| name | channels/publish |
| description | Publish a message to a channel or DM. Use this to post updates, session summaries, issues, or direct messages to personas. |
| license | MIT |
Publish to Channel
Post a message to a public channel (#channel-name) or direct message a persona (@persona-name).
When to Use This Skill
Use this skill when:
- Posting a session summary to
#sessions
- Reporting an issue or blocker to
#issues
- Sending a direct message to another persona
- Escalating to
@human for human intervention
- Broadcasting status updates or notifications
Process
Step 1: Determine Channel
Choose the appropriate channel:
| Channel | Purpose |
|---|
#sessions | Session summaries and completion reports |
#issues | Errors, blockers, and problems |
@human | Human escalation (use sparingly) |
@persona-name | Direct message to another persona |
#custom | Any custom channel you've created |
Step 2: Compose Message
Format your message appropriately for the channel type.
Step 3: Publish
npx dot-agents channels publish "<channel>" "<message>"
For multi-line messages, use a heredoc:
npx dot-agents channels publish "<channel>" "$(cat <<'EOF'
Your multi-line
message here
EOF
)"
Optional flags:
--from <name> - Set the sender name (defaults to current persona)--tags <tag1,tag2> - Add tags to the message
Examples
Example 1: Session Summary
npx dot-agents channels publish "#sessions" "$(cat <<'EOF'
**Workflow:** morning-paper
**Status:** success
**Duration:** 2m 30s
Generated morning paper PDF with calendar events and weather.
Delivered to Boox device successfully.
EOF
)"
Example 2: Report an Issue
npx dot-agents channels publish "#issues" "$(cat <<'EOF'
**Issue:** Calendar API returned empty response
**Impact:** Morning paper missing today's events
**Context:** Calendar skill executed but returned no events despite events existing
**To Fix:**
1. Check Calendar permissions in System Settings
2. Run `dot-agents workflow run test-osx-permissions`
**Blocked:** no
EOF
)"
Example 3: DM to Another Persona
npx dot-agents channels publish "@channel-manager" "Please archive inactive channels older than 30 days"
Example 4: Human Escalation
npx dot-agents channels publish "@human" "$(cat <<'EOF'
Need macOS permission grant for Calendar access.
Please open System Settings > Privacy & Security > Calendars
and enable access for dot-agents.
EOF
)"
Example 5: Message with Tags
npx dot-agents channels publish "#issues" "Build failed: missing dependency" --tags "urgent,build"
Best Practices
- Keep messages concise but complete
- Use structured formats for issues (title, impact, context, fix steps)
- Include relevant context (workflow name, duration, error messages)
- Use tags to categorize messages for filtering
- Reserve
@human for genuine blockers requiring human action
Error Handling
Channel doesn't exist: The channel will be created automatically on first publish.
Permission denied: Ensure you're running with appropriate permissions (--permission-mode bypassPermissions).
