slack

# Slack Automation

Interact with Slack workspaces to check messages, extract data, and automate common tasks.

## Quick Start

Connect to an existing Slack browser session or open Slack:

```bash
# Connect to existing session on port 9222 (typical for already-open Slack)
agent-browser connect 9222

# Or open Slack if not already running
agent-browser open https://app.slack.com
```

Then take a snapshot to see what's available:

```bash
agent-browser snapshot -i
```

## Core Workflow

1. **Connect/Navigate**: Open or connect to Slack
2. **Snapshot**: Get interactive elements with refs (`@e1`, `@e2`, etc.)
3. **Navigate**: Click tabs, expand sections, or navigate to specific channels
4. **Extract/Interact**: Read data or perform actions
5. **Screenshot**: Capture evidence of findings

```bash
# Example: Check unread channels
agent-browser connect 9222
agent-browser snapshot -i
# Look for "More unreads" button
agent-browser click @e21  # Ref for "More unreads" button
agent-browser screenshot slack-unreads.png
```

## Common Tasks

### Checking Unread Messages

```bash
# Connect to Slack
agent-browser connect 9222

# Take snapshot to locate unreads button
agent-browser snapshot -i

# Look for:
# - "More unreads" button (usually near top of sidebar)
# - "Unreads" toggle in Activity tab (shows unread count)
# - Channel names with badges/bold text indicating unreads

# Navigate to Activity tab to see all unreads in one view
agent-browser click @e14  # Activity tab (ref may vary)
agent-browser wait 1000
agent-browser screenshot activity-unreads.png

# Or check DMs tab
agent-browser click @e13  # DMs tab
agent-browser screenshot dms.png

# Or expand "More unreads" in sidebar
agent-browser click @e21  # More unreads button
agent-browser wait 500
agent-browser screenshot expanded-unreads.png
```

### Navigating to a Channel

```bash
# Search for channel in sidebar or by name
agent-browser snapshot -i

# Look for channel name in the list (e.g., "engineering", "product-design")
# Click on the channel treeitem ref
agent-browser click @e94  # Example: engineering channel ref
agent-browser wait --load networkidle
agent-browser screenshot channel.png
```

### Finding Messages/Threads

```bash
# Use Slack search
agent-browser snapshot -i
agent-browser click @e5  # Search button (typical ref)
agent-browser fill @e_search "keyword"
agent-browser press Enter
agent-browser wait --load networkidle
agent-browser screenshot search-results.png
```

### Extracting Channel Information

```bash
# Get list of all visible channels
agent-browser snapshot --json > slack-snapshot.json

# Parse for channel names and metadata
# Look for treeitem elements with level=2 (sub-channels under sections)
```

### Checking Channel Details

```bash
# Open a channel
agent-browser click @e_channel_ref
agent-browser wait 1000

# Get channel info (members, description, etc.)
agent-browser snapshot -i
agent-browser screenshot channel-details.png

# Scroll through messages
agent-browser scroll down 500
agent-browser screenshot channel-messages.png
```

### Taking Notes/Capturing State

When you need to document findings from Slack:

```bash
# Take annotated screenshot (shows element numbers)
agent-browser screenshot --annotate slack-state.png

# Take full-page screenshot
agent-browser screenshot --full slack-full.png

# Get current URL for reference
agent-browser get url

# Get page title
agent-browser get title
```

## Sidebar Structure

Understanding Slack's sidebar helps you navigate efficiently:

```
- Threads
- Huddles
- Drafts & sent
- Directories
- [Section Headers - External connections, Starred, Channels, etc.]
  - [Channels listed as treeitems]
- Direct Messages
  - [DMs listed]
- Apps
  - [App shortcuts]
- [More unreads] button (toggles unread channels list)
```

Key refs to look for:
- `@e12` - Home tab (usually)
- `@e13` - DMs tab
- `@e14` - Activity tab
- `@e5` - Search button
- `@e21` - More unreads button (varies by session)

## Tabs in Slack

After clicking on a channel, you'll see tabs:
- **Messages** - Channel conversation
- **Files** - Shared files
- **Pins** - Pinned messages
- **Add canvas** - Collaborative canvas
- Other tabs depending on workspace setup

Click tab refs to switch views and get different information.

## Extracting Data from Slack

### Get Text Content

```bash
# Get a message or element's text
agent-browser get text @e_message_ref
```

### Parse Accessibility Tree

```bash
# Full snapshot as JSON for programmatic parsing
agent-browser snapshot --json > output.json

# Look for:
# - Channel names (name field in treeitem)
# - Message content (in listitem/document elements)
# - User names (button elements with user info)
# - Timestamps (link elements with time info)
```

### Count Unreads

```bash
# After expanding unreads section:
agent-browser snapshot -i | grep -c "treeitem"
# Each treeitem with a channel name in the unreads section is one unread
```

## Best Practices

- **Connect to existing sessions**: Use `agent-browser connect 9222` if Slack is already open. This is faster than opening a new browser.
- **Take snapshots before clicking**: Always `snapshot -i` to identify refs before clicking buttons.
- **Re-snapshot after navigation**: After navigating to a new channel or section, take a fresh snapshot to find new refs.
- **Use JSON snapshots for parsing**: When you need to extract structured data, use `snapshot --json` for machine-readable output.
- **Pace interactions**: Add `sleep 1` between rapid interactions to let the UI update.
- **Check accessibility tree**: The accessibility tree shows what screen readers (and your automation) can see. If an element isn't in the snapshot, it may be hidden or require scrolling.
- **Scroll in sidebar**: Use `agent-browser scroll down 300 --selector ".p-sidebar"` to scroll within the Slack sidebar if channel list is long.

## Limitations

- **Cannot access Slack API**: This uses browser automation, not the Slack API. No OAuth, webhooks, or bot tokens needed.
- **Session-specific**: Screenshots and snapshots are tied to the current browser session.
- **Rate limiting**: Slack may rate-limit rapid interactions. Add delays between commands if needed.
- **Workspace-specific**: You interact with your own workspace -- no cross-workspace automation.

## Debugging

### Check console for errors

```bash
agent-browser console
agent-browser errors
```

### Get current page state

```bash
agent-browser get url
agent-browser get title
agent-browser screenshot page-state.png
```

## Example: Full Unread Check

```bash
#!/bin/bash

# Connect to Slack
agent-browser connect 9222

# Take initial snapshot
echo "=== Checking Slack unreads ==="
agent-browser snapshot -i > snapshot.txt

# Check Activity tab for unreads
agent-browser click @e14  # Activity tab
agent-browser wait 1000
agent-browser screenshot activity.png
ACTIVITY_RESULT=$(agent-browser get text @e_main_area)
echo "Activity: $ACTIVITY_RESULT"

# Check DMs
agent-browser click @e13  # DMs tab
agent-browser wait 1000
agent-browser screenshot dms.png

# Check unread channels in sidebar
agent-browser click @e21  # More unreads button
agent-browser wait 500
agent-browser snapshot -i > unreads-expanded.txt
agent-browser screenshot unreads.png

# Summary
echo "=== Summary ==="
echo "See activity.png, dms.png, and unreads.png for full details"
```

## References

- **Slack docs**: https://slack.com/help
- **Web experience**: https://app.slack.com
- **Keyboard shortcuts**: Type `?` in Slack for shortcut list