respond-to-slack-thread

# respond-to-slack-thread Post a reply to an existing Slack thread. Requires `$SLACK_BOT_TOKEN` with `channels:history`, `channels:read`, and `chat:write` OAuth scopes. ## Step 1: Clarify inputs Before proceeding, ensure you have: - **Channel ID**: The Slack channel ID (e.g. `C0123456789`). If the user gave a channel name, resolve it in Step 2. - **Thread timestamp (`thread_ts`)**: The `ts` of the parent message (e.g. `1234567890.123456`). - If the user provided a Slack message link (e.g. `https://yourworkspace.slack.com/archives/C0123456789/p1234567890123456`), parse it: - Channel ID = the segment after `/archives/` (e.g. `C0123456789`) - `thread_ts` = the `p`-prefixed value at the end, with a decimal inserted 6 characters from the right (e.g. `p1234567890123456` → `1234567890.123456`) - **Reply content**: What to say. If not provided, fetch the thread context (Step 3) and draft a reply based on it. If `$SLACK_BOT_TOKEN` is not set, ask the user for it before proceeding. ## Step 2: Resolve channel ID (if needed) If you only have the channel name: ```bash curl -s -H "Authorization: Bearer $SLACK_BOT_TOKEN" \ "https://slack.com/api/conversations.list?types=public_channel,private_channel&limit=200" | \ jq -r '.channels[] | select(.name == "<channel_name>") | .id' ``` If the list is paginated, follow the `response_metadata.next_cursor` value. ## Step 3: Fetch thread context Read the existing thread to understand the conversation before composing a reply: ```bash curl -s -H "Authorization: Bearer $SLACK_BOT_TOKEN" \ "https://slack.com/api/conversations.replies?channel=<CHANNEL_ID>&ts=<THREAD_TS>" | \ jq '.messages[] | {user, ts, text, attachments}' ``` Review all messages to understand what has already been said before drafting your response. ## Step 4: Resolve user info (if needed) To @mention someone by email: ```bash curl -s -H "Authorization: Bearer $SLACK_BOT_TOKEN" \ "https://slack.com/api/users.lookupByEmail?email=<email>" | \ jq -r '.user.id' ``` Use the resulting ID as `<@USER_ID>` in the message text. ## Step 5: Post the reply ```bash curl -s -X POST \ -H "Authorization: Bearer $SLACK_BOT_TOKEN" \ -H "Content-Type: application/json" \ --data "{ \"channel\": \"<CHANNEL_ID>\", \"thread_ts\": \"<THREAD_TS>\", \"text\": \"<MESSAGE_TEXT>\" }" \ "https://slack.com/api/chat.postMessage" | jq '{ok, ts, error}' ``` For multi-line messages, use `$'...'` ANSI-C quoting so `\n` is interpreted as real newlines: ```bash MESSAGE=$'First line\n\nSecond line' curl -s -X POST \ -H "Authorization: Bearer $SLACK_BOT_TOKEN" \ -H "Content-Type: application/json" \ --data "$(jq -n --arg channel "<CHANNEL_ID>" --arg thread_ts "<THREAD_TS>" --arg text "$MESSAGE" \ '{channel: $channel, thread_ts: $thread_ts, text: $text}')" \ "https://slack.com/api/chat.postMessage" | jq '{ok, ts, error}' ``` ### Slack mrkdwn formatting Slack uses its own mrkdwn syntax — do NOT use standard Markdown: | Intent | Slack mrkdwn | |---|---| | @mention user | `<@USER_ID>` | | Hyperlink | `<https://example.com\|link text>` | | Bold | `*bold*` | | Italic | `_italic_` | | Strikethrough | `~strikethrough~` | | Code (inline) | `` `code` `` | | Code block | ` ```code block``` ` | ## Step 6: Confirm After posting, share the reply's permalink with the user: ```bash curl -s -H "Authorization: Bearer $SLACK_BOT_TOKEN" \ "https://slack.com/api/chat.getPermalink?channel=<CHANNEL_ID>&message_ts=<REPLY_TS>" | \ jq -r '.permalink' ``` ## Notes - If the API returns `ok: false`, check the `error` field and handle it — common errors include `not_in_channel` (bot must be invited to the channel) and `missing_scope` (token lacks required permissions). - To post as the bot's configured name/icon rather than a user, ensure the token is a bot token (starts with `xoxb-`). - If `thread_ts` is omitted, the message posts as a new top-level message rather than a reply.