01What is Buzz AI Slack Alternative?
Buzz AI Slack alternative is a free app from Jack Dorsey and his team at Block. It looks and feels like Slack, but it is powered by AI. You can create teams of AI agents that work together in channels.
These agents can do tasks like generating images or writing blog posts.
Buzz runs on either Codex CLI or Cloud Code CLI. If you already have one of those subscriptions, you can plug it in without extra cost. You do not need to use APIs.
This makes it easy to start using AI agents in your daily work.
02Main Features of Buzz AI Slack Alternative
Buzz has many features that make it useful for individuals and teams. Here are the main ones:
- AI agent teams: You can create custom agents with names, instructions, and profiles.
- Channels: Organize work into different channels, like SEO or blog creation.
- Model options: Use Codex, Cloud, Goose, or other models like Quaint 3 or DeepSea.
- Local context: Plug in your Obsidian Vault to give agents pre-trained data about you.
- Human collaboration: Add team members via invites for quality control.
- Compute sharing: Allow others to run their agents in your workspace.
You can also enable experiments like agent-managed profiles and forum channels.
03How to Get Started with Buzz AI Slack Alternative
Getting started with Buzz is simple. Here is what you do:
- Go to buzz.xyz and sign up for the app.
- Connect your Codex CLI or Cloud Code CLI subscription.
- Create a new channel for a task you want to automate.
- Add an agent to the channel by tagging it (like Fizz).
- Give the agent a task and any examples or context.
- Let the agent work and review the output.
That is it. You can start with a basic channel and add more as you find useful.
04How to Use Buzz for Content and Images
In the episode, Julian showed two examples. First, he used Buzz to create new thumbnails for images. He tagged an agent, gave it a task for image generation, and provided examples.
The agent analyzed the current images, suggested improvements, and generated new thumbnails. He asked it to show the images in the chat, and it did.
Second, he used Buzz to write and publish a blog post. He tagged an agent and said, "come up with some content ideas around OpenQL for today." The agent knew he uses Substack, X, and SEO because of the Cloud Code context. It wrote a complete guide, formatted it, and posted it to WordPress.
He then said "make it live," and it published the post without logging into WordPress.
You can also plug in your Obsidian Vault. Julian asked for SEO keywords for his website. The agent mined his vault and even checked his Google Search Console data to give him fast wins.
05Results and Comparisons in the Episode
Julian found Buzz very easy to use. He spent only about one hour total using Buzz, but he set up workflows quickly. He compared Buzz to other tools like Hermes and OpenClaude.
He said those tools have problems. For example, you cannot plug in Claude CLI with Hermes anymore. They are also not as easy to use.
With Buzz, he got real results. The agent created thumbnails and published a blog post. It also pulled data from his Search Console without being asked.
He said the effort feels effortless.
06Tips, Limits, and Mistakes to Avoid with Buzz
Here are some tips and warnings from the episode:
- Use channels wisely: Delete default channels you do not need, like Welcome.
- Rename channels: You can rename a channel to match its purpose, like "blog creation."
- Limit VRAM: If you use local models, limit the amount of VRAM they use.
- Careful with local access: Agents can access local files, so be mindful of what you share.
- Watch workflow time: Workflows have a time limit (e.g., three minutes left).
Also, if you use Hermes or OpenClaude, you might not have context on you unless your Obsidian Vault is ready.
07Who Should Use Buzz AI Slack Alternative
Buzz is for anyone who wants to automate tasks with AI agents. It is great for individuals who want a free Slack-like workspace. It is also useful for teams.
You can invite your team members and share agents. They can join the workspace and use the same workflows.
Because it uses Codex or Cloud CLI, it is best if you already have those subscriptions. You can use it for content creation, SEO, image generation, and more. It is a new app, so it is in early stages, but it is already very effective.
If you want a simple way to orchestrate AI agents, Buzz is worth trying.