Slack, without opening Slack
A Slack bee sits on your desktop and wiggles for direct messages and @mentions. Ordinary channel chatter stays quiet. Click the bee to read and reply, then it shrinks back, so you can check Slack without falling into it.
How it works
- Add the bee. Click the hexagon in the menu bar → Add a Bee → Slack, then Sign in….
- Work workspace? Ask first. For a work Slack, use the Connect with a Slack app route, which your workspace admins approve if the workspace needs approval. Nothing connects until they do.
- Choose your channels. Click the filter button (or right-click the bee → Choose Channels…): all channels, chosen ones, or direct messages only.
Step by step, with what success looks like: the guide.
What you get
- DMs and @mentions wiggle the bee; ordinary channel chatter stays quiet.
- Hidden channels don't count as unread or wiggle the bee.
- One bee per workspace, so a work Slack and a community Slack stay separate.
- AI replies start off in Slack bees, because many employers don't allow work messages in outside AI services.
- Mute the bee for an hour, or pause every notification while you focus.
Work accounts. Many organisations only allow apps their administrators approve. Waggle only connects a work Slack the official, admin-approved way. If your organisation says no, that's the answer. The quick sign-in for personal and community workspaces uses your own Slack web session, which isn't an official Slack route.
Price and requirements
Every bee is free for 14 days on each Mac, with no card and no account. After that, your first bee is free on one Mac. Worker Bees is £12.99 for any 3 bees and Whole Hive is £24.99 for every bee, each on up to 3 Macs. Both are paid once and include 12 months of Updates & Relay, then £9.99 per 12 months if you want it, with no automatic payments. See Pricing.
A Mac with Apple silicon and macOS 14 (Sonoma) or newer.
Questions
Is the Slack bee official?
The quick sign-in uses your own Slack web session, which isn't an official Slack route. For a work workspace, use the Slack app route your admins approve. See FAQs.
Why can't I see every Slack channel?
You choose which channels show: all, chosen ones, or none (direct messages only). With chosen channels (the default), channels you join later start hidden until you tick them.
Will it distract me?
Only DMs and @mentions wiggle it, and wiggle, glow and sound can each be turned off. The unread count stays, so you can glance when you're ready.
Is it free?
Every bee is free for 14 days. After that, your first bee is free on one Mac.
More bees
Floating WhatsApp · Gmail notifier · Meeting countdown and Join · iMessage on a work Mac · Waggle and all-in-one chat apps