Automate Daily Trivia Icebreakers for Slack Teams

What This Agent Does

This workflow delivers automated daily trivia questions to your team's Slack channel while maintaining a complete log in Google Sheets. Every day, the agent randomly selects a difficulty level (easy, medium, or hard), fetches a fresh trivia question from the Open Trivia Database, formats it beautifully for Slack, and archives each question for future reference. It's a perfect way to boost team engagement, spark conversations, and add a fun learning element to your workplace culture.

Key Benefits:

• Saves 15+ minutes daily by eliminating manual trivia research and posting
• Increases team engagement with zero-effort daily content that encourages interaction
• Builds a knowledge repository automatically in Google Sheets for tracking participation and reusing questions
• Fully customizable difficulty ensures content stays fresh and appropriately challenging

Perfect Use Cases:

• Daily team engagement in remote or hybrid workplaces
• Morning standup ice-breakers
• Learning and development initiatives
• Community building in large Slack workspaces
• Educational content delivery for training programs

Who Is It For

This workflow is ideal for:

• Team Leaders & Managers who want to foster team bonding and create daily touchpoints without manual effort
• HR & Culture Teams looking to maintain engagement and build community across distributed teams
• Community Managers running Slack communities who need consistent, quality content
• Training Coordinators seeking to supplement learning programs with bite-sized knowledge challenges
• Small Business Owners who want to keep their teams connected and energized with minimal time investment

No coding experience required! If you can connect a few apps and follow step-by-step instructions, you can set this up in under 20 minutes.

Required Integrations

Slack

Why it's needed: Slack is where your trivia questions will be posted daily, making them visible to your team and encouraging participation through reactions and thread discussions.

Setup Steps:

1. Create a Slack App (if you haven't already):

   • Visit https://api.slack.com/apps
   • Click "Create New App" → "From scratch"
   • Name it "Trivia Bot" and select your workspace

2. Configure Bot Permissions:

   • Navigate to "OAuth & Permissions" in the left sidebar
   • Under "Scopes" → "Bot Token Scopes", add: chat:write, chat:write.public
   • These permissions allow the bot to post messages to channels

3. Install to Workspace:

   • Scroll to top of "OAuth & Permissions" page
   • Click "Install to Workspace" and authorize
   • Copy the "Bot User OAuth Token" (starts with xoxb-)

4. Configure in TaskAGI:

   • Go to TaskAGI Integrations page
   • Click "Add Integration" → Select "Slack"
   • Paste your Bot User OAuth Token
   • Name the connection (e.g., "Company Slack")
   • Click "Test Connection" to verify
   • Save the integration

Pro Tip: Invite your bot to the target channel by typing /invite @Trivia Bot in the channel where you want questions posted.

Google Sheets

Why it's needed: Google Sheets serves as your trivia archive, logging every question posted with timestamps, difficulty levels, and question details. This creates a searchable history and enables analytics on engagement patterns.

Setup Steps:

1. Create a Google Sheets Document:

   • Go to https://sheets.google.com
   • Create a new spreadsheet named "Trivia Log"
   • In the first row, add headers: Timestamp, Difficulty, Category, Question, Correct Answer, All Answers
   • Copy the full URL from your browser (you'll need this later)

2. Enable Google Sheets API:

   • Visit https://console.cloud.google.com
   • Create a new project or select existing one
   • Navigate to "APIs & Services" → "Library"
   • Search for "Google Sheets API" and enable it

3. Create Service Account Credentials:

   • Go to "APIs & Services" → "Credentials"
   • Click "Create Credentials" → "Service Account"
   • Name it "TaskAGI Trivia Logger"
   • Click "Create and Continue"
   • Skip optional steps and click "Done"
   • Click on the created service account
   • Go to "Keys" tab → "Add Key" → "Create new key"
   • Choose JSON format and download the file

4. Share Your Sheet:

   • Open your downloaded JSON file
   • Find the client_email field (looks like name@project.iam.gserviceaccount.com)
   • In your Google Sheet, click "Share"
   • Paste the service account email
   • Grant "Editor" permissions
   • Uncheck "Notify people" and click "Share"

5. Configure in TaskAGI:

   • Go to TaskAGI Integrations page
   • Click "Add Integration" → Select "Google Sheets"
   • Upload your JSON credentials file OR paste the JSON content
   • Name the connection (e.g., "Trivia Sheets")
   • Click "Test Connection" to verify
   • Save the integration

Configuration Steps

Step 1: Configure the Schedule Trigger

The Schedule Trigger node determines when your trivia questions are posted.

1. Click on the "Schedule Trigger" node
2. Set your preferred schedule:
   • Interval: daily
   • Time: 09:00 (or your preferred time - consider when your team is most active)
   • Timezone: Select your team's timezone
   • Days: Select weekdays only if you prefer (Monday-Friday)

Example Configuration:

interval: daily
time: 09:00
timezone: America/New_York
days: [Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday]

Step 2: Choose Random Difficulty (No Configuration Needed)

This Function node automatically selects a random difficulty level. The code is pre-configured to randomly choose between "easy", "medium", and "hard" with equal probability.

Step 3: Route by Difficulty (Pre-configured)

The Switch node routes the workflow to the appropriate trivia API endpoint based on the randomly selected difficulty. No configuration needed - it automatically reads the output from the previous node.

Step 4: Trivia Fetch Nodes (Easy, Medium, Hard)

These three HTTP Request nodes fetch questions from the Open Trivia Database. They're pre-configured with the correct endpoints:

• Fetch Easy Trivia: https://opentdb.com/api.php?amount=1&difficulty=easy&type=multiple
• Fetch Medium Trivia: https://opentdb.com/api.php?amount=1&difficulty=medium&type=multiple
• Fetch Hard Trivia: https://opentdb.com/api.php?amount=1&difficulty=hard&type=multiple

Optional Customization: You can add category filters to focus on specific topics:

• Add &category=9 for General Knowledge
• Add &category=22 for Geography
• Add &category=23 for History
• Full category list: https://opentdb.com/api_category.php

Step 5: Format Message Nodes (Pre-configured)

The three Format Message nodes (Easy, Medium, Hard) automatically structure the trivia data into Slack-friendly formatting with emojis and proper answer shuffling. No configuration needed.

Step 6: Merge Branches (Pre-configured)

The Merge node combines the three difficulty branches back into a single flow. No configuration required.

Step 7: Extract Trivia Data (Pre-configured)

This Function node parses the trivia response and prepares data for logging. Pre-configured and ready to use.

Step 8: Configure Post to Slack

The Slack Send Message node posts your formatted trivia to Slack.

1. Click on the "Post to Slack" node
2. Configure the following:
   • Integration: Select your connected Slack integration
   • Channel: Enter your channel name (e.g., #general or #trivia)
   • Message: This should automatically reference the formatted message from previous nodes: {{4643.output}}
   • Bot Name (optional): Trivia Bot or your preferred name
   • Icon Emoji (optional): :question: or :brain:

Pro Tip: Test with a private channel first to ensure formatting looks perfect before going live to your main channel.

Step 9: Configure Log to Google Sheets

The Google Sheets Append Row node logs each trivia question to your spreadsheet.

1. Click on the "Log to Google Sheets" node
2. Configure the following:
   • Integration: Select your connected Google Sheets integration
   • Sheet URL: Paste the full URL of your "Trivia Log" spreadsheet
   • Values to Append: Map the data fields:

     [
       "{{$now}}",
       "{{4643.difficulty}}",
       "{{4643.category}}",
       "{{4643.question}}",
       "{{4643.correct_answer}}",
       "{{4643.all_answers}}"
     ]
     

Important: Ensure the order matches your spreadsheet headers exactly.

Testing Your Agent

Running Your First Test

1. Save Your Workflow: Click the "Save" button in the top-right corner
2. Manual Test Run: Click "Test Workflow" or "Run Once" button
3. Monitor Execution: Watch the workflow execution panel as each node processes

Verification Checklist

During Execution:

• ✅ Schedule Trigger fires successfully
• ✅ Random difficulty is selected (check the node output)
• ✅ Correct HTTP request branch executes (only one of the three trivia fetch nodes should run)
• ✅ Message formatting completes without errors
• ✅ Merge node combines the data

After Execution:

• ✅ Check your Slack channel - you should see a formatted trivia question with:
  • Difficulty indicator (🟢 Easy, 🟡 Medium, or 🔴 Hard)
  • Category label
  • The question
  • Four answer options labeled A, B, C, D
  • Engagement prompt
• ✅ Check your Google Sheet - a new row should appear with:
  • Current timestamp
  • Difficulty level
  • Category
  • Question text
  • Correct answer
  • All answer options

Success Indicators:

• Message appears in Slack within 5-10 seconds
• Formatting is clean and readable
• Google Sheet updates simultaneously
• No error notifications in TaskAGI

Test Different Scenarios

Run the workflow 3-4 times manually to ensure all difficulty levels work:

• You should see different difficulty levels across multiple runs
• Each difficulty should fetch and format correctly
• All data should log properly regardless of difficulty

Troubleshooting

Slack Integration Issues

Problem: "Channel not found" error

• Solution: Ensure you've invited your bot to the channel using /invite @YourBotName
• Solution: Verify the channel name includes the # symbol (e.g., #general)
• Solution: Check that your bot has chat:write and chat:write.public permissions

Problem: Message posts but formatting looks wrong

• Solution: Check that the message field references the correct node output: {{4643.output}}
• Solution: Verify the Format Message nodes are executing (check their output in test mode)

Problem: "Invalid token" error

• Solution: Regenerate your Bot User OAuth Token in Slack API settings
• Solution: Ensure you copied the Bot token (starts with xoxb-), not the User token

Google Sheets Integration Issues

Problem: "Permission denied" error

• Solution: Verify you shared the sheet with the service account email from your JSON credentials
• Solution: Ensure the service account has "Editor" permissions, not just "Viewer"
• Solution: Check that the Google Sheets API is enabled in your Google Cloud project

Problem: Data appears in wrong columns

• Solution: Verify your sheet headers match exactly: Timestamp, Difficulty, Category, Question, Correct Answer, All Answers
• Solution: Check the values array in the node configuration matches the header order
• Solution: Ensure there are no extra columns or merged cells in row 1

Problem: "Sheet URL invalid" error

• Solution: Copy the complete URL from your browser, including https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/...
• Solution: Ensure the sheet is not in "view only" mode
• Solution: Try using the Sheet ID instead of the full URL (the long string in the URL)

Workflow Execution Issues

Problem: Workflow doesn't trigger at scheduled time

• Solution: Verify your timezone setting matches your local timezone
• Solution: Check that the workflow is "Active" (toggle in top-right corner)
• Solution: Ensure your TaskAGI account has sufficient execution credits

Problem: HTTP request fails or times out

• Solution: The Open Trivia Database API is free but occasionally experiences downtime - wait 5 minutes and retry
• Solution: Check your internet connectivity
• Solution: Verify the API URL hasn't changed at https://opentdb.com/api_config.php

Problem: Only one difficulty level works

• Solution: Check the Switch node configuration - ensure all three cases are properly defined
• Solution: Verify each HTTP Request node has the correct difficulty parameter in its URL
• Solution: Test each branch individually by temporarily removing the Switch node

Data Flow Issues

Problem: Merge node shows errors

• Solution: Ensure at least one of the three trivia fetch branches completes successfully
• Solution: Check that the Format Message nodes are producing output
• Solution: Verify the Merge node is configured to wait for only one branch (not all three)

Next Steps

After Successful Setup

Immediate Actions:

1. Activate the Workflow: Toggle the "Active" switch to enable automatic daily execution
2. Announce to Your Team: Post a message in your Slack channel introducing the new daily trivia feature
3. Monitor First Week: Check daily that questions are posting correctly and adjust timing if needed
4. Gather Feedback: Ask your team about difficulty preferences and timing

Optimization Suggestions

Enhance Engagement:

• Add Reaction Voting: Encourage team members to react with 🇦 🇧 🇨 🇩 emojis to vote for answers
• Create a Leaderboard: Use your Google Sheets log to track who answers correctly most often
• Weekly Recaps: Set up a second workflow that summarizes the week's questions every Friday
• Prize System: Offer small rewards for monthly trivia champions

Customize Content:

• Category Rotation: Modify the HTTP request URLs to rotate through specific categories on different days
  • Monday: History (&category=23)
  • Wednesday: Science (&category=17)
  • Friday: Entertainment (&category=11)
• Difficulty Progression: Instead of random selection, increase difficulty throughout the week (Easy Monday → Hard Friday)
• Themed Weeks: Temporarily lock to specific categories for themed weeks (e.g., "Geography Week")

Improve Logging:

• Add Response Tracking: Create a Google Form linked to your sheet for team members to submit answers
• Analytics Dashboard: Use Google Sheets formulas or Data Studio to visualize participation trends
• Answer Reveal: Set up a second Slack message 4 hours later that posts the correct answer with explanation

Advanced Usage Tips

Multi-Channel Deployment: Duplicate this workflow to post different difficulty levels to different channels:

• #trivia-easy for casual participants
• #trivia-hard for competitive players
• #trivia-random for mixed difficulty

Integration Expansion:

• Add Microsoft Teams: Duplicate the Slack node and configure for Teams to reach more team members
• Email Digest: Add an email node to send weekly trivia compilations to subscribers
• Discord Support: Replace Slack with Discord integration for gaming communities

Gamification Features:

• Streak Tracking: Modify the Google Sheets logging to track consecutive correct answers
• Point System: Assign points based on difficulty (Easy: 1pt, Medium: 2pts, Hard: 3pts)
• Team Competitions: Split your organization into teams and track cumulative scores

Content Quality:

• Question Review: Periodically review your Google Sheets log to identify and exclude poor-quality questions
• Custom Questions: Build your own trivia database and replace the API with your curated content