user/updateProfile

Update the Slack profile of a workspace member. Can set real name, display name, title, phone, email, and status. Requires a user token (xoxp-), not a bot token.

User Token Required: This operation requires a user token (xoxp-) with the users.profile:write scope, not a bot token (xoxb-). User tokens have broad account-level access. Store them as a named credential with restricted access policies and never expose them in workflow logs or error output.

When to Use

Sync user profiles from an HR system (HRIS) to Slack on a scheduled basis to keep titles and names current.
Set an automated OOO status text and emoji when an employee submits approved leave in the HR system.
Update titles and department info across the workspace after an organizational restructure.
Bulk update display names during a company rebrand or naming convention change.
Clear status text and emoji programmatically when the OOO period ends.

Configuration

Connection

Field	Required	Description
`userToken`	Required	Slack User Token starting with `xoxp-`. Must have the `users.profile:write` OAuth scope. This is a user-level token, not a bot token — obtain it via user OAuth or from a workspace admin.

Operation Fields

Field	Required	Description
`userId`	Required	The Slack user ID of the member whose profile to update (e.g. `U01ABCDEFGH`). Workspace admins can update any user; regular users can only update their own profile.
`realName`	Optional	Updated real name. Omit to leave unchanged.
`displayName`	Optional	Updated display name shown in Slack messages. Omit to leave unchanged.
`email`	Optional	Updated email address. Admin-level token required to change another user's email. Omit to leave unchanged.
`phone`	Optional	Updated phone number. Omit to leave unchanged.
`title`	Optional	Updated job title. Omit to leave unchanged.
`statusText`	Optional	Updated status text (e.g. "On vacation until June 3"). Set to empty string to clear the status.
`statusEmoji`	Optional	Emoji for the status (e.g. `:palm_tree:`). Set to empty string to clear the emoji.

Sample Configuration

{
  "operation": "user/updateProfile",
  "connection": {
    "userToken": "{{ $credentials.slackUser.token }}"
  },
  "userId": "{{ $input.targetUserId }}",
  "statusText": "On leave until {{ $input.returnDate | date:'MMM d' }}",
  "statusEmoji": ":palm_tree:"
}

Validation Errors

Error Code	Cause	Resolution
`user_not_found`	The target `userId` does not exist in the workspace.	Verify the user ID with a `user/get` call first.
`missing_scope`	The user token lacks the `users.profile:write` scope.	Add `users.profile:write` to the OAuth scopes and re-authorize the user.
`cant_update_admin`	Attempting to update the profile of a workspace admin without sufficient privileges.	Workspace Admins can only be updated by other Admins or Owners.
`invalid_auth`	User token is invalid, expired, or revoked.	Re-authorize the user via OAuth to obtain a fresh user token.
`not_authed`	A bot token (`xoxb-`) was provided instead of a user token (`xoxp-`).	Replace the credential with a user token. Bot tokens cannot call `users.profile.set`.

Output

Success Port

Field	Type	Description
`userId`	string	Slack user ID of the updated profile.
`status`	string	`"success"` when the profile was updated successfully.
`errorCode`	string	Empty on success. Slack API error code on failure.
`payload`	object	Raw Slack API response including the updated profile object.

Error Port

Activated when the user is not found, the token is a bot token instead of a user token, or the token lacks write permissions.

Sample Output

{
  "userId": "U01ALICE123",
  "status": "success",
  "errorCode": "",
  "payload": {
    "ok": true,
    "profile": {
      "real_name": "Alice Johnson",
      "display_name": "Alice",
      "title": "Principal Engineer",
      "status_text": "On leave until Jun 3",
      "status_emoji": ":palm_tree:"
    }
  }
}

Expression Reference

Expression	Result
`{{ $output.updateProfile.userId }}`	User ID of the successfully updated profile.
`{{ $output.updateProfile.status }}`	Status string for conditional branching after the update.
`{{ $output.updateProfile.payload.profile.title }}`	Confirmed updated title from the API response.
`{{ $output.updateProfile.payload.profile.status_text }}`	Confirmed updated status text from the API response.

Node Policies & GuardRails

Policy Area	Recommendation
User Token Security	User tokens (`xoxp-`) carry the full permissions of the authorizing user. Store them in the credential vault with restricted access. Never log, print, or include in error messages.
Admin vs. User Scope	A non-admin user token can only update the profile of the token owner. To update profiles of other users, the token must belong to a workspace admin or owner.
Partial Updates	Only supply fields you intend to change. Omitted fields are left unchanged on the server. Passing an empty string for `statusText` explicitly clears the status.
Status Expiry	Slack does not enforce status expiry via this API. If you set an OOO status, pair it with a scheduled `user/updateProfile` call to clear the status when the leave period ends.
Rate Limits	Slack's `users.profile.set` is Tier 3. Bulk profile update jobs should be throttled and run as background scheduled workflows rather than synchronous operations.

Examples

Set OOO Status When Leave is Approved

When an employee's leave request is approved in the HR system, automatically set their Slack status.

{
  "operation": "user/updateProfile",
  "userId": "{{ $input.slackUserId }}",
  "statusText": "On leave until {{ $input.returnDate | date:'MMM d' }}",
  "statusEmoji": ":palm_tree:"
}

Clear OOO Status When Leave Ends

On the day of the employee's return, clear their status as part of an automated offboarding-from-leave workflow.

{
  "operation": "user/updateProfile",
  "userId": "{{ $input.slackUserId }}",
  "statusText": "",
  "statusEmoji": ""
}

Bulk Update Titles After Org Restructure

Iterate over a list of users with updated titles from the HR system and apply them to Slack profiles.

{
  "operation": "user/updateProfile",
  "userId": "{{ $loop.item.slackUserId }}",
  "title": "{{ $loop.item.newTitle }}"
}