Your Google Drive has the docs. But teammates still ask the same “Can you send me that link?” questions in Slack. The files exist—they’re just buried in folders no one remembers to check.

This quick guide shows you how to connect ClearFeed to your Google Drive, allowing Slack to do the searching for you. Instead of digging through Drive, teammates simply ask in a channel and access the right document instantly. You decide whether ClearFeed replies automatically or waits for your thumbs-up before sharing.

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How To Enable Auto-Responses in Slack Using Google Drive Files and Documents?

It's easy to get started. Follow these guidelines to set up auto-answers in Slack using your knowledge base, which is hosted on Google Drive.

Step 1: Connect Google Drive Workspace to ClearFeed

1. Open the ClearFeed web app and go to Settings → Integrations.
2. Find Google Drive and click Connect.
3. You’ll be redirected to the Google sign-in page. Select the account from which you want ClearFeed to index files, then click Allow to grant access.
4. This permission allows ClearFeed to securely retrieve knowledge from your Drive, enabling answers to be surfaced directly in Slack.
5. Click Connect to complete the integration.

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Step 2: Index Your Files and PDFs Stored in Google Drive

1. Go to AI → Knowledge Sources.

2. From the Add Knowledge Source dropdown, select Google Drive.
3. Fill the drawer: Name and Tags (Google Drive is added by default). Select the files and documents from the connected Google Drive workspace to be indexed and used for knowledge sharing.
4. Toggle Auto reindex regularly to refresh content daily.
5. Save. Watch status move from Initiated → Indexing → Indexed.
6. Need a fresh crawl now? Click Reindex on the source.

Step 3: Configure Your AI Agent

1. Go to AI → Agent Studio → + New AI Agent. Give a name to your AI Agent.
2. Under Add Knowledge Sources → Pick Specific (use tags to limit to just your Google Drive set) or Add All.

We’ll skip the remaining configuration sections in Agent Studio for now and revisit them later.

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Step 4: Test Your AI Agent

After adding our knowledge source to the Agent, we can test it using the built-in Test interface in the right panel and preview the responses before rolling out.

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Step 5: Deploy the Agent to Slack

To deploy your Agent, assign it to a Collection. Once configured, it will automatically cover all Slack channels in that Collection—or email-based tickets if you’re using an Email Collection.

1. Add Slack Channels: From the ClearFeed web app - hover on the Slack Channel Collection, go to the … menu, and click on Add Channel. Add any Slack channels where we want the AI Agent to respond to this Collection.
2. Attach the AI Agent: Click on the Slack Channel Collection and then go to the top right Settings → AI Agent, as shown in the UI below.

3. Toggle on AI Agent and toggle on Enable AI Agent-Powered Answers for this collection. 
4. From there, you can choose either:
   
   • Virtual Agent (auto-replies in the request channel), or
   • Agent Assistant (suggests internally in your triage channel).
     (You can’t enable both for the same collection.)

For now, select Virtual Agent mode and leave the trigger set to Automatic. We’ll return to these settings later to explore the alternatives.

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Step 6: Use It in Slack (and Test Live)

Now, head to any Slack channel in the Collection where you enabled the Virtual Agent. Post a new message, and you’ll see the Agent search the files and documents added and reply with either an answer or search results, depending on how you set it up. 

If you’re also using ClearFeed for ticketing, users can create tickets right from the channel if their issue isn’t resolved, and these tickets can be pushed into Freshdesk, Zendesk, JSM, etc.

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Expanding Your AI Agent Capabilities

Hurrah! While it took a few steps, we have not deployed an AI Agent backed by Google Drive files in a Slack Channel. There’s a lot more ClearFeed can do. 

• The AI Agent was deployed in Automatic mode. It can also be deployed in Manual mode, so answers are only given when a (configurable) emoji is applied.
• Agent Assistant: Want only to expose the answers to service teams in Slack? That can be done by selecting Agent Assistant, where answers are posted as internal comments in an internal Triage Channel that can be kept private to the service team. Here’s what responses by the Agent Assistant in a Triage Channel look like:

• Additional Instructions for the AI Agent: Have questions that should not be answered? Want to control the language of the responses, their style, or length? These and much more can be done by customizing the prompt (go back to the Agent Studio, click Edit on your AI Agent, and expand the Detailed Instructions section.

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Bring Instant Google Drive Files and Documents to Slack With ClearFeed

Connect ClearFeed to Google Drive, and every question in Slack can surface the right help-center article. Responses appear automatically, or you can add a quick human check.

Need broader coverage? You can link Confluence, Notion, or other wikis while Google Drive remains your primary reference.

Ready to see it in action? Start a 14-day ClearFeed trial—free, no credit card required. Questions or custom requirements? Email us at support@clearfeed.ai and we’ll be glad to help.