Managing tasks and action items across channels can be challenging. Slack’s native reminders (via the /remind command) let you schedule notifications, but they require manual setup. Sleuth AI enhances Slack by automatically detecting and scheduling reminders for tasks mentioned in conversations. With Sleuth’s smart reminders, your team never misses a commitment made in chat. Below, we’ll explore how Sleuth’s reminder features work and how they integrate seamlessly into your Slack workflow.

Slack’s Built-In Reminders vs. Sleuth’s Smart Reminders

Slack’s /remind command lets users set reminders for themselves or a channel at a specific time (for example, /remind me to submit the report at 3pm). This is useful for planned tasks but relies on you to remember to create the reminder. In contrast, Sleuth AI uses natural language processing to identify tasks within conversations (for example, when someone says “I’ll send the report by tomorrow”) and then automatically schedules the reminder at the right time. It also provides a confirmation in the Slack thread so you can verify that the task and deadline were captured correctly.
Below you can compare the difference between an automated reminder created by Sleuth AI and the process for manually creating a reminder using Slack tools. This type of automation provided by Sleuth AI enhances productivity by making reminders effortless.

Effortless Automatic Reminders for Free

Sleuth AI continuously listens for actionable tasks in your Slack discussions. Its built-in features include:

• Automatic Task Detection: Sleuth reads discussions and flags tasks with deadlines or timelines (for example, “I’ll update this by Tuesday”).
• Smart Scheduling: Sleuth’s AI understands natural time references like “later today,” “EOD,” or “next Wednesday,” and schedules reminders at the appropriate moment.
• Confirmation Notices: Once a reminder is scheduled, Sleuth posts a confirmation message in the thread, indicating when the reminder will fire. This feedback ensures you know your task is on the radar.

Manual Reminders with Emoji Reactions

Sleuth AI also lets you manually set up or cancel reminders with simple Slack emoji reactions. React to any message with an alarm clock emoji to prompt Sleuth to create a reminder for that message. Sleuth will extract the date and time from the message and schedule it. If no date or time is found, the reminder is scheduled for the next morning. If a reminder is no longer needed, react to Sleuth’s confirmation message with a trash can emoji to delete it instantly. This approach makes managing reminders quick and intuitive.

Reviewing and Managing Your Reminders

Keeping track of all your reminders is easy with Sleuth. You can ask Sleuth in Slack (for example, by messaging it or @-mentioning it in a thread) to list your reminders. Try typing @Sleuth AI reminders or simply asking “What are my reminders for today?” Sleuth will then provide a concise summary of your upcoming tasks, each linked back to the original message. This way, you have a clear view of pending tasks without having to search through every conversation. Other helpful commands include @Sleuth AI show my reminders and @Sleuth AI show reminders for @user and @Sleuth AI show all reminders.

Here is what is displayed when asking @Sleuth AI show all my reminders.

All of this happens seamlessly within Slack, helping you stay organized.

Boosting Productivity with Sleuth AI

By automating reminder creation and intelligently surfacing tasks, Sleuth AI ensures nothing falls through the cracks in your Slack conversations. The combination of proactive detection, smart scheduling, and easy management keeps teams aligned and on track. With Sleuth handling reminders in the background, your team can stay focused on the conversation, knowing that commitments made in chat will be followed up on time. Try integrating Sleuth AI for free into your Slack workspace to experience smoother workflows and stronger team accountability.