diff --git a/core/matcher.go b/core/matcher.go
index 0fcaee8d..3f44a411 100644
--- a/core/matcher.go
+++ b/core/matcher.go
@@ -211,6 +211,8 @@ func handleNoMatch(outputMsgs chan<- models.Message, message models.Message, hit
 }
 
 // isValidHitChatRule does additional checks on a successfully hit rule that came from the chat or CLI service.
+//
+//nolint:gocyclo // refactor
 func isValidHitChatRule(message *models.Message, rule models.Rule, processedInput string, bot *models.Bot) bool {
 	// Check to honor allow_users or allow_usergroups
 	canRunRule := utils.CanTrigger(message.Vars["_user.name"], message.Vars["_user.id"], rule, bot)
diff --git a/remote/slack/helper.go b/remote/slack/helper.go
index a95626fa..b70916a7 100644
--- a/remote/slack/helper.go
+++ b/remote/slack/helper.go
@@ -449,69 +449,21 @@ func populateMessage(message models.Message, msgType models.MessageType, channel
 func populateReaction(message models.Message, msgType models.MessageType, channel, action, reaction, timeStamp, link string, user *slack.User, bot *models.Bot) models.Message {
 	switch msgType {
 	case models.MsgTypeDirect, models.MsgTypeChannel, models.MsgTypePrivateChannel:
-		// Populate message attributes
-		message.Type = msgType
-		message.Service = models.MsgServiceChat
-		message.ChannelID = channel
 		message.ReactionAction = action
 		message.Reaction = reaction
 		message.Input = ""
 		message.Output = ""
 		message.Timestamp = timeStamp
 		message.SourceLink = link
-
-		// If the message read was not a dm, get the name of the channel it came from
-		if msgType != models.MsgTypeDirect {
-			name, ok := findKey(bot.Rooms, channel)
-			if !ok {
-				log.Error().Msgf("could not find name of channel %#q", channel)
-			}
-
-			message.ChannelName = name
-		}
-
 		message.Vars["_reaction.action"] = action
 		message.Vars["_reaction"] = reaction
-		// make channel variables available
-		message.Vars["_channel.id"] = message.ChannelID
-		message.Vars["_channel.name"] = message.ChannelName // will be empty if it came via DM
-
-		// make link to trigger message available
-		message.Vars["_source.link"] = message.SourceLink
-
-		// make timestamp information available
-		message.Vars["_source.timestamp"] = timeStamp
-
-		// Populate message with user information (i.e. who sent the message)
-		// These will be accessible on rules via ${_user.email}, ${_user.id}, etc.
-		if user != nil { // nil user implies a message from an api/bot (i.e. not an actual user)
-			message.Vars["_user.id"] = user.ID
-			message.Vars["_user.teamid"] = user.TeamID
-			message.Vars["_user.name"] = user.Name
-			message.Vars["_user.color"] = user.Color
-			message.Vars["_user.realname"] = user.RealName
-			message.Vars["_user.tz"] = user.TZ
-			message.Vars["_user.tzlabel"] = user.TZLabel
-			message.Vars["_user.tzoffset"] = strconv.Itoa(user.TZOffset)
-			message.Vars["_user.firstname"] = user.Profile.FirstName
-			message.Vars["_user.lastname"] = user.Profile.LastName
-			message.Vars["_user.realnamenormalized"] = user.Profile.RealNameNormalized
-			message.Vars["_user.displayname"] = user.Profile.DisplayName
-			message.Vars["_user.displaynamenormalized"] = user.Profile.DisplayNameNormalized
-			message.Vars["_user.email"] = user.Profile.Email
-			message.Vars["_user.skype"] = user.Profile.Skype
-			message.Vars["_user.phone"] = user.Profile.Phone
-			message.Vars["_user.title"] = user.Profile.Title
-			message.Vars["_user.statustext"] = user.Profile.StatusText
-			message.Vars["_user.statusemoji"] = user.Profile.StatusEmoji
-			message.Vars["_user.team"] = user.Profile.Team
-		}
 
-		return message
+		message = populateMessage(message, msgType, channel, "", timeStamp, "", link, false, user, bot)
 	default:
 		log.Debug().Msgf("read message of unsupported type '%T' - unable to populate message attributes", msgType)
-		return message
 	}
+
+	return message
 }
 
 // readFromEventsAPI utilizes the Slack API client to read event-based messages.
@@ -548,7 +500,7 @@ func readFromEventsAPI(api *slack.Client, vToken string, inputMsgs chan<- models
 //
 // https://api.slack.com/apis/connections/socket
 //
-//nolint:gocyclo // needs refactor
+//nolint:gocyclo,funlen // needs refactor
 func readFromSocketMode(sm *slack.Client, inputMsgs chan<- models.Message, bot *models.Bot) {
 	// setup the client
 	client := socketmode.New(sm)