slack

name	slack
description	Read Slack context, route to the right Slack workflow, and prepare or perform Slack writes that match the user's intent.

Slack

Overview

Use this skill as the router for Slack work. Read the relevant Slack context first, then hand off to the most specific Slack workflow. If the task will produce outgoing Slack text or perform a Slack write, switch to ../slack-outgoing-message/SKILL.md before finalizing and reread that file's ## Formatting Rules section immediately before any send, draft, schedule, or canvas creation.

Related Skills

Workflow	Skill
Message composition, rewrites, drafts, and canvas-writing workflows	../slack-outgoing-message/SKILL.md
Bounded channel recaps and thematic Slack summaries	../slack-channel-summarization/SKILL.md
Daily digests across selected channels or topics	../slack-daily-digest/SKILL.md
Find messages that likely need a response and prepare reply drafts	../slack-reply-drafting/SKILL.md
Triage for what the user needs to read, reply to, or do next	../slack-notification-triage/SKILL.md

Reference Notes

Task	Reference
Slack Markdown formatting rules and examples	references/markdown.md

Support Checks

• Confirm the requested action is supported before asking the user for more input. If Slack does not support the action, say so immediately and offer the closest supported path instead of collecting unnecessary details.
• For broad Slack analysis requests, fail fast if the connector cannot establish the needed coverage or signals reliably. Do not invent channel names, imply the user is in a channel, or present workspace-wide conclusions as authoritative. Ask for a candidate list, a narrower scope, or a question that can be answered from specific channels, threads, profiles, or search results.
• The current Slack app surface here supports reading/searching channels, users, threads, and canvases plus writing messages, drafts, scheduled messages, and canvases. Do not claim support for creating channels, editing messages, deleting messages, or other unsupported Slack admin actions.

Intent Routing

• If the user explicitly asks to send, post, reply, share, or create something in Slack, follow that write intent directly. Do not downgrade the request into a draft unless the user asked for a draft or review-first flow.
• If the user explicitly asks for a draft, rewrite, or review-first workflow, use a draft.
• If the user asks for Slack analysis only, return the result in chat unless they also asked for Slack delivery.
• If the user asks for an unsupported Slack write action, say so and offer the closest supported path instead of forcing a draft.

Tool Rate Limits

• Slack tools have per-minute RPM quotas by bucket, not by individual tool. Treat slack_search_* tools as the search bucket, slack_read_*, slack_list_*, and lookup-style tools as the read bucket, and message, draft, schedule, or canvas creation tools as the send/write bucket.
• If a Slack tool returns a 429, do not retry immediately and do not switch to an equivalent tool in the same bucket. If the response includes Retry-After or another explicit wait hint, follow it. Otherwise wait about 30 seconds before calling that bucket again.
• If the same bucket returns another 429 during the task, wait about 1 minute before the next retry, then about 2 minutes after the next 429, continuing with exponential backoff as needed.
• A 429 in one bucket does not imply the other buckets are exhausted. While waiting on one bucket, continue making useful progress with other buckets when that can advance the task safely.
• If the task cannot be completed without the exhausted bucket after reasonable backoff, explain the rate limit to the user and return the best partial result or next step.

DM Routing

• When the same message is meant for multiple specific people, first look for an existing group DM with the right people and prefer that over duplicate one-to-one DMs.
• If there is no suitable group DM, do not silently fan out separate DMs. Ask whether the user wants individual DMs instead, or ask them to create the group DM if that is the better path and the connector cannot create it.

Write Safety

• Preserve exact channel names, thread context, links, code snippets, and owners from the source conversation unless the user asks for changes.
• Before acting on a relative message target such as "last message", "latest reply", "above", or "that message", re-read the destination channel or thread and resolve the target from fresh results. Do not reuse earlier reads for reactions, replies, edits, or other writes.
• Treat @channel, @here, mass mentions, and customer-facing channels as high-impact. Call them out before posting.
• Keep post-ready drafts short enough to scan quickly unless the user asks for a long-form announcement.
• If there are multiple channels or threads with similar topics, identify the intended destination before drafting or posting.

Output Conventions

• Prefer a short opener, a few tight bullets, and a clear ask or next step.
• Use Markdown formatting rules from references/markdown.md for emphasis, lists, links, quotes, mentions, and code.
• For any outgoing Slack text, use the slack-outgoing-message skill.
• Distinguish clearly between a private summary for the user and a post-ready message for Slack.
• When summarizing a thread, lead with the latest status and then list blockers, decisions, and owners.
• When drafting a reply, match the tone of the channel and avoid over-formatting.

Example Requests

• "Summarize the incident thread in #ops and draft a calm update for leadership."
• "Turn these meeting notes into a short Slack post for the team channel."
• "Read the product launch thread and draft a reply that confirms the timeline."
• "Rewrite this long update so it lands well in Slack and still keeps the important links."

Light Fallback

If Slack messages are missing, say that Slack access may be unavailable, the workspace may be disconnected, or the wrong channel or thread may be in scope, then ask the user to reconnect or clarify the destination.