# Slack as the workbench

At the end, you know what Loopgate's Slack app does from Home, from a channel and in a thread, and what still needs the browser.

## At a glance

**Time:** 5 minutes to read.

**What you need:**

- Your team's runner with Slack connected: [Connect Slack](slack.md)

## How it works

**Home** is the workbench at a glance: the runner's address and engines, **New task**, what needs you with a link to each thread, your tasks, every agent and workflow with **Give a task**, and the workspaces. Decisions are never taken on Home; it points at the thread where they are.

**One form, from everywhere.** New task, Give a task, `/loopgate` with no words, the global shortcut and the shortcut on any message open the same form: the task, who works it (Loopgate picks, a harness session, an agent, a workflow), the workspace, and where the thread goes. Submit answers with where the task was posted and **Open thread**; a chosen Who costs nothing, since no copilot turn is needed.

**One card per task.** The thread's card shows who works it, the task in your words, the copilot's sentence, the workspace, engine, access and ceiling, with **Start**, **Customize** and **Change…**. Customize sets the run's access (Full access unless you lower it, because nobody sits beside a server to approve tool calls) and each step's model, thinking and instructions. At Start the same card becomes the progress card, updated in place as steps move, and the thread gains a post only for a step's reply, a question for you, a stop and the finish, which carries the final reply, its cost, **Open pull request** and **Open in workbench**.

**Replies and reactions.** Reply in the thread and it goes to the step at work or the one waiting, `@step` to pick one; a delivered reply gets ✅, a message being read by the copilot gets 👀, and a thread's root gets ✅ once its card is up. Approve, choices, a document lock, a continue and a single question are buttons in the thread. Only the person who started a thread is heard in it.

**What still opens the browser:** several questions at once, a whole document to edit, raising a spending limit after a stop, and Adjust and retry. Each post that needs it carries the link.

## Try it

1. **Open Loopgate's Home in Slack and press Give a task beside Builder.**

   You should see: the form with Builder chosen; write the task, pick the workspace and your DM, and press **Show me what will run**.

2. **Press Open thread, then Customize, pick a thinking level, Keep these, Start.**

   You should see: the card redrawn with `1 chosen here`, then turning into the progress card.

3. **Reply in the thread with one more instruction while the step works.**

   You should see: ✅ on your message, and the words in the step's next message.

## Next

Not connected yet? [Connect Slack](slack.md). Want the whole picture of what stays yours? [Start here](index.md).