AI WORLD HQTurn a messy Slack thread into a clean 3-bullet summary with Cohere
Save five minutes every time a long Slack chat buries the real action items under jokes and emojis.
Hook: You’ve just finished a 45-message Slack thread that started with “Quick question…” and ended with three action items buried in jokes about the printer. Instead of scrolling back, use Cohere’s free summariser to extract the three key points in under 5 minutes.
💡 Tip: tap a step’s number when you finish it — a green tick appears and your browser remembers how far you got.
- A free Cohere account (sign-up takes 30 seconds).
- A Slack thread link or the text copied into a blank document.
- A computer or phone with internet and a browser.
- Rough time: 4–6 minutes total.
Copy the Slack thread text
Open the Slack thread on your computer or phone. Click the three dots menu at the top right of the thread → choose “Copy link” (computer) or long-press the thread → tap “Copy” (mobile). Paste the text into any blank document or note app so you have a clean copy.
What you’ll see: a block of text with names, timestamps, and emojis. What happens next: you’ll paste this into Cohere in the next step. If it looks different: on mobile, tap “Share” → “Copy to clipboard” instead of highlighting. You’ll know it worked when you have the full text ready to paste.
John (9:14 AM): Quick question — does anyone know the Wi-Fi password for the new router? Sarah (9:15 AM): It’s on the fridge door in the kitchen. Alex (9:16 AM): Can we update the onboarding doc? The printer section is outdated. Sarah (9:18 AM): Done! I’ve updated the Google Doc. John (9:20 AM): Thanks! Also, can we schedule a team lunch next Friday? Sarah (9:22 AM): Yes — I’ll send a poll in #team-events.
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Go to Cohere’s free summariser
Open your browser and type cohere.com/summarize in the address bar. Press Enter. You’ll land on a clean page with a heading “Summarise text” and a large empty box below it.
What you’ll see: a white page with the heading “Summarise text” and a big empty text box. What happens next: you’ll paste your Slack text here. If it looks different: look for a button like “Try Summariser” or “Get Started” on the homepage. You’ll know it worked when the page loads and you see the empty text box.
Paste the Slack text
Click inside the big text box. Press Ctrl+V (Windows/Linux) or Cmd+V (Mac) to paste the full Slack thread you copied earlier. The text will appear instantly.
What you’ll see: your Slack thread text filling the box. What happens next: the page stays quiet until you click the button. If it looks different: if the box is missing, refresh the page or look for a “Paste your text” link. You’ll know it worked when the text appears exactly as you pasted it.
Choose “Bullet points” and set length to 3
Below the text box, find the dropdown that says “Paragraph” and change it to Bullet points. Next to it, set the length slider to 3 (or type “3” in the box).
What you’ll see: the dropdown now shows “Bullet points” and the number “3” appears. What happens next: the page will stay unchanged until you click the button. If it looks different: look for a slider or a box labelled “Number of points” or “Length”. You’ll know it worked when the dropdown and length box show the correct settings.
Click “Summarise” and wait 2 seconds
Press the big blue button labelled Summarise. In about two seconds, a new box will appear below with your three bullet points.
What you’ll see: a loading spinner for a moment, then a new section with three clean bullet points. What happens next: you can copy these points or edit them. If it looks different: if nothing happens, refresh the page and try again. You’ll know it worked when you see three clear bullet points under a heading like “Summary”.
- Wi-Fi password is on the fridge door in the kitchen.
- Schedule team lunch for next Friday; Sarah will send a poll in #team-events.
Copy the bullets and paste them into Slack
Highlight the three bullet points in the Cohere box. Press Ctrl+C (Windows/Linux) or Cmd+C (Mac) to copy them. Go back to your Slack thread, paste (Ctrl+V / Cmd+V) into a reply, and hit Enter.
What you’ll see: your three bullet points appear as a clean reply in the thread. What happens next: teammates can read the summary instantly. If it looks different: if Slack doesn’t paste, try pasting into a note first, then copy again. You’ll know it worked when the three bullet points appear in your Slack reply.
- Pasting only part of the thread → you’ll miss key points. Always highlight all messages before copying.
- Leaving the length at “Paragraph” → you’ll get a long paragraph instead of bullets. Always switch to “Bullet points” and set length to 3.
- Clicking “Summarise” before pasting → nothing happens. Always paste first, then click the button.
Open cohere.com/summarize in a new tab, paste this 5-line Slack snippet, set it to 3 bullet points, and click Summarise. You’ll have your first summary in under 30 seconds.
Alex: Quick question — who’s free to help test the new CRM next Tuesday? Maria: I am. John: Me too. Alex: Great! We’ll meet at 2pm in the small meeting room. ```
❓ Quick questions
How long does this take?
About 6 minutes — the guide has 6 steps, and you can tick each one off as you go.
Which tool do I need?
This guide uses Cohere Summariser — but the approach works very similarly in other AI assistants.
Do I need to prepare anything?
- A free Cohere account (sign-up takes 30 seconds).
- A Slack thread link or the text copied into a blank document.
- A computer or phone with internet and a browser.
- Rough time: 4–6 minutes total.
What mistakes should I avoid?
- Pasting only part of the thread → you’ll miss key points. Always highlight all messages before copying.
- Leaving the length at “Paragraph” → you’ll get a long paragraph instead of bullets. Always switch to “Bullet points” and set length to 3.
- Clicking “Summarise” before pasting → nothing happens. Always paste first, then click the button.
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✦ Original step-by-step guide by AI World HQ's AI editorial team. Written in plain language, reviewed for accuracy.
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