How to Process Bug Reports from Slack to Trello with Make

Dashboard > Create a new scenario

Create New Scenario in Make

Log into Make and click Create a new scenario from your dashboard. You'll see the visual scenario builder with a large plus icon in the center. Click it to add your first module. This starts the automation workflow.

1. 1Click 'Create a new scenario' from Make dashboard
2. 2Click the large + icon in the scenario builder
3. 3Search for 'Slack' in the app list
4. 4Select 'Watch Messages' trigger

Slack Module > Connection > Channel Selection

Configure Slack Trigger

Connect your Slack workspace by clicking Create a connection. Make will open Slack's OAuth flow in a new tab. Choose the specific channel where bug reports come in - usually #bugs, #feedback, or #product. Set the trigger to watch for new messages only.

1. 1Click 'Create a connection' and authorize Make in Slack
2. 2Select your target channel from the dropdown
3. 3Set 'Watch for' to 'New messages only'
4. 4Leave 'Include replies' unchecked unless you want thread responses

Module Connector > Filter > Condition

Add Message Filter Logic

Click the wrench icon between modules to add a filter. Set up conditions to catch bug reports and feature requests. Look for emoji triggers like 🐛 for bugs or 💡 for features, or specific keywords like 'bug', 'issue', 'feature request'. This prevents every message from creating a Trello card.

1. 1Click the wrench icon between Slack and the next module
2. 2Click 'Set up a filter'
3. 3Set condition: Text contains '🐛' OR '💡' OR 'bug' OR 'feature'
4. 4Name the filter 'Bug and Feature Filter'

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

Add Module > Text Parser > Match Pattern

Add Text Parser for Classification

Add a Text Parser module to determine if the message is a bug or feature request. Use pattern matching to look for bug-related keywords versus feature-related ones. This will help assign the right labels and team members in Trello later.

1. 1Click + to add another module after the filter
2. 2Search for 'Text parser' and select it
3. 3Choose 'Match pattern' as the function
4. 4Set Text to {{1.text}} from Slack
5. 5Set Pattern to match bug keywords: (bug|error|broken|crash)

Add Module > Trello > Create a Card

Connect Trello Integration

Add a Trello module and choose Create a Card action. Click Create a connection and authorize Make to access your Trello account. Select the board where you track bugs and features - typically your product backlog or development board. Choose the appropriate list for new items.

1. 1Click + and search for 'Trello'
2. 2Select 'Create a Card' action
3. 3Click 'Create a connection' and authorize in Trello
4. 4Select your target board from the dropdown
5. 5Choose the list for new cards (usually 'Backlog' or 'To Do')

Trello Module > Card Fields

Map Card Title and Description

Configure the Trello card fields using Slack message data. Set the card name to include the message type and a preview. Use the full message text as the description. Add the Slack user who reported it and a link back to the original message for context.

1. 1Set Name field to: '[BUG] {{1.text}} (first 50 chars)'
2. 2Set Description to include full message: {{1.text}}
3. 3Add 'Reported by: {{1.user.real_name}}' to description
4. 4Include Slack permalink: {{1.permalink}}

Use this formula in the Card Name field to intelligently truncate long messages while preserving important context and adding severity indicators.

if(
  contains(lower({{1.text}}), 'critical'),
  '[CRITICAL] ' + 

if(
  contains(lower({{1.text}}), 'critical'),
  '[CRITICAL] ' + 
  if(
    length({{1.text}}) > 60,
    substring({{1.text}}, 1, 60) + '...',
    {{1.text}}
  ),
  if(
    contains({{2.0}}, 'bug'),
    '[BUG] ' + 
    if(
      length({{1.text}}) > 50,
      substring({{1.text}}, 1, 50) + '...',
      {{1.text}}
    ),
    '[FEATURE] ' + 
    if(
      length({{1.text}}) > 45,
      substring({{1.text}}, 1, 45) + '...',
      {{1.text}}
    )
  )
)

Trello Module > Labels > Conditional Mapping

Set Up Dynamic Labels

Configure labels based on the text parser results. If the parser found bug keywords, apply a red 'Bug' label. For feature requests, use a blue 'Feature Request' label. You'll need to create these labels in Trello first if they don't exist.

1. 1Click in the Labels field
2. 2Use if() function: if(contains({{2.0}}, 'bug'), 'Bug Label ID', 'Feature Label ID')
3. 3Get label IDs from Trello board settings
4. 4Test the conditional logic with sample data

Trello Module > Members > Assignment Rules

Add Team Assignment Logic

Set up member assignment based on keywords or channel. For bugs, assign to QA team members. For features, assign to product managers. Use conditional mapping to route different types to appropriate team members automatically.

1. 1Click in Members field
2. 2Add conditional assignment: if(contains({{1.text}}, 'critical'), 'Lead Dev ID', 'QA Team ID')
3. 3Get member IDs from Trello team settings
4. 4Set up fallback assignment for unclassified items

Trello Module > Due Date > Date Calculation

Configure Due Date Rules

Set dynamic due dates based on issue severity. Critical bugs get 1-day due dates, regular bugs get 1 week, features get 2 weeks. Use Make's date functions to calculate dates from the current timestamp when the card is created.

1. 1Click in Due Date field
2. 2Use addDays() function: addDays(now, if(contains({{1.text}}, 'critical'), 1, 7))
3. 3Format with formatDate() for proper Trello format
4. 4Test date calculations in Make's formula tester

Scenario Controls > Test > Activate

Test and Activate Scenario

Run a test with real Slack messages to verify everything works. Check that cards appear in Trello with correct labels, assignments, and due dates. Fix any field mapping errors before turning on the scenario. Once working, flip the ON switch to make it live.

1. 1Click 'Run once' to test with existing data
2. 2Post a test message in Slack with bug keywords
3. 3Verify the Trello card was created correctly
4. 4Toggle the scenario ON to activate continuous monitoring