Guide · Email and Slack
How to parse emails and post the details to Slack
Your team doesn't need the whole email in Slack. They need the order number, the amount or who it's from. Here are three ways to post just that.
The ClearMakes Inbox team · Last updated 29 October 2026
What does an email parser to Slack do?
It reads each new email, copies out the details you care about, such as an order number, an amount, a date or a name, and posts a short message with those details in a Slack channel. Your team sees the facts at a glance instead of a forwarded email. You can do it with a parser tool and Zapier, or with one workflow.
Way 1: a parser tool, then Zapier or a webhook
Tools such as Mailparser and Parseur give you an email address. You send your emails there, mark the details to copy, and pass them on to Slack through Zapier, Make or a webhook.
Get the parser's address
Create an inbox in the tool and copy its email address.Send it your emails
Set a Gmail filter or Outlook rule that forwards the right emails there.Mark the details
Show the tool where the order number, amount or name sits in a sample email.Pass them to Slack
Connect the parser to Zapier, Make or a webhook, and post to a channel from there.
Neither pricing page lists Slack itself, so you need the middle step. Sources: Mailparser pricing and Parseur pricing, checked 29 October 2026. Outlook users: many Microsoft 365 organisations block forwarding to outside addresses (more on that here).
Way 2: Zapier's Email Parser
Zapier has its own Email Parser. You get a Zapier email address, highlight the text to copy in a sample email, and then use a Zap to post the details to Slack.
- Create a mailbox in Email Parser by Zapier and send it a sample email.
- Highlight and name each piece of text you want, such as “order number”.
- Forward future emails to that address, and build a Zap: new parsed email, then send a Slack message.
Zapier's free plan runs two-step Zaps and checks for new data every 15 minutes, with 100 tasks a month. Its Professional plan is $29.99 a month, or $19.99 a month billed yearly, for 750 tasks. Sources: Email Parser by Zapier and Zapier pricing, checked 29 October 2026.
Way 3: a workflow that reads the email and posts to Slack
A ClearMakes Inbox workflow reads Gmail or Outlook through a connected app, pulls out the details you name, and posts them to Slack. No forwarding address and no template to mark.
“When an order email arrives, pull out the order number, the customer and the total, and post them to #orders in Slack.”
- When an email arrives in Gmail
- Check it is an order email
- Pull out the order number, customer and total
- Post to #orders in Slack
With ClearMakes Inbox
Connect Gmail (or Outlook) and Slack
In the Apps page of ClearMakes Inbox. The free plan allows 3 apps.Type the sentence
Say which emails, which details, and which channel.Check the steps and switch it on
Inbox asks at most one question. Every run is then listed with its steps, so you can see what it pulled out.
The details are pulled out with AI, so it copes with emails written in different ways. Check the first few posts before you rely on it. More examples: 12 workflows you can copy.
Which way should you pick?
If every email looks the same and you already pay for Zapier, a parser works well. If the emails differ, or you want fewer tools, use a workflow.
| Way | Free to start | Emails reach it by | Finds details by | Posts to Slack |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mailparser + Zapier or webhook | 30-day trial | Forwarding to its address | Its own parsing | Through Zapier, Power Automate or a webhook |
| Parseur + Zapier, Make or webhook | Free plan, 20 pages a month | Forwarding to its address | Its own parsing | Through Zapier, Make or a webhook |
| Email Parser by Zapier | Zapier free plan, 100 tasks a month | Forwarding to its address | Text you highlight | A Zap |
| ClearMakes Inbox workflow | Free plan, 100 runs a month | A connected Gmail or Outlook | AI, from the details you name | Directly, as a step |
Before you switch anything on
- Post only the details people act on. A long post gets skipped.
- Pick one channel per kind of email, so people know where to look.
- Keep private emails out: choose them by sender or subject.
- Send a test email and read what arrives in Slack.
Questions people ask
What is an email parser?
Does Mailparser connect to Slack directly?
Do I have to forward my emails to the parser?
What if the details are written differently in each email?
How much does it cost with ClearMakes Inbox?
Post the details, not the whole email.
Connect your mailbox and Slack, type one sentence, and check the steps.
Free plan: 3 apps, 2 new workflows and 100 runs a month.