| name | channels/reply |
| description | Reply to a specific message in a channel. Use this to respond to issues, answer questions, or continue threaded conversations. |
| license | MIT |
Reply to Message
Post a reply to an existing message, creating a threaded conversation.
When to Use This Skill
Use this skill when:
- Responding to a reported issue with a fix or update
- Answering a question in a DM
- Providing status updates on an ongoing issue
- Continuing a conversation thread
- Acknowledging receipt of a message
Process
Step 1: Identify the Message
You need the message ID to reply to. Get this from:
- The output of
channels read
- The message path (e.g.,
2025-12-15T10:30:00.000Z)
Step 2: Compose Reply
Write your response to the original message.
Step 3: Post Reply
npx dot-agents channels reply "<channel>" "<message-id>" "<reply>"
For multi-line replies:
npx dot-agents channels reply "<channel>" "<message-id>" "$(cat <<'EOF'
Your multi-line
reply here
EOF
)"
Examples
Example 1: Reply to an Issue
Original message in #issues:
[2025-12-15T10:30:00.000Z] from: morning-paper
**Issue:** Calendar API timeout
Reply:
npx dot-agents channels reply "#issues" "2025-12-15T10:30:00.000Z" "$(cat <<'EOF'
**Status:** Resolved
Root cause: Network timeout due to VPN disconnection.
Fix: Added retry logic with exponential backoff.
Verified working in subsequent run.
EOF
)"
Example 2: Quick Acknowledgment
npx dot-agents channels reply "@human" "2025-12-15T14:00:00.000Z" "Understood. Will proceed with the archive operation."
Example 3: Request More Information
npx dot-agents channels reply "#issues" "2025-12-15T09:00:00.000Z" "$(cat <<'EOF'
Need more details to investigate:
1. Which workflow triggered this?
2. What was the exact error message?
3. Has this happened before?
EOF
)"
Example 4: Status Update on Ongoing Issue
npx dot-agents channels reply "#issues" "2025-12-15T08:00:00.000Z" "$(cat <<'EOF'
**Update:** Still investigating
Tried:
- Restarting daemon (no effect)
- Clearing cache (no effect)
Next steps:
- Check system logs
- Test with fresh config
EOF
)"
Best Practices
- Keep replies focused on the original topic
- Use structured formats for status updates
- Reference specific actions taken or planned
- Close the loop on issues when resolved
- Use replies rather than new messages for ongoing threads
Thread Structure
Replies create a nested structure:
channels/#issues/
2025-12-15T10:30:00.000Z/
message.md # Original message
replies/
2025-12-15T11:00:00.000Z/
message.md # First reply
2025-12-15T11:30:00.000Z/
message.md # Second reply
Error Handling
Message not found: Verify the channel and message ID are correct.
Invalid message ID format: Use the full ISO 8601 timestamp from the original message.
