Notification types
What notifications can you send to Slack?
Plutio automations can trigger on almost any business event, so you choose which ones post to Slack and where they go. Each message includes context about what happened and a link back to the item in Plutio.
Invoice paid
Post the client name, invoice amount, payment method, and invoice number to a revenue channel the moment payment arrives. Finance teams get a running log of incoming payments without logging into Plutio, and agencies celebrate wins without a separate announcement.
Proposal signed
Send a message to a sales or wins channel the moment a client accepts a proposal. The payload includes client name, proposal title, and total value, so the team knows a new engagement just started and delivery can begin planning kickoff.
New contact created
Post new lead alerts to a sales channel. The payload includes contact name, email, and how the lead entered Plutio (form submission, manual entry, or API). Sales teams respond to new inquiries within minutes instead of checking the CRM periodically.
Task completed
Push task completion events to project-specific channels. The payload includes task name, project name, and who marked the task complete. Project managers tracking deliverables across multiple client accounts get a live progress feed per project.
Booking confirmed
Notify the assigned team member when a client books a meeting through a Plutio scheduler. The message includes client name, meeting type, and scheduled date, so freelancers know about upcoming meetings without constantly checking their calendar.
Custom automation triggers
Plutio's automation builder supports triggers on 10+ event types (entity created, edited, submitted, deleted, scheduled, webhook) across invoices, proposals, contracts, tasks, projects, forms, and more. Any of those events can post to Slack through the same webhook or Zapier path, so you decide exactly what your team sees.
How do I send Plutio events to Slack with a webhook?
Create a Slack Incoming Webhook URL, build a Plutio automation that triggers on your chosen event, and add an API call action that POSTs a JSON message to the Slack URL.
Slack's Incoming Webhook feature gives you a unique URL per channel. Anything you POST to that URL with the right JSON structure shows up as a message in the channel. Plutio's automation builder has a generic API call action that lets you POST any JSON payload to any URL, which means you can wire Plutio events directly to Slack without Zapier, Make, or any third-party service in the middle.
Because both sides happen inside tools you already have (Slack's webhook app on their side, Plutio's automation builder on ours), there's no subscription to add and no polling interval to wait for. Events hit Slack within seconds of firing in Plutio.
The webhook path is free on both sides: Slack Incoming Webhooks work on every Slack plan including Free, and Plutio's automation builder runs on every Plutio plan. The only real limit is Plutio's monthly automation trigger allowance, which starts at 1,000 triggers on Core and scales up on Pro.
Fields you can include in the Slack message
- Client name pulled from the Plutio entity so the team knows who the event relates to
- Entity amount (invoice total, proposal value) pulled from the triggering record
- Entity link back to the Plutio page so team members can open the item in one click
- Status or stage (paid, signed, completed) for quick visual parsing
- Assigned team member so the responsible person gets @-mentioned in the channel
How do I send Plutio events to Slack through Zapier?
Create a Zapier or Make workflow with Plutio as the trigger (via webhook) and Slack as the action, then pick the channel, message format, and any conditional routing rules on the automation platform side.
The Zapier or Make path makes sense when you need to route events to different channels based on field values. Workflows on either platform can filter on invoice amount (under $500 goes to #small-wins, over $500 goes to #wins), on project name (Acme project events go to #acme), or on assigned team member (route DMs to the right person). Plutio's native automation builder also supports conditions, but complex multi-branch routing is easier to build visually in Zapier or Make.
Both platforms have a native Slack module, so once the Plutio webhook fires, you pick the Slack channel or DM and map the event fields into the message template through dropdown menus. No coding, no JSON payload hand-crafting.
Zapier's free plan covers 100 runs per month with 15-minute checks. Make's free plan covers 1,000 operations per month with 15-minute checks. For teams sending fewer than 100 Slack messages per month, either free tier handles the workload without an upgrade.
Step by step
- Step 1: In Plutio Settings, generate an API key and enable the webhooks for events you want to listen for (invoice paid, proposal signed, etc.).
- Step 2: In Zapier or Make, create a workflow with Webhooks as the trigger and paste the Plutio webhook URL.
- Step 3: Add Slack as the action app and pick "Send Channel Message" or "Send Direct Message."
- Step 4: Map Plutio fields to the Slack message template (client name, amount, link).
- Step 5: Test with a real Plutio event, then turn the workflow on.
How do I route different events to different channels?
Build one automation per channel-event pair. Payments to #revenue, leads to #sales, task completions to project channels. Each automation has its own trigger filters and its own destination.
Separate automations per channel keep routing readable. When you need to change where payments go, you update one automation instead of hunting through conditional branches inside a single mega-workflow. For small teams with 3-5 channels, this keeps Plutio's automation list short and clear.
If you need more complex routing (same event type splitting across 5+ channels based on custom field values), the Zapier or Make path shines. Their visual builders handle multi-branch logic with less effort than building many Plutio automations.
Common routing patterns: payments go to #revenue or finance, new leads go to #sales, task completions go to project-specific channels, proposal signatures go to #wins or #closed-deals, booking confirmations go to the assigned team member's DM.
Setting up routing
- Step 1: Create one Slack Incoming Webhook per destination channel in Slack's app settings.
- Step 2: For each event you want to route, build a Plutio automation with the trigger, any filters, and an API call action pointing to the right Slack webhook URL.
- Step 3: For private channels, first add the Slack webhook app to the channel by visiting the channel settings and approving the webhook.
- Step 4: Test each automation with a real event and adjust the message format until it reads clearly in the target channel.
How much does Plutio + Slack cost?
Slack's Incoming Webhooks are free on every Slack plan. Plutio's automation builder is free on every Plutio plan. The direct webhook path costs nothing beyond your existing subscriptions. Zapier and Make both offer free tiers if you want their routing features.
Slack pricing
Slack Free includes messaging, channels, and Incoming Webhooks with 90 days of message history. Slack Pro costs $8.75 per user per month (billed annually) and adds unlimited history, screen sharing, and Slack Connect. Slack Business+ costs $15 per user per month and adds SAML SSO. The webhook integration works the same on every tier.
Zapier or Make pricing
Zapier Free covers 100 runs per month with 15-minute checks. Paid plans start at $29.99 per month for 750 runs and 2-minute checks. Make Free covers 1,000 operations per month with 15-minute checks. Paid plans start at $10.59 per month for 10,000 operations. For most freelancers, either free tier handles Slack routing without an upgrade.
Plutio pricing
Plutio offers a 7-day free trial with access to all features including the automation builder, API, and webhooks. After that, Core costs $19 per month and Pro for teams costs $49 per month. Trigger allowances start at 1,000 per month on Core and scale up on Pro.
Bottom line: A freelancer on Plutio Core ($19/month) plus Slack Free pays $19 per month for real-time event messages routed to channels. Add Zapier Free or Make Free only if you want their visual routing rules.
What if Slack messages stop arriving?
Check the Plutio automation run history first. The log shows which runs fired, which succeeded, and what error Slack returned if any of them failed.
Most delivery problems come from an expired or revoked Slack Incoming Webhook URL, a renamed channel, or a payload that no longer matches Slack's expected JSON format. Plutio's automation log shows the exact HTTP response from Slack, so you can tell immediately whether the issue is on Plutio's side or Slack's side.
If you are using Zapier or Make instead, check their task history. Both platforms surface the Slack error message and let you re-run failed workflows once the root cause is fixed.
Common issues and fixes
- Webhook returned 404 "no_service": The Slack Incoming Webhook URL was revoked or the Slack app was removed. Generate a new webhook URL in Slack and update the Plutio automation.
- Webhook returned "channel_not_found": Someone renamed or archived the target channel. Create a new webhook pointing to the new channel and update the automation.
- "invalid_payload" error: The JSON sent by Plutio no longer matches Slack's expected format. Check the payload structure in the automation's API call action against Slack's webhook message format.
- Automation silently disabled: Plutio disables automations after repeated failures to protect your trigger allowance. Fix the root cause in the API call action, then reactivate the automation.
- Private channel not receiving: Slack Incoming Webhooks are scoped to a specific channel at creation time. Generate the webhook inside the private channel, not in a public one.
Disconnecting Slack does not delete any Plutio data. Your automations stay configured and you can regenerate a new Slack webhook URL at any time, paste it into the automation, and resume sending messages.
