teams-cli

name	teams-cli
description	Use this skill when users ask how to install, configure, and use the Microsoft Teams CLI from this project, including installation, authentication, commands, output formats, profiles, and troubleshooting.

Teams CLI User Guide Skill

Use this skill when users ask for:

• Installation steps for msteams/teams
• First-time setup (refresh token and profile)
• Command usage examples
• JSON output usage for automation/LLM workflows
• Troubleshooting common runtime/auth issues

1) Installation (User-Facing)

Provide the install method that matches the user's environment.

Run without global install

npx msteams
bunx msteams
deno run -A npm:msteams
pnpm dlx msteams

Global install

npm i -g msteams
bun i -g msteams
deno install --global -A npm:msteams
pnpm i -g msteams

Verify installation

teams --help

If command is not found, guide users to:

1. confirm the package manager install succeeded,
2. confirm global bin path is on PATH,
3. retry with runner form (npx, bunx, pnpm dlx) to isolate PATH issues.

2) Authentication and Profile Setup

The CLI requires a refresh token.

Save session credentials to default profile

teams login --ests-auth-persistent=<your_cookie_token>

Default profile file:

• ~/.teams-cli/default.json

Use a named profile

teams --profile=work login --ests-auth-persistent=<your_cookie_token>

Use a custom profile file path

teams --profile-json=/path/to/profile.json login --ests-auth-persistent=<your_cookie_token>

One-off execution token

Users can pass a token with --refresh-token=<token> (or REFRESH_TOKEN environment variable when applicable).

3) Core Command Usage

Always provide concrete examples.

Notifications

teams notifications
teams notifications --limit 50

Conversation messages

teams messages <conversationId>
teams messages <conversationId> --limit 30

Channel messages

teams channel messages <channelId>
teams channel messages <channelId> --limit 30

Teams and channels

teams teams list
teams teams channels <teamId>

Current user snapshot

teams me

4) Output Modes and Automation Guidance

JSON mode (recommended for scripts/LLMs)

teams --json notifications
teams --json me

Guideline:

• Prefer --json when output is parsed programmatically.
• In automation contexts, avoid relying on colored/human-formatted text.

Human-readable mode

Default mode in interactive terminals shows formatted output.

Disable colors

teams --no-color notifications

Useful for plain logs and CI systems that do not handle ANSI escapes well.

5) Recommended Answer Pattern for Users

When supporting a user, structure responses as:

1. Goal: what command achieves.
2. Command: copy-paste example.
3. Expected output: what they should see.
4. Next step: likely follow-up command.
5. Troubleshooting: one or two relevant pitfalls.

Keep examples realistic (include --limit, profile selection, and JSON mode where useful).

6) Common Troubleshooting

"Authentication failed" or token-related errors

• Re-run login using login --ests-auth-persistent=<token>.
• Confirm correct profile (--profile) is being used.
• If token is stale/expired, obtain a fresh refresh token and store it again.

"Command not found: teams"

• Reinstall globally or run via npx msteams / bunx msteams.
• Ensure package manager global bin directory is on PATH.

Empty results (no notifications/messages)

• Verify account has accessible Teams data.
• Increase --limit.
• Confirm correct conversationId / channelId.

7) Scope Guardrail

Keep this skill focused on end-user CLI operation:

• installation
• authentication setup
• command usage
• output/automation best practices
• troubleshooting

If the user asks for internal API/library modifications, switch to a development-oriented workflow instead of this skill.