How to Send Basecamp Updates to Slack with Make

Dashboard > Create a New Scenario

Create new scenario in Make

Log into Make and click Create a New Scenario. You'll see the scenario builder with an empty canvas. Click the large plus icon in the center to add your first module. This opens the app selection dialog where you'll choose your trigger.

1. 1Click 'Create a New Scenario' from your dashboard
2. 2Click the large plus icon in the scenario canvas
3. 3Search for 'Basecamp' in the app list
4. 4Select 'Basecamp 3' from the results

Basecamp 3 > Watch Events

Configure Basecamp webhook trigger

Select 'Watch Events' as your trigger module. This creates a webhook that Basecamp will ping whenever project events occur. Make generates a unique webhook URL that you'll need to copy for the next step. The webhook supports multiple event types from the same Basecamp account.

1. 1Choose 'Watch Events' from the Basecamp module options
2. 2Click 'Add' next to the Connection field
3. 3Enter your Basecamp account credentials to authenticate
4. 4Copy the webhook URL that Make generates

Basecamp Project > Campfire > Configure Integrations

Set up Basecamp webhook in your account

Open your Basecamp account and navigate to the project you want to monitor. Go to the Campfire chat area and click on 'Configure integrations'. Add a new webhook integration using the URL from Make. Choose which events to send: recordings (updates), todos (tasks), and schedule items (milestones).

1. 1Open the Basecamp project you want to monitor
2. 2Click 'Campfire' in the project navigation
3. 3Click 'Configure integrations' at the top
4. 4Select 'Webhook' and paste your Make URL
5. 5Check boxes for recordings, todos, and schedule events

Make Scenario > Run Once

Test the Basecamp connection

Return to Make and click 'Run Once' to activate the webhook listener. Go back to your Basecamp project and create a test update or complete a task. Make should receive the webhook within 10 seconds and display the event data structure.

1. 1Click 'Run Once' in the Make scenario
2. 2Switch to your Basecamp project tab
3. 3Post a message update or complete a task
4. 4Return to Make and wait for the webhook to fire
5. 5Click on the Basecamp module to see received data

Basecamp Module > + > Slack > Send a Message

Add Slack module

Click the plus icon after your Basecamp module to add Slack. Choose 'Send a Message' as the action type. This sends a formatted message to any Slack channel you specify. The module needs authentication to your Slack workspace and channel selection.

1. 1Click the plus icon after the Basecamp module
2. 2Search for and select 'Slack'
3. 3Choose 'Send a Message' from the actions list
4. 4Click 'Add' next to Connection and authenticate with Slack

Slack Module > Channel > Message Text

Configure Slack channel and message

Select your target Slack channel from the dropdown. For the message text, you'll map data from the Basecamp webhook. Use the mapping panel to insert dynamic content like project name, update title, author, and content. Include the Basecamp URL so team members can click through for details.

1. 1Select your target channel from the Channel dropdown
2. 2Click in the Text field to open the mapping panel
3. 3Map 'Project Name' from Basecamp data
4. 4Add static text like 'New update in'
5. 5Map 'Title' and 'Content' fields from the webhook data

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

Module Connection > Filter Settings

Add conditional filtering

Click the wrench icon between modules to add a filter. This prevents spam by only sending certain types of updates to Slack. Set conditions like 'event type equals recording' for project updates, or 'todo completed equals true' for finished tasks. Multiple conditions can be combined with AND/OR logic.

1. 1Click the wrench icon on the line between modules
2. 2Select 'Set up a filter'
3. 3Choose 'kind' field from Basecamp data
4. 4Set condition to 'Text operators > Equal to'
5. 5Enter 'recording' to only catch project updates

Basecamp > + > Text Formatter > Replace

Format message with rich content

Enhance your Slack message with better formatting using the Text Formatter module. Add this between Basecamp and Slack to clean HTML from Basecamp content, truncate long updates, and format dates properly. This makes notifications more readable in Slack.

1. 1Add Text Formatter module between Basecamp and Slack
2. 2Choose 'Replace' operation
3. 3Map Basecamp content field as input text
4. 4Set 'Search for' to HTML tags like '<p>|</p>'
5. 5Leave 'Replace with' empty to strip HTML

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

Scenario > Run Once

Test the complete workflow

Run the scenario end-to-end by creating different types of updates in Basecamp. Try posting a message update, completing a task, and adding a milestone. Check that each triggers the workflow correctly and sends properly formatted messages to your Slack channel.

1. 1Click 'Run Once' to start the scenario
2. 2Create a message update in Basecamp
3. 3Complete a task in the same project
4. 4Check your Slack channel for both notifications
5. 5Verify the formatting and content accuracy

Scenario Settings > ON/OFF Toggle

Activate and monitor

Turn on the scenario by clicking the ON toggle. Set up error notifications so you know if the webhook fails or Slack messages bounce. Monitor the execution history for the first few days to catch any edge cases with different types of Basecamp content.

1. 1Click the ON/OFF toggle to activate the scenario
2. 2Go to Scenario Settings > Error Handling
3. 3Enable email notifications for errors
4. 4Set the scenario to run continuously
5. 5Monitor the History tab for successful executions

This formula creates smart notification formatting based on the type of Basecamp event, showing different emojis and text for updates vs completed tasks.

if(
  contains({{basecamp.kind}}; "recording");
  "📝 New update in " + {{basecamp.bucket.name}};

if(
  contains({{basecamp.kind}}; "recording");
  "📝 New update in " + {{basecamp.bucket.name}};
  if(
    contains({{basecamp.kind}}; "todo") and {{basecamp.completed}};
    "✅ Task completed in " + {{basecamp.bucket.name}};
    if(
      contains({{basecamp.kind}}; "schedule_entry");
      "📅 Milestone update in " + {{basecamp.bucket.name}};
      "🔔 Activity in " + {{basecamp.bucket.name}}
    )
  )
) + ": " + {{basecamp.title}}