reading-slack - SKILL.md Agent Skill

name: reading-slack description: "Read Slack channels, threads, and messages using slack-cli. Use when the user provides a Slack URL, asks to read a channel, search Slack messages, or check Slack conversations. Do NOT use read_web_page for Slack URLs."

Reading Slack

Read channels, threads, and messages from Slack using slack-cli.

Prerequisites

Install slack-cli:

brew install slack-cli

Authenticate (first time only, opens browser for OAuth):

slack-cli auth login

Commands

View any Slack URL

slack-cli view <url>                    # View a message, thread, or channel by URL
slack-cli view <url> --markdown         # Output as markdown
slack-cli view <url> --limit 50         # Control how many messages to show

This is the most versatile command. When a user pastes a Slack link, use this first.

Read a channel

slack-cli channel read <channel>              # Read recent messages (default 20)
slack-cli channel read <channel> --limit 50   # Read more messages

The <channel> argument accepts a channel name or ID.

Read a thread

slack-cli thread read <url>                           # Read thread by Slack URL
slack-cli thread read -c <channel-id> -t <timestamp>  # Read thread by channel + timestamp
slack-cli thread read <url> --limit 200               # Read more replies (default 100)

Search messages

slack-cli search "query"                    # Search messages
slack-cli search "query" --limit 50         # More results
slack-cli search "from:@user query"         # Filter by sender
slack-cli search "in:#channel query"        # Filter by channel

Supports Slack search syntax for from:, in:, and other operators.

List channels

slack-cli channel list                  # List channels you're a member of
slack-cli channel list --limit 200      # List more channels

Channel info

slack-cli channel info <channel>        # Show channel details (topic, purpose, members)

Users

slack-cli user list                     # List workspace users
slack-cli user info <user>              # Show user info (accepts user ID or email)

Workflow

Slack URL provided: Use slack-cli view <url> to display it directly
Channel name mentioned: Use slack-cli channel read <name> to read recent messages
Looking for something specific: Use slack-cli search "query" with Slack search operators
Need thread context: Use slack-cli thread read <url> to read the full thread

Authentication Status

Check auth status:

slack-cli auth status