Agent skill

slacker

Interact with Slack (reminders, DMs, activity, saved messages)

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npx add-skill https://github.com/benthomasson/claude-skills/tree/main/skills/slacker

SKILL.md

Slack CLI (slacker) Skill

Quick reference for using slacker CLI tool to interact with Slack programmatically.

Repository: https://github.com/shanemcd/slacker

Quick Start

The easiest way to use slacker is with uvx - no installation or repository cloning required:

bash
# List reminders and saved messages
uvx --from "git+https://github.com/shanemcd/slacker" slacker reminders

# Create a reminder
uvx --from "git+https://github.com/shanemcd/slacker" slacker reminder "me to call mom tomorrow at 9am"

# List today's DMs
uvx --from "git+https://github.com/shanemcd/slacker" slacker dms

# View activity feed (mentions, threads, reactions)
uvx --from "git+https://github.com/shanemcd/slacker" slacker activity

# Check authentication
uvx --from "git+https://github.com/shanemcd/slacker" slacker whoami

Tip: Add an alias to your shell for convenience:

bash
alias slacker='uvx --from "git+https://github.com/shanemcd/slacker" slacker'

# Then use it simply:
slacker reminders
slacker reminder "me to review PR in 30 minutes"

Overview

slacker extracts Slack authentication credentials from your browser session, enabling programmatic access to Slack APIs without creating a bot or app.

When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when:

  • User asks to create a Slack reminder
  • User wants to check their reminders or saved messages
  • User asks about recent DMs or Slack activity
  • User mentions Slack mentions, threads, or reactions
  • User wants to search Slack messages
  • User asks about their Slack notes or saved items

Authentication

First-Time Setup

bash
# Extract credentials from your browser session
uvx --from "git+https://github.com/shanemcd/slacker" slacker login https://redhat.enterprise.slack.com

# Test authentication
uvx --from "git+https://github.com/shanemcd/slacker" slacker whoami

Credentials are stored at ~/.config/slacker/credentials with 0600 permissions (read-only by owner).

Common Commands

Create Reminders

Create reminders using natural language - works exactly like typing /remind in Slack:

bash
# Standard format: "me to [task] [when]"
uvx --from "git+https://github.com/shanemcd/slacker" slacker reminder "me to call mom tomorrow at 9am"
uvx --from "git+https://github.com/shanemcd/slacker" slacker reminder "me to review PR in 30 minutes"
uvx --from "git+https://github.com/shanemcd/slacker" slacker reminder "me to check status next Monday"

# Can omit "me to" - Slack will figure it out
uvx --from "git+https://github.com/shanemcd/slacker" slacker reminder "call mom tomorrow"
uvx --from "git+https://github.com/shanemcd/slacker" slacker reminder "team sync prep Monday at 2pm"

# Recurring reminders
uvx --from "git+https://github.com/shanemcd/slacker" slacker reminder "me to do weekly planning every Monday at 9am"

Natural language parsing by Slack: Slack automatically parses the text to extract the task and timing. Supported formats:

  • Relative: "in 30 minutes", "in 2 hours", "in 3 days"
  • Absolute: "tomorrow", "next Monday", "Friday at 3pm"
  • Combined: "tomorrow at 9am", "next week on Tuesday"
  • Recurring: "every weekday", "every Monday at 9am"

List Reminders and Saved Items

bash
# List all saved items (reminders + saved messages)
uvx --from "git+https://github.com/shanemcd/slacker" slacker reminders

# List only reminders (exclude saved messages)
uvx --from "git+https://github.com/shanemcd/slacker" slacker reminders --reminders-only

# Limit results
uvx --from "git+https://github.com/shanemcd/slacker" slacker reminders --limit 10

# JSON output for programmatic processing
uvx --from "git+https://github.com/shanemcd/slacker" slacker --output json reminders

Text output includes:

  • Reminder text and due date
  • Saved message preview (100 chars) with full message text
  • Channel names and message links
  • Status (in_progress, completed)
  • Summary counts (total, uncompleted, overdue, completed)

JSON output includes:

  • Full message text (not truncated!)
  • All metadata (timestamps, channel IDs, states)
  • Structured data for easy parsing with jq

List DMs

View direct messages and group DMs with Slack usernames:

bash
# List today's DM activity (default)
uvx --from "git+https://github.com/shanemcd/slacker" slacker dms

# List DMs since a specific time (natural language)
uvx --from "git+https://github.com/shanemcd/slacker" slacker dms --since "yesterday"
uvx --from "git+https://github.com/shanemcd/slacker" slacker dms --since "2 days ago"
uvx --from "git+https://github.com/shanemcd/slacker" slacker dms --since "last Monday"
uvx --from "git+https://github.com/shanemcd/slacker" slacker dms --since "3 hours ago"

# JSON output for programmatic processing
uvx --from "git+https://github.com/shanemcd/slacker" slacker --output json dms --since "yesterday"

Text output shows:

  • Individual DMs with direction (incoming/outgoing)
  • Group DMs with participant activity
  • Slack usernames (handles) for each person
  • Message timestamps (HH:MM format)
  • Message preview (80 chars)
  • File attachment indicators
  • Summary counts

View Activity Feed

Show mentions, threads, and reactions from your Slack activity with enriched details:

bash
# View all activity (mentions, threads, reactions)
uvx --from "git+https://github.com/shanemcd/slacker" slacker activity

# Filter by activity type
uvx --from "git+https://github.com/shanemcd/slacker" slacker activity --tab mentions
uvx --from "git+https://github.com/shanemcd/slacker" slacker activity --tab threads
uvx --from "git+https://github.com/shanemcd/slacker" slacker activity --tab reactions

# JSON output for programmatic processing
uvx --from "git+https://github.com/shanemcd/slacker" slacker --output json activity --tab mentions

Activity types:

  • all - All activity (mentions, threads, reactions, invitations, etc.)
  • mentions - Only @mentions, @channel, @everyone, and keywords
  • threads - Only thread replies
  • reactions - Only emoji reactions to your messages

Text output features:

  • Activity type (mention, thread reply, reaction, etc.)
  • Timestamp (YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM format)
  • Channel name (resolved from channel IDs)
  • Actual usernames (e.g., @jwong, @marturne)
  • Actual team names (e.g., @aap-mcp-squad)
  • Rendered emojis for standard emojis
  • Message preview (80 characters of actual message text)
  • Clean formatting (Slack markup removed)
  • Unread indicator (bullet for unread items)

Search Messages

bash
# Search your own messages (notes to self)
uvx --from "git+https://github.com/shanemcd/slacker" slacker api search.messages --data '{"query": "from:@shanemcd to:@shanemcd", "count": 20, "sort": "timestamp", "sort_dir": "desc"}'

# Search in specific channel
uvx --from "git+https://github.com/shanemcd/slacker" slacker api search.messages --data '{"query": "in:#engineering important"}'

Make Generic API Calls

IMPORTANT: Use --params for GET requests and --data for POST requests:

  • --params sends query parameters (for GET endpoints like conversations.replies, conversations.history, users.info)
  • --data sends JSON body (for POST endpoints like chat.postMessage, search.messages)
bash
# GET request with parameters (conversations.replies, conversations.history, users.info, etc.)
uvx --from "git+https://github.com/shanemcd/slacker" slacker api users.list --params '{"limit": 10}'
uvx --from "git+https://github.com/shanemcd/slacker" slacker api conversations.replies --params '{"channel":"C05S34J4EE9","ts":"1765902174.251099","limit":"100"}'
uvx --from "git+https://github.com/shanemcd/slacker" slacker api conversations.history --params '{"channel":"C12345678","limit":"20"}'

# POST request with data (chat.postMessage, search.messages, etc.)
uvx --from "git+https://github.com/shanemcd/slacker" slacker api chat.postMessage --data '{"channel":"general","text":"Hello!"}'

# Post to your notes channel
uvx --from "git+https://github.com/shanemcd/slacker" slacker api chat.postMessage --data '{"channel":"D19Q000SE","text":"Remember to update slides for tomorrow"}'

Note: User IDs in the output are automatically resolved to usernames.

Discover Available API Methods

bash
# List all API categories
uvx --from "git+https://github.com/shanemcd/slacker" slacker discover

# Filter by category
uvx --from "git+https://github.com/shanemcd/slacker" slacker discover --category chat

# Show all methods
uvx --from "git+https://github.com/shanemcd/slacker" slacker discover --verbose

JSON Output & Processing

All major commands support JSON output via the --output json flag for programmatic processing.

bash
# Get reminders as structured data
uvx --from "git+https://github.com/shanemcd/slacker" slacker --output json reminders

# Get only overdue reminders with jq
uvx --from "git+https://github.com/shanemcd/slacker" slacker --output json reminders --reminders-only | \
  jq --arg now "$(date +%s)" '.items[] | select(.due_timestamp < ($now|tonumber)) | {text, due_date}'

# List all saved messages with full text
uvx --from "git+https://github.com/shanemcd/slacker" slacker --output json reminders | \
  jq '.items[] | select(.type == "message") | .message'

# Get summary counts
uvx --from "git+https://github.com/shanemcd/slacker" slacker --output json reminders | jq '.counts'

Common Workflow Examples

Morning Routine - Check Reminders

bash
# List today's reminders
uvx --from "git+https://github.com/shanemcd/slacker" slacker reminders --reminders-only

Check Recent DM Activity

bash
# Morning routine: check DMs since yesterday
uvx --from "git+https://github.com/shanemcd/slacker" slacker dms --since "yesterday"

# After a meeting: check what you missed in the last hour
uvx --from "git+https://github.com/shanemcd/slacker" slacker dms --since "1 hour ago"

# Monday morning: catch up on weekend messages
uvx --from "git+https://github.com/shanemcd/slacker" slacker dms --since "last Friday"

Check Your Activity

bash
# Morning routine: check all mentions and threads
uvx --from "git+https://github.com/shanemcd/slacker" slacker activity

# See who's reacting to your messages
uvx --from "git+https://github.com/shanemcd/slacker" slacker activity --tab reactions

# Check only @mentions to catch up quickly
uvx --from "git+https://github.com/shanemcd/slacker" slacker activity --tab mentions

Quick Note Taking

bash
# Post to your notes channel
uvx --from "git+https://github.com/shanemcd/slacker" slacker api chat.postMessage --data '{"channel":"D19Q000SE","text":"Remember to update slides for tomorrow"}'

# Create reminder from note
uvx --from "git+https://github.com/shanemcd/slacker" slacker reminder "me to update slides tomorrow at 8am"

Review Past Notes

bash
# Search your notes from last week (POST endpoint - uses --data)
uvx --from "git+https://github.com/shanemcd/slacker" slacker api search.messages --data '{"query":"from:@shanemcd to:@shanemcd after:7d"}'

# Get recent messages from notes channel (GET endpoint - uses --params)
uvx --from "git+https://github.com/shanemcd/slacker" slacker api conversations.history --params '{"channel":"D19Q000SE","limit":"20"}'

Key API Endpoints

Reminders & Later Items

saved.list - List saved items from Slack "Later"

bash
uvx --from "git+https://github.com/shanemcd/slacker" slacker api saved.list --data '{"filter":"saved","limit":50,"include_tombstones":true}'

Messages

search.messages - Search messages

  • Supports JQL-like query syntax
  • Filters: from:, to:, in:, date ranges
  • Sorts by timestamp, relevance

conversations.history - Get message history

  • Requires channel ID
  • Returns messages with full metadata
  • Supports pagination with limit and cursor

Channel IDs

Personal notes channel (notes to self): D19Q000SE

To find other channel IDs:

  1. Right-click channel in Slack -> "View channel details"
  2. Copy channel ID from the details dialog
  3. Or use search: search.messages queries reveal channel IDs in results

Enterprise Restrictions

Red Hat Enterprise Slack workspace has restrictions on certain API endpoints:

Restricted endpoints:

  • reminders.list - Blocked (use saved.list instead)
  • conversations.list - Blocked
  • users.conversations - Blocked

Working alternatives:

  • Use saved.list for reminders
  • Use search.messages to find conversations
  • Use channel IDs directly when known

Troubleshooting

Authentication Expired

If whoami fails, re-extract credentials:

bash
uvx --from "git+https://github.com/shanemcd/slacker" slacker login https://redhat.enterprise.slack.com

Credentials expire when you log out of Slack in your browser.

Enterprise Restrictions

If an API endpoint returns "error": "enterprise_is_restricted", the endpoint is blocked by workspace admin policies. Look for alternative endpoints (e.g., saved.list instead of reminders.list).

Channel Not Found

Ensure you're using the correct channel ID format:

  • DM/notes: D prefix (e.g., D19Q000SE)
  • Public channel: C prefix (e.g., C1234567890)
  • Private channel: G prefix (e.g., G1234567890)

Security Notes

  • Credentials stored locally at ~/.config/slacker/credentials
  • File permissions: 0600 (owner read/write only)
  • Credentials tied to your browser session
  • Expire when you log out of Slack
  • Never commit credentials to git

Tips

  1. Add a shell alias for convenience:

    bash
    alias slacker='uvx --from "git+https://github.com/shanemcd/slacker" slacker'

  2. Use JSON output for programmatic processing with jq

  3. Natural language reminders - Slack handles the parsing, just write naturally

  4. Check activity regularly - The activity command shows mentions you may have missed

  5. Use --since for DMs - Natural language date parsing makes it easy to filter

Links

Last updated: 2026-01-15

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