---
title: "Set up connections and use Slack"
summary: "What Settings > Connections holds, and how to connect Slack, share summaries in Slack and use messages as context."
url: "https://help.medisynchealth.ai/en/dictate/connections-and-slack"
product: "MediSync Dictate"
platforms: ["windows","macos"]
access: "public"
updated: "2026-11-11"
version: "Dictate 0.4.0-beta.6"
---

# Set up connections and use Slack

What Settings > Connections holds, and how to connect Slack, share summaries in Slack and use messages as context.

Connections give Dictate more context: meetings for notes and your documents for writing. Open **Settings › Connections**. Each connection has a row with its state and one action.

## What Connections holds

| Row | What it does | More |
| --- | --- | --- |
| **Google Calendar** | Your next meetings in Notes, with a reminder before they start | [Connect calendar](https://help.medisynchealth.ai/en/dictate/connect-calendar) |
| **Outlook Calendar** | Your next meetings from Microsoft 365 in Notes | [Connect calendar](https://help.medisynchealth.ai/en/dictate/connect-calendar) |
| **Slack** | Share summaries in Slack. If you want, messages about the meeting go into its summary | below in this article |
| **Local documents** | Folders on this computer. Dictate finds and opens documents by voice and writes with their content. Nothing is uploaded | [Smart Find](https://help.medisynchealth.ai/en/dictate/smart-find) |
| MCP | **Give AI apps read access to your notes and transcripts**. **Go to AI apps (MCP)** opens the **AI apps (MCP)** tab | [MCP](https://help.medisynchealth.ai/en/dictate/mcp) |

Under **Local documents**, **Add folder** adds a folder. The row shows the number of files, and while it reads, **Reading …** with the progress. If a folder is missing, it shows **Folder not found**. **Remove** takes the folder off the list.

## Connect Slack

You connect your own Slack account.

1. Open **Settings › Connections**.
2. Next to **Slack**, click **Connect**. Dictate shows **Waiting for Slack …**
3. Your browser opens Slack. Pick the workspace and allow access.
4. Go back to Dictate. The row shows **Connected as** with your name and the workspace.

**Cancel** stops the waiting. Dictate keeps the Slack access encrypted on this computer. Dictate reads nothing from Slack and sends nothing to Slack without your click.

## Share a summary in Slack

1. Open a note that has a summary. Sharing does not work while the note records.
2. Click **Share in Slack** at the top.
3. Under **To**, pick a channel or a person. **To myself** sends the message to you.
4. Check the text under **Message**. The summary is a draft. Change what is wrong.
5. Click **Send**.

The message goes to Slack only when you click **Send**, under your name. Then Dictate shows **Sent to** with the target. **Open in Slack** opens the message in Slack.

If the note has no summary yet, the dialog shows **Create a summary first. Then you can share it.** If Slack is not connected yet, **Go to Connectors** leads to the Slack row.

## Use messages as context

This is off until you switch it on. It works only for notes of a calendar meeting.

1. Connect Slack and a [calendar](https://help.medisynchealth.ai/en/dictate/connect-calendar).
2. In the **Slack** row, switch on **Messages as context**.
3. Click **Add channel** and pick a channel. You can pick at most 5 channels.

Before it summarises a calendar meeting, Dictate reads the last 7 days of messages in the channels you picked. Only messages that name the meeting topic go into the summary. For this they go to MediSync together with the transcript. Dictate reads only messages in channels you are a member of, and no thread replies.

Under such a summary, Dictate says how many Slack messages from which channels it used as context.

## Disconnect Slack

In the **Slack** row, click **Disconnect**. Dictate signs out of Slack and deletes the access on this computer.

## Messages from Slack

| Message | What to do |
| --- | --- |
| `Connecting to Slack did not work. Please try again.` | Click **Connect** again. |
| `Slack ended the access. Please connect Slack again.` | The access was removed in Slack. Connect Slack again. |
| `You are not a member of this channel, or it no longer exists.` | Pick another channel, or join the channel in Slack. |
| `Slack is not taking messages right now. Please try again in a minute.` | Wait a minute and send again. |
| `The text is too long for a Slack message. Please shorten it.` | Shorten the text under **Message**. |
| `The text is empty.` | Write a text under **Message**. |
| `Slack cannot be reached right now. Please try again.` | Check the internet connection and send again. |
| `Slack is not connected.` | Connect Slack under **Settings › Connections**. |