Show HN: The missing pieces of Slack Workflow Builder, open-source
github.com
For a long time I was frustrated that Slack Workflow Builder[0] didn't have outgoing webhooks, and that they boxed you into so few options for triggers despite the rich Slack event ecosystem. So I waited for Slack to build it in 2020....
and 2021...
and 2022...
and finally last month I got fed up and built out the core of an open-source, self-hostable bot[1] to complement Workflow Builder with any missing functionality. Called it Workflow Buddy cuz they go hand-in-hand .
It lets you use ANY Slack event as a trigger for your Workflows, and adds a bunch of new `Steps from Apps` to your Workflow Builder, the most important of which is the Outgoing Webhook - finally a way to send events OUT from Workflows, not just inbound, and make them more useful for automation. It's set up for easy addition of new Steps as community members come up with new uses cases!
## Tech Stack
It's built using a Flask server + Slack Bolt Python + deployed on Fly.io. Trying to keep "perfect is enemy of good" in mind, so the simple storage for the config data is all done through a JSON file - works for now!
## How it works
For adding triggers to Workflows, the bot acts as a proxy - you create a Webhook-triggered Workflow in Builder, configure an event->webhook mapping, then when Buddy receives the event it forwards it through to your regular Workflow.
All the additional steps are fairly basic, the 'Outgoing Webhook' step is basically just fancy, user-friendly inputs getting passed to the popular requests package.
I am by no means a great developer, merely gluing together other people's amazing work!
## Fin
If you're interested in deploying your own Workflow Buddy/contributing, I can help with questions or hop on a call to get you set up - excited to see other's use cases![4]
Let me know what you think! Curious to see if others have run into the same frustrations with Slack Workflow Builder's high potential, but limited functionality.
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Q: Isn't Slack going to eventually add these features to Workflow Builder? Maybe, but until then, you have an option rather than waiting impatiently. Plus, since it is an extension of Workflow Builder, it won't stop working if Slack decides to add new functionality to the core tool.
[0] Slack Workflow Builder: https://api.slack.com/workflows#intro
[1] GitHub repo: https://github.com/happybara-io/WorkflowBuddy
[2]Video demos: https://github.com/happybara-io/WorkflowBuddy#demos
[3] Common use cases it helps with: https://github.com/happybara-io/WorkflowBuddy#-use-cases
[4] https://happybara.io/support, support@happybara.io