Slack administration: Manage Workflow Builder access and features

Workflow Builder offers a set of tools to automate routine processes in Slack. By default, all members (but not guests) can access Workflow Builder to create workflows.

What to expect

• Owners and admins can restrict access to Workflow Builder by choosing whether people have permission to create workflows. On Enterprise Grid, org owners and admins can disable Workflow Builder for their organisation.
• On the Pro and Business+ subscriptions, workspace owners and members with permission to manage apps can manage access to workflow steps and triggers. 
• Owners and admins can manage access to additional workflow features. 

Tip: Owners and admins can view all published workflows in their workspace or organisation and add themselves as workflow managers from the workflow dashboard.

Manage access to Workflow Builder

Pro and Business+ subscriptions

Enterprise Grid subscription

By default, all members can create workflows. You can restrict workflow creation to owners and admins only, or allow access to certain people.

1. From your desktop, click your workspace name in the sidebar.
   
2. Select Tools & settings from the menu, then click Workspace settings.
3. Click on the Permissions tab at the top of the page.
4. Next to Publish workflows, click Expand.
5. Choose who can create workflows. If you select Any owner or admin, you can tick the box next to Certain people and groups to grant access to specific members or user groups.
6. Click on Save.  

If you remove someone’s access to Workflow Builder, they will still be able to manage workflows that they created before losing access. 

By default, all members of an Enterprise Grid org can create workflows. Org owners and admins can choose to disable Workflow Builder for their org, or set an org policy to choose which members can create workflows.

Enable or disable Workflow Builder

1. From your desktop, click your organisation name in the sidebar.
   
2. Select Tools & settings from the menu, then click Organisation settings.
3. From the left sidebar, click  Settings. Then select Organisation settings.
4. Next to Workflow Builder, select Enable or Disable. Then, click Enable or Disable to confirm.

Any workflows created before Workflow Builder was disabled will remain active and available for anyone to use. To prevent people from using a workflow, add yourself as a workflow manager and remove the workflow, or ask an existing workflow manager to unpublish or delete it.

Set an org policy for workflow creation

When Workflow Builder is enabled, org owners and admins can set an org policy to manage who can create only standard workflows and who can create workflows.

1. From your desktop, click your organisation name in the sidebar.
   
2. Select Tools & settings from the menu, then click Organisation settings.
3. From the left sidebar, click  Settings. Then select Organisation policies.
4. Click the Permissions tab. 
5. Next to Publish workflows, click Add policy. 
6. Choose who can create workflows. If you select Any owner or admin or Org owners and admins, you can tick the boxes next to Include all regular members of specific workspaces or Include certain people to grant permissions to workspaces or specific people.
7. Click Save policy, then click Create policy to confirm.

Manage access to workflow steps and triggers

Workflows start from a trigger, and the steps that follow determine the actions a workflow can take. You can limit which steps (Slack-built, custom or connector) and triggers your members can use in their workflows.

Edit who can use steps

Pro and Business+ subscriptions

Enterprise Grid subscription

Workspace Owners and members with permission to manage apps can manage access to steps.

1. From your desktop, click your workspace name in the sidebar.
   
2. Select Tools & settings from the menu, then click on Manage workflows to open the Slack App Directory.
3. From the left sidebar, click Workflow steps & triggers, then click the name of the step that you'd like to manage.
4. Click on the   three dots icon next to a step, then click on Edit who can use this step.
5. Select an option from the drop-down menu, then click on Save.  

1. From your desktop, click your organisation name in the sidebar.
   
2. Select Tools & settings from the menu, then click on Manage workflows.
3. From the left sidebar, click on Workflow steps & triggers, then click on the name of the steps that you’d like to manage.
4. Click on the   three dots icon next to a step, then click on Edit who can use this step.
5. Select an option from the drop-down menu, then click on Save.

Edit who can use triggers

Pro and Business+ subscriptions

Enterprise Grid subscription

Workspace Owners and members with permission to manage apps can manage access to Workflow Builder triggers.

1. From your desktop, click your workspace name in the sidebar.
   
2. Select Tools & settings from the menu, then click on Manage workflows to open the Slack App Directory.
3. From the left sidebar, click Workflow steps & triggers, then select the Workflow triggers tab.
4. Click the   three dots icon next to a trigger, then click Edit who can use.
5. Select an option from the drop-down menu, then click on Save.  

1. From your desktop, click your organisation name in the sidebar.
   
2. Select Tools & settings from the menu, then click on Manage workflows.
3. From the left sidebar, click Workflow steps & triggers, then select the Workflow triggers tab.
4. Click the   three dots icon next to a trigger, then click Edit who can use.
5. Select an option from the drop-down menu, then click on Save.  

Note: Restricting a step or trigger will not remove it from existing workflows.

Manage additional workflow features

Owners and admins can also manage the following Workflow Builder features:

• Connector step visibility
• Workflow usage in Slack Connect
• Creating workflows that start with webhooks
• Downloading workflow form data
• Exporting workflows

Workflow Builder settings

Pro and Business+ subscriptions

Enterprise Grid subscription

Follow the steps below to manage the ability to export workflows.

1. From your desktop, click your workspace name in the sidebar.
   
2. Select Tools & settings from the menu, then click Workspace settings. 
3. Next to Export workflows, click Expand, then check or uncheck the box Workflow Managers can export workflows. 
4. Click on Save. 

Follow the steps below to manage default visibility for workflow steps and workflow exports. 

1. From your desktop, click your workspace name in the sidebar.
   
2. Select Tools & settings from the menu, then click Organisation settings. 
3. From the left sidebar, click  Settings. Then select Organisation settings. 
4. Next to the Workflow Builder setting that you'd like to manage, click Edit. 
5. Follow the prompts, then click Save. 

Workflow Builder permissions

Pro and Business+ subscriptions

Enterprise Grid subscription

Follow the steps below to manage workflow usage for Slack connect, default visibility for workflow steps, starting workflows with webhooks and downloading workflow form data.

1. From your desktop, click your workspace name in the sidebar.
   
2. Select Tools & settings from the menu, then click Workspace settings. 
3. Click on the Permissions tab at the top of the page. 
4. Click on Expand next to the feature that you'd like to manage access to. Then tick or untick the box. 
5. Click on Save. 

Set an org policy to manage starting workflows with webhooks and workflow form response downloads.

1. From your desktop, click your workspace name in the sidebar.
   
2. Select Tools & settings from the menu, then click Organisation settings. 
3. From the left sidebar, click  Settings. Then select Organisation policies. 
4. Click the Permissions tab. 
5. Next to the policy you'd like to set, click Add policy. 
6. Follow the prompts and select Save policy. Click Create policy to confirm. 

Who can use this feature?

• Workspace owners/admins and org owners/admins
• Available on paid subscriptions