Turn Slack mentions into a helpful calendar assistant for your team. Colleagues ask a question in Slack and get fast answers or a new event created in Outlook. Great for teams that want quick scheduling without switching apps.

When someone mentions the bot, a webhook catches the message and filters out Slack URL checks. The message is cleaned to pull the channel, thread, user, and text. An AI agent uses OpenAI with Outlook tools to search events, list calendars, and create meetings. A simple memory ties the session to the user and thread, so follow up questions stay on track. The assistant posts the answer back in the same Slack thread.

You need a Slack app with event subscriptions, an Outlook account with calendar access, and an OpenAI key. After the webhook is verified and credentials are set, teammates can ask things like check my meetings on Friday or create a 30 minute sync with Alex tomorrow at 2 pm. Most teams cut scheduling time per request from 15 minutes to under 2 minutes and avoid back and forth messages. This setup also works with shared calendars when permissions allow.

• Slack webhook listens for bot mentions and handles the URL verification challenge safely.
• Message extraction pulls channel, thread timestamp, user, and cleaned text for the agent.
• OpenAI powered agent chooses when to search, list, or create Outlook events without manual rules.
• Outlook tools include search across calendars, get available calendars, and create new events.
• Session memory links context to user and thread so follow ups make sense.
• Threaded Slack replies post answers and confirmations back to the original conversation.
• System prompt injects current date and time to improve scheduling accuracy.
• Error safe flow branches on Slack challenge to confirm event subscriptions quickly.

• Reduce manual scheduling from 15 minutes to 2 minutes per request
• Automate up to 70 percent of meeting questions inside Slack
• Cut calendar entry errors by 90 percent with guided event creation
• Unify Slack chat and Outlook calendars in one workflow
• Support company wide use by handling many concurrent requests
• Lower context switching by answering in the same Slack thread

1. Import the template into n8n: Create a new workflow in n8n > Click the three dots menu > Select 'Import from File' > Choose the downloaded JSON file.
2. You'll need accounts with Slack, Microsoft Outlook and OpenAI. See the Tools Required section above for links to create accounts with these services.
3. In Slack, create or open your Slack app and enable Event Subscriptions. Use the production webhook URL from the On BOT APP Mention node. Keep the workflow active and public so Slack can reach it.
4. Wait for Slack to send the URL challenge. The workflow routes this to the Respond to Challenge node and returns the token. Confirm Slack shows the endpoint as verified.
5. In n8n, double click the Slack Send Reply node. In the Credential to connect with dropdown, click Create new credential and follow the on screen steps to authorize your Slack app with bot permissions.
6. Double click each Microsoft Outlook tool node. In Credential to connect with, click Create new credential and follow the on screen OAuth steps. Use an account with access to the calendars you plan to search or edit.
7. Open the OpenAI Chat Model node. Create a new OpenAI credential by pasting your API key from your OpenAI account page. Name your credential clearly, for example OpenAI Prod.
8. Open the Get Message step and confirm it maps channel, ts, user, and message text. The agent input should strip the Slack mention so only the user question is passed.
9. Check the Outlook Calendar Assistant node. Make sure the model, memory, and Outlook tools are connected. Keep the system message as is or adjust tone and guardrails as needed.
10. Turn the workflow on in production mode. In Slack, subscribe the app to the app_mention event and install the app to the target workspace and channel.
11. Test by typing @yourbot show my meetings tomorrow. Confirm a threaded reply appears. Then try create a 30 minute meeting with Sam tomorrow at 2 pm and check Outlook for the new event.
12. Troubleshooting: If Slack verification fails, confirm the URL is the production webhook and the workflow is active. If Outlook calls fail, recheck OAuth scopes and calendar permissions. If replies do not thread, verify the thread timestamp mapping in the Slack Send Reply node.