,
      timestamp: ts,
      priority,
      priorityScore,
      slackLink,
      dueDate: dueDateFormatted,
      taskName: `[${priority}] ${truncatedText}`,
    }
  }
];

n8n Workflow Canvas > + Add Node > HTTP Request

Resolve Slack User ID to a Real Name

Slack's event payload gives you a user ID like U04KFGH21 — not a name. Add an HTTP Request node to call the Slack API's users.info endpoint and get the user's real name. This matters because the Asana task description should say 'Reported by: Sarah Chen' not 'Reported by: U04KFGH21'. Use the Bot Token you copied in Step 4 as the Bearer token for this request.

1. 1Add an 'HTTP Request' node after the Code node
2. 2Set Method to GET
3. 3Set URL to: https://slack.com/api/users.info
4. 4Add Query Parameter: user = {{ $json.userId }}
5. 5Under Authentication, select 'Header Auth', set Header Name to 'Authorization', and value to 'Bearer xoxb-your-token-here'

Paste this into the first Code node (Step 5). It parses the Slack webhook payload, extracts message context, scores priority by keyword weight, builds the Slack deep link, and calculates the due date — all before the Asana node runs. The $input.first().json path targets n8n's Webhook node output structure.

// n8n Code Node — Slack payload parser with priority scoring
// Place this as the first Code node after your Webhook node
const event = $input.first().json.body.event;

// n8n Code Node — Slack payload parser with priority scoring
// Place this as the first Code node after your Webhook node

const event = $input.first().json.body.event;

if (!event || !event.text) {
  throw new Error('No message text found in Slack event payload');
}

const messageText = event.text || '';
const channelId = event.channel || '';
const userId = event.user || '';
const ts = event.ts || '';

// Priority keyword scoring — higher score = higher priority
const highKeywords = ['urgent', 'critical', 'asap', 'down', 'outage', 'emergency'];
const normalKeywords = ['issue', 'broken', 'error', 'problem', 'bug', 'failing', 'wrong', 'off'];
const lowKeywords = ['question', 'wondering', 'when', 'update', 'fyi', 'heads up'];

const lowerText = messageText.toLowerCase();

let priority = 'LOW';
let priorityScore = 0;

for (const word of highKeywords) {
  if (lowerText.includes(word)) {
    priorityScore += 3;
  }
}
for (const word of normalKeywords) {
  if (lowerText.includes(word)) {
    priorityScore += 1;
  }
}
for (const word of lowKeywords) {
  if (lowerText.includes(word)) {
    priorityScore -= 1;
  }
}

if (priorityScore >= 3) {
  priority = 'HIGH';
} else if (priorityScore >= 1) {
  priority = 'NORMAL';
}

// Build Slack deep link from channel ID and message timestamp
// Slack deep link format: /archives/CHANNEL/pTIMESTAMP (ts dots removed)
const tsFormatted = ts.replace('.', '');
const workspaceSlug = 'your-workspace'; // Replace with your actual workspace slug
const slackLink = `https://${workspaceSlug}.slack.com/archives/${channelId}/p${tsFormatted}`;

// Calculate due date based on priority
const now = new Date();
const daysToAdd = priority === 'HIGH' ? 1 : priority === 'NORMAL' ? 3 : 7;
const dueDate = new Date(now);
dueDate.setDate(now.getDate() + daysToAdd);

// Skip weekends for due date calculation
while (dueDate.getDay() === 0 || dueDate.getDay() === 6) {
  dueDate.setDate(dueDate.getDate() + 1);
}

const dueDateFormatted = dueDate.toISOString().split('T')[0]; // YYYY-MM-DD for Asana

// Truncate message for task name (Asana has 255 char limit on task names)
const truncatedText = messageText.length > 80
  ? messageText.substring(0, 77) + '...'
  : messageText;

return [
  {
    json: {
      messageText,
      truncatedText,
      channelId,
      userId,
      timestamp: ts,
      priority,
      priorityScore,
      slackLink,
      dueDate: dueDateFormatted,
      taskName: `[${priority}] ${truncatedText}`,
    }
  }
];

n8n Workflow Canvas > + Add Node > Code

Map Slack Channels to Asana Projects

Add another Code node to translate the Slack channel ID into an Asana project GID. You'll maintain a lookup object inside this node — a simple key-value map of channel IDs to Asana project GIDs. This is the most brittle part of the workflow, but it's the right approach: trying to auto-match by name causes errors when names drift. Get your Asana project GIDs from the URL when you open a project — it's the number after /0/ in the URL bar.

1. 1Add a second 'Code' node after the HTTP Request node
2. 2Open each Asana client project in your browser and copy the GID from the URL (e.g., asana.com/0/1234567890/list — GID is 1234567890)
3. 3In the Code node, build a lookup object mapping Slack channel IDs to Asana GIDs
4. 4Return the matched Asana project GID as 'asanaProjectId' in the output

n8n Workflow Canvas > + Add Node > Asana > Create Task

Connect n8n to Asana

Add an Asana node to your workflow. Click the credential field and select 'Create New Credential'. n8n supports Asana via OAuth2 — click 'Connect with Asana' and authorize access in the browser popup. The scope you need is to create tasks in specific projects. Once connected, set the Operation to 'Create Task' and the Resource to 'Task'.

1. 1Add an 'Asana' node after the channel-mapping Code node
2. 2Set Resource to 'Task' and Operation to 'Create'
3. 3Click the Credential dropdown and select 'Create New'
4. 4Click 'Connect with Asana OAuth2' and authorize in the popup
5. 5Confirm the green 'Connected' badge appears next to the credential name

n8n > Asana Node > Create Task > Field Configuration

Map Fields from Slack Data to the Asana Task

Now fill in the Asana task fields using the data flowing through your workflow. The task name should include the client channel name and a truncated version of the message. The description should include the full message, reporter name, Slack message link, and timestamp. Set the Project field using the asanaProjectId from your lookup node. Map the due date to 3 business days from now if priority is 'high', or 7 days for 'normal'.

1. 1Set 'Name' to: [{{ $json.priority.toUpperCase() }}] {{ $json.messageText.substring(0,60) }}
2. 2Set 'Projects' to: {{ $json.asanaProjectId }}
3. 3Set 'Notes' to a multi-line block with message, reporter, timestamp, and Slack link
4. 4Toggle 'Due On' and set using an expression based on priority level
5. 5Add a custom field for 'Source' and set it to 'Slack'

n8n Workflow Canvas > + Add Node > IF (insert between Webhook and Code nodes)

Add an IF Node to Filter Out Bot and Non-Issue Messages

Not every Slack message should become a task. Add an IF node between the Webhook node and the Code node to filter out bot messages, system notifications, and messages that don't contain issue-related keywords. Slack sends a subtype field on bot messages — check for its absence. Also check that the message text contains at least one trigger word from your defined list.

1. 1Click the connector line between Webhook and Code nodes, then click the '+' that appears
2. 2Add an 'IF' node
3. 3Add Condition 1: {{ $json.body.event.subtype }} is empty (filters out bot messages)
4. 4Add Condition 2: {{ $json.body.event.text }} contains any of: issue, broken, error, urgent, problem, bug, failing
5. 5Set 'Combine Conditions' to AND

n8n > Workflow Canvas > Activate Toggle | api.slack.com/apps > Event Subscriptions

Activate the Workflow and Switch to the Production Webhook URL

Click 'Save' in the top right, then click the toggle in the top right to activate the workflow. Once active, n8n switches from the test URL to the production URL. Go back to your Slack app's Event Subscriptions page and replace the test URL with the production URL — it looks the same but without '/test' in the path. Save the Slack settings. Send a test message in one of your monitored channels containing the word 'issue' and watch the Asana task appear.

1. 1Click 'Save' in n8n's top right toolbar
2. 2Click the inactive/active toggle to set the workflow to Active
3. 3Copy the Production URL from the Webhook node (open the node to find it)
4. 4Go back to api.slack.com/apps > Your App > Event Subscriptions
5. 5Replace the test URL with the production URL and click 'Save Changes'