How to Get Started with Q, ChatGPT for Slack

Add Q to your Slack workspace, invite it to a channel or DM, and mention @Q to start chatting. The trial lasts 14 days, requires no credit card, and runs on GPT-5.6; continuing after that requires a paid plan. Q is an officially approved Slack app powered by OpenAI, so the whole setup happens inside Slack rather than a separate browser tab.

Before you start

• You need permission to install apps in the Slack workspace (or an admin who can approve the install).
• Decide where Q should live first: a shared channel for team use, or a DM for private drafting.
• Note the trial terms: 14 days, no credit card, GPT-5.6 during the trial. Pricing details are on the site's pricing page; the page does not state amounts, so check that page before the trial ends.

Step-by-step setup

1. Add Q to your workspace

Use the Add to Slack button on the Q site and approve the install for your workspace. Expected result: Q appears as an app in your Slack workspace.

2. Invite Q to a channel or open a DM

• In a channel: invite the Q app to that channel, the same way you'd add any Slack app.
• In DMs: message Q directly. Per the site, you can interact with Q without @Q in DMs.

Expected result: Q is present where you want to work and can see the conversation it's brought into.

3. Start chatting

In a channel, mention @Q followed by your request. In a DM, just type your message.

Expected result: Q replies in the thread, and you can keep the conversation going there.

4. Attach URLs or files to your prompt

Q reads URLs and files on demand when you include them with your input. Supported URLs include general web pages, arXiv papers, YouTube, Google Slides, Google Docs, Google Sheets, and Notion. Supported files include audio, video, PDF, image, Excel, PPT, Word, text, CSV, and code.

Some URLs require your authentication — for example, Google Workspace apps. The site points to a settings page for handling that; expect to authorize access before Q can read those documents.

5. Set Custom Instructions for your team

Put team-specific rules, guidelines, and templates into Custom Instructions once. After that, anyone in the workspace gets those defaults just by posting their input — useful for emails, translations, tweet/blog drafts, copywriting, reporting, and coding or testing against internal information.

6. Verify it works

A quick check: ask Q to summarize a public URL, then ask it to summarize a Google Doc you own. If the first works and the second fails, the authentication step for Google Workspace URLs is the likely gap.

What to expect from Q's behavior

• Thread awareness: when Q is mentioned, it reads the thread content to understand the conversation. The site's FAQ states it does not read content outside that context.
• Data handling: the site says Q won't store or learn your data, and that unlike the browser version you can chat without your input being used to train OpenAI's model.
• Shared, persistent use: chat history is unlimited with advanced search, and the whole team can use GPT alongside each other — which also makes usage visible and billable as one workspace expense rather than individual subscriptions.

Common snags

Deciding whether to continue after the trial

Continue with a paid plan if your team wants a shared, always-available GPT inside Slack with URL/file reading and centralized billing. If you only need occasional personal use, the browser version of ChatGPT may be enough — the trade-offs Q emphasizes are team visibility, no repeated logins, no peak-hour limits, and one consolidated expense. Check the pricing page for current plan terms before the 14 days run out.