Slack API CLI

A local Slack CLI for fast terminal workflows against the Slack workspace you already use.

This project does not create a Slack app and does not use Slack OAuth. It opens a local browser profile, lets you sign in to Slack normally, extracts the browser session token and cookies, and stores them in a private local auth cache.

Quick Start

Requirement:

• Node.js 20 or newer

Install the CLI:

npm install -g slack-api-cli

Check that the binary is available:

slack-api --help

Run first-time setup:

slack-api setup

When prompted, enter your Slack workspace URL and complete sign-in in the browser:

Tip: In the Slack desktop app, click the workspace name in the top-left menu to find the workspace URL.
Slack workspace URL: https://example.slack.com
Opening Slack in a browser profile...
Authenticated as: alex

Validate the cached session:

slack-api whoami

Search recent messages:

slack-api search --query "customer escalation" --since 5m

Read your 1:1 DM history with a person:

slack-api dm history --user "Alice Smith" --include-text

Read a message or thread by permalink:

slack-api read --link 'https://example.slack.com/archives/C0123456789/p1778784641394639'

Privacy Defaults

Search and read commands redact message text by default. Add --include-snippets or --include-text only when you intentionally want message text in terminal output or saved JSON.

Mutating commands are dry-run by default. Commands such as send, reply, react, and draft validate what would happen, then require an explicit flag such as --send, --add, --remove, --create, or --delete.

More Docs

• Setup and configuration
• Common commands
• Agent usage

Notes

This CLI depends on Slack's browser behavior and private web API endpoints. It may break when Slack changes its web client, and some workspace policies may restrict specific endpoints.