Find Files Without Leaving Slack
Someone asks in Slack: 'Where's the brand guidelines?' Notis searches Drive, finds matching files, and posts a results doc with links. No context-switching to Drive, no 'I'll find it and send you a link later.' Results appear instantly.
Trigger
Channel Message Received
Triggered when a message is posted in a Slack channel (public, private, or multi-party IM). Does NOT match direct messages.
Action
Find file
Tool to list or search for files and folders in google drive. use when you need to find specific files based on query criteria or list contents of a drive/folder.
Why this helps
File searches break the flow of conversations and divert focus. Neurodivergent employees struggle with search cognitive load. A Slack-native file search reduces context-switching and keeps work moving.
- Find files without leaving Slack; stay in the conversation
- Reduces context-switching and focus loss
- Faster response times to file requests
- Team stays in sync without manual file-sharing handoffs
Setup
Build it in a few focused steps.
- 1Connect Slack and Google Drive.
- 2Create an automation: 'When a message contains a file request (e.g., 'where is' or 'do we have' or 'send me the'), search Google Drive for matching files and create a results doc in Drive with links.'
- 3Select 'Channel Message Received' as your trigger.
- 4Specify keywords that trigger a search (e.g., 'where is', 'do we have', 'send me the', 'find the').
- 5Test by asking a file request in Slack and checking Drive for the results doc.
Questions about this workflow
How specific does the request need to be for Notis to find files?
Notis extracts keywords from the request (e.g., 'brand guidelines' from 'Where is the brand guidelines?') and searches Drive. More specific requests yield better results.
Can I limit searches to specific folders or projects?
Yes. You can scope searches to certain Drive folders or use keyword filters (e.g., only search 'Brand' folder when someone asks about brand files).
What if the search returns no results?
Notis creates a results doc saying 'No files found' and suggests related files or folders. You can manually check Drive or ask for clarification.
When this happens · Trigger
Do this · Action
Supported Triggers and Actions
Notis builds workflows that link Slack to Google Drive. A trigger fires from one place; an action lands in another.
Slack triggers
Google Drive actions
Recurring trigger
Notis starts this workflow on a schedule, such as daily, weekly, or during business hours.
Add file sharing preference
Modifies sharing permissions for an existing google drive file, granting a specified role to a user, group, domain, or 'anyone'.
Webhook trigger
Notis starts this workflow when an external tool or custom backend sends an HTTP request.
Copy file
Duplicates an existing file in google drive, identified by its `file id`.
New Channel Created Trigger
Triggered when a new channel is created in Slack.
Create Comment
Tool to create a comment on a file. use when you need to add a new comment to a specific file in google drive.
Channel Message Received
Triggered when a message is posted in a Slack channel (public, private, or multi-party IM). Does NOT match direct messages.
Create Shared Drive
Tool to create a new shared drive. use when you need to programmatically create a new shared drive for collaboration or storage.
Direct Message Received
Triggered when a new direct message (DM) is sent to a user in Slack. Catches all DMs across all DM channels.
Create File or Folder
Creates a new file or folder with metadata. use to create empty files or folders, or files with content by providing it in the request body (though this action primarily focuses on metadata creation).
Message Reaction Added
Triggered when a reaction is added to a message in Slack. Supports optional filtering by channel and emoji name.
Create a File from Text
Creates a new file in google drive from provided text content (up to 10mb), supporting various formats including automatic conversion to google workspace types.
Message Reaction Removed
Triggered when a reaction is removed from a message in Slack. Supports optional filtering by channel and emoji name.
Create a folder
Creates a new folder in google drive, optionally within a parent folder specified by its id or name; if a parent name is provided but not found, the action will fail.
Reaction Added Trigger
DEPRECATED: use `SLACK_MESSAGE_REACTION_ADDED` instead. Triggered when a reaction is added to a message in Slack.
Create Reply
Tool to create a reply to a comment in google drive. use when you need to respond to an existing comment on a file.
Connect any two apps with Notis in the middle.
Slack and Google Drive, or any other combination from 1,000+ integrations.
When this happens · Trigger
Do this · Action
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No card. Works with personal or business Google Drive.