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How Action Item Creation Works in Slack

Slack is where most real-time incident collaboration occurs, which makes it the perfect place to quickly capture tasks and follow-ups as they emerge. Rootly lets you turn conversations directly into structured action items so nothing is missed. You can create action items using:
  • Slash commands
  • Emoji reactions
  • Slack’s More Actions message menu
All of these features require that you are inside a Rootly incident channel and have permission to create or manage action items.
For private incidents, you must also have access to the incident itself.

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Slash Commands

Slash commands are the fastest and most flexible way to create or update action items. Run these commands inside an incident channel:

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Create new items

/rootly task
Creates a new task for the current incident. /rootly followup
Creates a new follow-up item intended for post-incident improvement work.
Slash-command creation opens a Slack modal, allowing you to set priority, assignee, description, reminders, and more before submitting.

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Manage or review items

/rootly action
Opens the action-item management menu, allowing you to:
  • View all action items for the incident
  • Create a new task or follow-up
  • Change the status
  • Assign or reassign a user or group
  • Edit descriptions or details
  • Delete action items
  • Convert between task ↔ follow-up
/rootly todo
Displays tasks assigned specifically to you, making personal follow-up easy.
The /rootly todo command is especially helpful for engineers rotating through on-call — it ensures no assigned work is forgotten after the incident.

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Emoji Reactions

Emoji reactions turn Slack messages directly into action items with minimal interruption to the conversation. When enabled under Configuration → Integrations → Slack, reacting to a message triggers auto-creation:

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Task creation

React with a ⭐️ star emoji to turn the message into a task. The star emoji reaction generates a task.

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Follow-up creation

React with a 🔧 wrench emoji to convert the message into a follow-up. The wrench emoji creates a follow-up Rootly will add a white check mark emoji on success.
Emoji used for tasks and follow-ups must not overlap with emojis configured for:
timeline events, incident follow-ups, or task creation.
Rootly enforces this to ensure each emoji has a single clear purpose.

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Slack “More Actions” Menu

You can also create action items using Slack’s built-in message menu:
  1. Hover over any message in the incident channel.
  2. Click More actions (•••).
  3. Select Add Action Item.
  4. A modal opens with the message text pre-filled as the summary.
This option is ideal when turning longer discussions, decisions, or troubleshooting notes into structured work without retyping.

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What Happens When an Action Item Is Created

Action items created from Slack:
  • Appear immediately on the incident timeline
  • Include the original Slack message text when created from a message
  • Support Markdown formatting in descriptions
  • May trigger workflows (e.g., create Jira tickets, notify owners)
  • Sync with retrospectives and analytics
  • Can be assigned to users or groups
Some organizations restrict task creation after incidents are resolved or closed.
Follow-ups, however, typically remain available for use in post-incident improvement.

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Best Practices

  • Capture tasks early
    Adding tasks in real time prevents important work from getting lost in conversation.
  • Assign owners immediately
    Tasks without owners are often forgotten — assignment drives accountability.
  • Use follow-ups for long-term improvements
    These items support durable reliability gains after the incident.
  • Use priorities intentionally
    High-priority items should be reviewed in retrospectives, weekly ops syncs, or technical leadership meetings.
  • Keep emoji intuitive
    Choose emojis your team naturally reaches for during conversations.
  • Leverage /rootly todo
    Helps responders keep track of what’s on their plate throughout and after the incident.
  • Automate recurring work
    Use workflows to auto-create tasks like “Prepare retrospective document” or “Notify customer support.”
The strongest incident programs treat action items as part of a continuous improvement loop — not just a list of things to do.

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Troubleshooting

Check the following:
  • You reacted inside an incident channel
  • The emoji is configured in the Slack integration settings
  • Emoji aren’t conflicting with other trigger types
  • Emoji ingestion is enabled for your Slack workspace
This usually means:
  • You don’t have permission to create or modify action items
  • The incident is in a state where new tasks are restricted
  • You’re not inside a valid incident channel
  • Confirm you created it in the correct incident channel
  • Ensure the Slack message wasn’t deleted
  • Verify the Rootly Slack app has permission to read and react to messages
Often caused by:
  • Slack integration not fully installed
  • You’re not in an incident channel
  • Your Slack role/user permissions limit access to message actions
The checkmark is Rootly’s confirmation reaction, letting you know your task or follow-up was created successfully.
This depends on your workspace settings. Some organizations disable new task creation after resolution to preserve process discipline, but follow-ups remain available.