> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://cakeday.io/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Invite teammates to Cake Day

> Learn the five ways to get teammates onto the Cake Day roster — individual slash commands, picker modals, dashboard invites, broadcast DMs, and CSV import.

Cake Day never adds people to the roster automatically. Every teammate must opt in themselves — either by responding to an invite DM you send, or by running `/cakeday me` in Slack. This keeps birthdays and work anniversaries private until each person chooses to share them.

<Note>Only Cake Day admins can send invites. If you don't see the invite options below, ask your workspace admin to grant you admin access from the [Admins page](https://cakeday.io/app/admins).</Note>

## Method 1: Individual invite via slash command

Use `/cakeday invite @user` to send a single invite DM directly from Slack.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Type the invite command">
    In any Slack channel or DM, run:

    ```
    /cakeday invite @teammate
    ```

    Replace `@teammate` with the person you want to invite.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Cake Day sends the invite DM">
    The teammate receives a direct message from Cake Day with two buttons:

    * **Add my dates** — opens a modal where they enter their birthday (and optionally their work start date)
    * **No thanks** — records their decline

    You'll see an ephemeral confirmation in Slack once the DM is sent.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Teammate responds">
    If they click **Add my dates** and submit the modal, they appear as Active on your roster. If they click **No thanks**, Cake Day records their decline and won't re-invite them automatically.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Method 2: User picker modal

Run `/cakeday invite` with no arguments to open a modal where you can select one or more teammates at once.

1. Run `/cakeday invite` in any Slack channel.
2. The user picker modal opens — search for and select the teammates you want to invite.
3. Submit the modal. Cake Day sends an invite DM to each person you selected.

This works the same as the individual invite — each recipient gets the same DM with **Add my dates** and **No thanks** buttons.

## Method 3: From the dashboard

You can also send invite DMs from the web dashboard without leaving the browser.

1. Go to [cakeday.io/app/roster](https://cakeday.io/app/roster).
2. Click **Add to roster**.
3. Pick the members you want to invite from the picker.
4. Click **Send DM invites**. Cake Day sends each selected member the invite DM.

## Method 4: Broadcast (Starter and above)

Broadcast sends an invite DM to every workspace member who hasn't already opted in or declined — all at once. This is the fastest way to grow your roster when you're getting started.

Broadcast is available on **Starter, Growth, and Pro** plans. See the [Broadcast guide](/docs/guides/broadcast) for full details on how to run one.

## Method 5: CSV import (Starter and above)

If you already have a spreadsheet of birthdays and work anniversaries, you can import the whole roster in one go without sending invite DMs.

CSV import is available on **Starter, Growth, and Pro** plans. Members added via CSV are set to Active immediately — no opt-in DM is required. See the [CSV import guide](/docs/guides/csv-import) for the full walkthrough and column reference.

## What the invite DM looks like

When a teammate receives an invite, they see a friendly DM from Cake Day that briefly explains what the app does and gives them two choices:

* **Add my dates** — opens a modal to enter their birthday and optional work start date
* **No thanks** — closes the invite and records their decline

If someone declines, Cake Day won't re-invite them automatically. An admin can always send them a fresh invite manually if they change their mind.