This article shows how to create a Custom Tool in Frontline that sends automated messages to a Slack channel through a webhook. You can use it to notify your team when a new lead arrives, when an issue is escalated, or whenever your AI Agent detects a specific event.
⚙️ What you’ll need
Before creating the tool, make sure you have:
A Slack Incoming Webhook URL. You can generate one in your Slack workspace (see Slack → App Management → Incoming Webhooks).
Permission to create or edit Tools in Frontline.
The Slack channel where you want to post messages.
Tip: Webhooks are the simplest way to connect Slack to Frontline — no app installation required.
🚀 Step-by-step setup
1) Go to Tools
Log in to your Frontline Dashboard.
Navigate to Platform → Tools.
Click Create Tool.
2) Configure the tool
Set the Tool name (for example: Notify Slack).
In the When to use field, describe when your AI Agent should trigger this tool (e.g. use this tool when a new lead is qualified).
Select Custom Tool as the Tool type.
(See screenshot: Edit Custom Tool – selecting type Custom Tool.)
3) Connect your Slack webhook
Under API Request, choose POST as the method.
In the URL field, paste your Slack Incoming Webhook URL (it should look like
https://hooks.slack.com/services/...).In the Request Body, enter this JSON structure:
{ "text": "New notification from Frontline: {summary}\n*Topic:* {topic}\n*Contact:* {contact}" }Add any data inputs that your Agent needs to collect, such as
summary,topic, orcontact.
(See screenshot: Connect your API – Slack example.)
4) Test your connection
Click Test Response.
If successful, you’ll see a
200 OKstatus, and a message will appear in your Slack channel.Once confirmed, click Save Tool.
🧠 How it works
When the tool is triggered, Frontline sends a POST request to your Slack webhook with dynamic data collected from the conversation. Variables like {summary} or {contact} are replaced in real-time with the corresponding values.
✅ Best practices
Keep messages short and actionable.
Use Slack formatting (like
*bold*or\nfor line breaks) to make messages clear.Test using a private Slack channel before posting in production.
Rotate webhook URLs regularly for security.
🔍 Troubleshooting
No message received: Verify that your webhook URL is correct and active.
Error 400: Check for invalid JSON formatting.
Unauthorized (401): The webhook may have been deleted or disabled in Slack.
Example output
A successful Slack message will look like this:
💬 New notification from Frontline: New lead qualified
Topic: Sales
Contact: John Doe
Still have questions?
Reach out through the Help button in Frontline or contact your CSM for assistance.