Syncing schedules to Slack user groups

Keep Slack user groups in sync with your on-call schedules.

Sync your on-call schedules to Slack user groups so anyone can mention the group to reach the right people. Each sync rule can target either all members of a schedule or just whoever is currently on-call - and you can set up multiple rules per schedule for different use cases. Connect Slack user groups from any schedule’s page.

How syncing works

When you connect a Slack user group to a schedule, you choose what to sync:

• All members -the group always contains everyone on the schedule
• Currently on-call -the group updates at each handover to contain only whoever is on-call right now

incident.io keeps the group membership in sync automatically. When syncing to current on-call responders, the group updates immediately when a handover occurs or an override takes effect.

Connecting a Slack user group to a schedule replaces all existing members. Any previous members who aren’t part of the sync are removed.

Common use cases

You can combine sync rules in any way that fits your team. Here are some common configurations:

Dedicated on-call group

A single schedule syncs to a dedicated Slack user group for current on-call responders.

Example: The Platform team’s schedule syncs to @platform-on-call. Mention the group to reach whoever is on-call right now.

Separate groups for roster and on-call

A single schedule syncs to two different groups: one for all members and one for current on-call.

Example: The Platform schedule syncs to @platform-schedule (all members, for reaching anyone on the rotation) and @platform-on-call (current on-call, for urgent issues). This lets people choose whether they need everyone on the schedule or just whoever is on duty.

Combined on-call group

Multiple schedules feed into a single Slack user group, combining responders from all connected schedules.

Example: A team with primary and secondary schedules wants a unified @on-call-team group containing both responders. Or, follow-the-sun coverage across regional schedules uses a single @global-on-call group that always contains whoever is currently on-call worldwide.

Set up user group sync

To connect a schedule to a Slack user group:

1. Navigate to On-call → Schedules and select your schedule
2. In the top-right, select Connect Slack group
3. Configure the sync rule: choose an existing Slack user group or create a new one
4. Select Save

To add another sync rule to the same schedule, repeat these steps. Each rule can target a different Slack user group with different sync settings.

To connect additional schedules to the same group, repeat these steps on each schedule and select the same Slack user group.

To disconnect a schedule from a group, open the schedule settings and remove the sync rule.

Managing shared user groups

When multiple schedules sync to the same Slack user group, any settings changes apply to all connected schedules.

You need edit permission on all schedules connected to a shared group to update its settings. If you lack permission on any connected schedule, you won’t be able to modify the shared group configuration.

Slack permissions

Slack restricts who can modify user group membership. By default, only Workspace Admins and Owners can update user groups, which doesn’t include the incident.io Slack bot.

Choose one of these options to enable syncing:

Option 1: Allow workspace members to manage user groups

If your organization permits it, update your Slack workspace settings to allow all members to manage user groups:

1. Go to Slack user group restrictions
2. Set both user group permissions to Everyone, except guests

This gives the incident.io Slack bot permission to manage on-call user groups.

Option 2: Use a privileged Slack account

If your organization restricts user group management to admins only, connect a Slack admin or owner account that incident.io can use to manage user groups.

Create a dedicated service account (e.g., “incident.io Admin”) rather than using a personal account. The connected user appears to take actions within Slack, which can cause confusion if it’s a real person’s account.

Follow the steps in Set up privileged Slack access to connect an admin account.

When no one is on-call

Slack doesn’t allow user groups to be empty. When no one is on-call for any connected schedules, incident.io disables the group rather than leaving stale members in place. The group re-enables automatically when someone comes on-call.

If you have automations or workflows that depend on the group always being active, you can configure the sync rule to include the incident.io bot user as a permanent member. This prevents the group from being disabled when no one is on-call.