How to Create Basecamp Tasks from Slack Messages with n8n

Workflows > + Create Workflow

Create new n8n workflow

Open n8n and create a blank workflow. You'll build a manual trigger that processes Slack slash commands. The workflow will parse message content, extract task details, and create the Basecamp task with proper assignment.

1. 1Click '+ Create Workflow' from the main dashboard
2. 2Select 'Start from scratch' option
3. 3Name your workflow 'Slack to Basecamp Tasks'

Node > Webhook

Add Slack slash command webhook

Replace the manual trigger with a Webhook node to receive Slack slash commands. Configure it to accept POST requests and extract the command text, user info, and channel details that Slack sends when someone uses your custom slash command.

1. 1Delete the manual trigger node
2. 2Click the '+' button and search for 'Webhook'
3. 3Set HTTP Method to 'POST'
4. 4Set Path to 'slack-task'

Node > Code

Parse slash command text

Add a Code node to extract task title, assignee, and due date from the Slack command text. Users will type commands like '/task Update website @john due:tomorrow' and your code needs to parse each component reliably.

1. 1Add a Code node after the Webhook
2. 2Set the language to JavaScript
3. 3Name it 'Parse Task Details'

Node > Basecamp

Connect to Basecamp

Add a Basecamp node and configure authentication. You'll need a Basecamp account with API access and the specific project ID where tasks should be created. The node will handle the API authentication and task creation.

1. 1Add a Basecamp node after the Code node
2. 2Click 'Create New Credential' for Basecamp
3. 3Enter your Basecamp account URL and API token
4. 4Select 'Create Task' as the operation

Basecamp Node > Parameters

Map task fields

Configure the Basecamp node to use the parsed data from your Code node. Map the task title, assignee, due date, and notes field. Set up the project ID and todo list dynamically if you want to support multiple projects.

1. 1Set Content field to {{ $node['Parse Task Details'].json.title }}
2. 2Set Due Date to {{ $node['Parse Task Details'].json.dueDate }}
3. 3Set Assignee to {{ $node['Parse Task Details'].json.assigneeId }}
4. 4Set Notes to include original Slack message context

Node > Respond to Webhook

Add Slack response

Add a Respond to Webhook node to send confirmation back to Slack. This prevents the 'command failed' error message and lets users know the task was created successfully with a link to view it in Basecamp.

1. 1Add 'Respond to Webhook' node after Basecamp
2. 2Set Response Code to 200
3. 3Set Response Body to JSON format
4. 4Include task confirmation message

Node Settings > On Error

Handle parsing errors

Add error handling for malformed slash commands. Connect an OnError route from the Code node to send helpful usage instructions back to Slack when users don't follow the expected command format.

1. 1Click on the Parse Task Details Code node
2. 2Go to Settings tab
3. 3Set 'On Error' to 'Continue With Default Value'
4. 4Add another Respond to Webhook node for error cases

Slack Admin > Slash Commands

Create Slack slash command

Go to your Slack workspace settings and create a custom slash command that points to your n8n webhook. Configure the command name, description, and usage hint that users will see when typing the command.

1. 1Go to api.slack.com and create a new app
2. 2Navigate to Slash Commands and click Create New Command
3. 3Set command to '/task' and paste your webhook URL
4. 4Set description to 'Create Basecamp task from message'

Slack Channel > /task command

Test the complete workflow

Run a test command in Slack to verify the entire flow works. Try different command formats including edge cases like missing assignees or invalid due dates to make sure your error handling works properly.

1. 1Go to any Slack channel and type '/task Test task @username due:tomorrow'
2. 2Check n8n execution log for the webhook trigger
3. 3Verify the task appears in Basecamp with correct details
4. 4Test error case with malformed command

This Code node handles parsing the slash command text and converting Slack usernames to Basecamp user IDs. Paste it in the 'Parse Task Details' Code node to extract all task components reliably.

const commandText = $input.first().body.text || '';
const channelId = $input.first().body.channel_id;
const userId = $input.first().body.user_id;

const commandText = $input.first().body.text || '';
const channelId = $input.first().body.channel_id;
const userId = $input.first().body.user_id;

// User mapping - update with your actual IDs
const slackToBasecamp = {
  'sarah': 12345,
  'john': 12346,
  'mike': 12347
};

// Channel to project mapping
const channelProjects = {
  'C1234567': { projectId: 98765, todolistId: 11111 }, // client-acme
  'C7654321': { projectId: 98766, todolistId: 11112 }  // client-beta
};

// Parse task components
const titleMatch = commandText.match(/^([^@]+?)(?:\s+@|\s+due:|$)/);
const assigneeMatch = commandText.match(/@(\w+)/);
const dueDateMatch = commandText.match(/due:(\w+)/);

if (!titleMatch) {
  throw new Error('Task title is required');
}

const title = titleMatch[1].trim();
const assigneeSlackName = assigneeMatch ? assigneeMatch[1] : null;
const dueDateText = dueDateMatch ? dueDateMatch[1] : null;

// Convert due date
let dueDate = null;
if (dueDateText) {
  const today = new Date();
  switch(dueDateText.toLowerCase()) {
    case 'today':
      dueDate = today.toISOString().split('T')[0];
      break;
    case 'tomorrow':
      today.setDate(today.getDate() + 1);
      dueDate = today.toISOString().split('T')[0];
      break;
    case 'friday':
      const friday = new Date();
      friday.setDate(friday.getDate() + (5 - friday.getDay()));
      dueDate = friday.toISOString().split('T')[0];
      break;
  }
}

// Get project info
const projectInfo = channelProjects[channelId] || channelProjects['C1234567']; // default

return {
  title: title,
  assigneeId: assigneeSlackName ? slackToBasecamp[assigneeSlackName] : null,
  dueDate: dueDate,
  projectId: projectInfo.projectId,
  todolistId: projectInfo.todolistId,
  originalCommand: commandText,
  slackUser: userId
};