Integrations / Productivity
Grist on WhatsApp: manage attachments, records and tables with an AI agent
Flann turns Grist into something you can message. Ask on WhatsApp, by text or voice note, and Flann does the work in Grist for you. Teams drift when nobody is watching the list. Flann watches Grist for you, notices the jobs that have not moved and tells you plainly, without making you open a board, filter it and scroll its columns on a small phone screen.
30 actions in Grist. 14 only look things up, and 16 create, update, send or delete. You connect with your API key.
What you can ask Flann to do in Grist
You do not need the exact wording. These are the kinds of messages Flann turns into Grist actions.
“Show me my tables in Grist.”
“Look up the org access in Grist.”
“Show me my columns in Grist.”
“Create a document in Grist.”
“Create a table in Grist.”
“Delete the column in Grist.”
What Flann can work with in Grist
Grist gives Flann 30 actions across 12 kinds of record. These are the ones you are most likely to use.
| Record | What Flann can do | Actions |
|---|---|---|
| Attachments | downloadlook upupload | 3 |
| Records | addlook upupdate | 3 |
| SCIM users | createdelete | 2 |
| Tables | createlook up | 2 |
| Columns | deletelook up | 2 |
Here is what changes when Grist goes through Flann instead of its own screens.
| Compare | In Grist yourselfYou click through each job | Flann on GristYou ask, Flann does the clicking |
|---|---|---|
| Asking for something | Log in and click through the screens | Text or voice note, in your own words |
| Looking things up about attachments | By hand, screen by screen | 14 look-ups, answered straight away |
| Creating and updating | Typed in by hand | 16 changes, made from a message |
| Grist records | All of them, one screen at a time | 12 kinds, from one chat |
| Set-up | Nothing new to set up | Your Grist API key, once |
YesPartlyNo
Step by step: Grist jobs you can hand to Flann
How a request turns into real Grist actions, one step at a time.
Create an attachment from a voice note
- You message Flann on WhatsApp: “Create an attachment in Grist with these details.”
- Flann runs
List Attachmentsin Grist and shows you what it found. - Flann runs
Upload Attachmentin Grist. - Flann creates it in Grist and confirms in the chat.
Fix a record without opening Grist
- You message Flann on WhatsApp: “Change the record in Grist: here is what is different.”
- Flann runs
List Recordsin Grist and shows you what it found. - Flann runs
Update Recordsin Grist. - Flann makes the change in Grist and confirms in the chat.
Get answers about your tables
- You message Flann on WhatsApp: “What is the latest on our tables in Grist?”
- Flann runs
List Tablesin Grist and shows you what it found. - Nothing in Grist is changed: these are look-ups, so they run straight away.
Where Flann saves you time in Grist
Small jobs, repeated often, are where the time goes. Here is how they change once Grist is connected.
Nudging the team about late jobs
Today
Some tasks in Grist have sat past their due date for days. Messaging each person to ask how it is going feels like nagging, so you put it off.
With Flann
“Chase whoever has overdue jobs in Grist, nicely.”
Overdue tasks in Grist are grouped by person, and a friendly nudge is drafted for each one, naming the job and asking for a new date if they need it.
What you stop doing: Writing the awkward chaser to each person is no longer yours to do.
Capturing actions from a team meeting
Today
After a team meeting, actions get agreed but nobody writes them into Grist. A week later, everyone remembers the meeting differently.
With Flann
“Here are the notes from this morning’s meeting. Create the actions in Grist with owners.”
Reading your notes, Flann picks out each decision and action, names who owns it and suggests a due date.
What you stop doing: Being the one who types up actions after every meeting is behind you.
More on this: how to hand repetitive tasks to an AI agent on WhatsApp.
How Flann connects to Grist
- In Flann, go to Connectors and find Grist.
- Paste your Grist API key into the secure form Flann opens. You will find the key in your Grist account settings.
- From then on, message Flann on WhatsApp. It works in Grist whenever a request needs it.
Of the 30 Grist actions, 14 only read. The other 16 create, update, send or delete. Disconnect Grist in Connectors whenever you like.
Ways to use Grist with Flann
What is due today
Ask Flann what is overdue or due today. It reads Grist and sends you the list.
Plan the week in a message
Tell Flann what needs doing this week.
Close things off
Tell Flann a job is done. It prepares the update in Grist so the list stays honest.
Everything Flann can do in Grist
Every Grist action Flann can run, split into what it reads and what it changes.
Looks up 14
- Fetch Document Metadata
- Fetch Table Metadata
- Get Org Access
- Get Users
- List Records
- List Tables
- Run SQL Query
- Download All Attachments Archive
- Download Attachment
- List Attachments
- List Columns
- List Organizations
- List Webhooks
- List Workspaces
Changes 16
- Add Records
- Delete Grist Table Records
- Update Records
- Create Document
- Create Document Webhook
- Create SCIM User
- Create Table
- Delete Column
- Delete SCIM User
- Delete Webhook
- Remove Unused Attachments
- Update Column Metadata
- Update Document Metadata
- Update Table Metadata
- Update Webhook
- Upload Attachment
More Productivity apps Flann works with
Clockify
TicktickCommon questions
What can Flann do with attachments in Grist?
Flann can download, look up and upload attachments in Grist, using 3 actions (Download Attachment, List Attachments, Upload Attachment). Looking up runs straight away and changes nothing. The other actions create or change attachments in Grist.
What can Flann do with records in Grist?
Flann can add, look up and update records in Grist, using 3 actions (Add Records, List Records, Update Records). Looking up runs straight away and changes nothing. The other actions create or change records in Grist.
How does Flann connect to Grist?
Open Connectors in Flann, choose Grist and paste your Grist API key into a secure form. You will find the key in your Grist account settings. Once it is connected, Flann can use 30 actions in Grist.
Do I need to open Grist to use it with Flann?
No. Once Grist is connected, you ask Flann on WhatsApp or in the Flann app, by text or voice note, and it does the work in Grist.
Which Flann plan do I need for Grist?
Any of them. Every Flann plan includes Grist and every other app.