Best Chrome Extensions to Stop Slack Auto-Away (2025 Review)

Slack flips you to away after roughly ten minutes of no real keyboard or mouse activity — even if you’re glued to your IDE or have Slack open in a background tab. Below are the four Chrome extensions (and one power‑user script) that still work today for keeping that green dot lit.

1. Presence Scheduler – Schedule‑Aware & Server‑Fallback

Store listing: Version 1.0.1, 35 KB, last updated 9 Jul 2025 (chrome web store).

• Sets mousemove + keydown pulses every two minutes during your chosen work windows.
• Multi‑workspace support; personal API token keeps creds local.
• Optional server‑side fallback keeps you green while the browser is closed.
• Presence history log lets you audit when you were online.

Install Presence Scheduler →

2. Slack Controls – Minimal “Always Online” Toggle

Lightweight MV3 extension with ~99 users that flips Slack’s built‑in presence flag plus hides typing indicators (see listing on the Chrome Web Store).

• No schedule; you stay online as long as Chrome is open.
• Add‑ons: hide red notification dot, mute typing indicator.
• No presence history or API integration.

3. AlwaysOnline / Stay Slack Active – Open‑Source Alternative

MIT‑licensed project on GitHub that injects the pulse script via a packaged extension.

• Requires signup at alwaysonline.io for schedule storage.
• Chrome & Edge support; works offline but no server fallback.
• No presence history and does not call the Slack API directly.

4. Tab Reloader – General Tab Auto‑Refresh

Not Slack‑specific, but a simple auto‑refresh keeps Slack’s WebSocket alive.

• Per‑tab custom intervals (e.g. every four minutes).
• No extra permissions beyond tabs.
• Doesn’t log history and bypasses the Slack API altogether.

5. Slack: Always Stay Active – Power‑User Tampermonkey Script

Tiny script that injects ping frames every 30 s. Fast and free, but breaks if Slack renames internal APIs.

• Install Tampermonkey, paste script, reload Slack.
• No schedule UI, no history log.

Tips & Things to Watch Out For

• Policy compliance: none of these extensions violate Slack’s Terms, but your company policy might. Check before deploying at scale.
• Mobile status lag: Slack mobile can lag up to 60 s before reflecting presence changes triggered on desktop.
• CPU drain: Auto‑refresh tools like Tab Reloader keep Chrome awake — watch battery life on laptops.

Need deeper technical tricks? Read our developer guide How to Keep Slack Active.