How to Auto-Create Trello Cards from Slack Messages with Pipedream

Workflows > New > Workflow

Create new Pipedream workflow

Go to pipedream.com and click the green 'New' button in the top nav. Select 'Workflow' from the dropdown menu. You'll land on a blank workflow canvas with a trigger placeholder waiting for configuration.

1. 1Click 'New' in the top navigation
2. 2Select 'Workflow' from the dropdown
3. 3Click 'Continue' on the blank workflow template

Trigger > Slack > New Message in Channels

Add Slack message trigger

Click the trigger box and search for 'Slack'. Select 'New Message in Channels' from the available triggers. This fires instantly when someone posts in channels you specify, not when reactions are added.

1. 1Click the gray 'Select a trigger' box
2. 2Type 'Slack' in the search bar
3. 3Select 'New Message in Channels (Instant)'

Trigger Configuration > Connect Account

Connect your Slack account

Click 'Connect Account' and authorize Pipedream to access your Slack workspace. You'll need admin permissions to install the Pipedream app. The connection popup opens Slack's OAuth flow in a new tab.

1. 1Click 'Connect Account' button
2. 2Click 'Allow' in the Slack authorization popup
3. 3Return to Pipedream tab after successful connection

Trigger Configuration > Channels

Select target channels

Choose which Slack channels to monitor from the dropdown list. You can select multiple channels but each requires separate authorization if they're private. Public channels appear immediately after connection.

1. 1Click the 'Channels' dropdown menu
2. 2Select channels you want to monitor
3. 3Click outside the dropdown to confirm selections

Workflow > + Add Step > Code (Node.js)

Add keyword filter code step

Click '+ Add Step' below the trigger and select 'Code'. This Node.js step will check if the message contains your target keywords before creating cards. Without filtering, every single message creates a card.

1. 1Click the blue '+ Add Step' button
2. 2Select 'Code' from the step types
3. 3Choose 'Node.js' as the runtime

Add this code to the filtering step to extract due dates from messages and automatically set Trello card due dates. Paste this in the Node.js code step after the keyword filtering logic.

export default defineComponent({
  async run({ steps, $ }) {
    const message = steps.trigger.event.text;

export default defineComponent({
  async run({ steps, $ }) {
    const message = steps.trigger.event.text;
    const keywords = ['action needed', 'todo', 'task', 'follow up'];
    
    // Check for keywords
    const hasKeyword = keywords.some(keyword => 
      message.toLowerCase().includes(keyword.toLowerCase())
    );
    
    if (!hasKeyword) {
      $.flow.exit('No keywords found');
      return;
    }
    
    // Extract due dates from common patterns
    const datePatterns = [
      /by (monday|tuesday|wednesday|thursday|friday|saturday|sunday)/gi,
      /due (\d{1,2}\/\d{1,2})/gi,
      /deadline (\w+ \d{1,2})/gi,
      /by (next week|this week|tomorrow)/gi
    ];
    
    let extractedDate = null;
    for (const pattern of datePatterns) {
      const match = message.match(pattern);
      if (match) {
        extractedDate = match[1];
        break;
      }
    }
    
    return {
      message_data: steps.trigger.event,
      extracted_due_date: extractedDate,
      should_create_card: true
    };
  }
});

Code Step > Editor

Configure message filtering logic

Replace the template code with keyword detection logic. This checks the message text for specific phrases like 'action needed' or 'todo' and only continues the workflow if found. Case-insensitive matching prevents missed triggers.

1. 1Delete the template code in the editor
2. 2Paste the filtering logic code
3. 3Update the keywords array with your target phrases
4. 4Click 'Test' to validate the code

Workflow > + Add Step > Trello > Create Card

Add Trello action step

Click '+ Add Step' and search for Trello. Select 'Create Card' action. This step only runs if the previous filter step found matching keywords, preventing unwanted card creation.

1. 1Click '+ Add Step' below the code block
2. 2Type 'Trello' in the app search
3. 3Select 'Create Card' from available actions

Trello Step > Connect Account

Connect Trello account

Click 'Connect Account' to authorize Pipedream access to your Trello boards. The OAuth flow opens in a popup window. After connection, Pipedream can read your board and list names for the dropdown selectors.

1. 1Click 'Connect Account' in the Trello step
2. 2Click 'Allow' in the Trello authorization popup
3. 3Wait for the connection confirmation

Trello Step > Board > List > Card Fields

Configure card creation settings

Select your target board from the dropdown, then choose the list where cards should be created. The card name will use the Slack message text, and description includes the channel name and author for context.

1. 1Select target board from 'Board' dropdown
2. 2Choose destination list from 'List' dropdown
3. 3Map Slack message text to card name field
4. 4Add channel and author info to description

Workflow > Test Button

Test the complete workflow

Click 'Test' at the top right to run the entire workflow with sample data. Pipedream shows each step's output and any errors. A successful test creates an actual card in your Trello board.

1. 1Click the 'Test' button in the top right
2. 2Review each step's output in the execution log
3. 3Check your Trello board for the created test card
4. 4Click 'Deploy' if all steps succeeded