Slack Workspace Skill Pack Files

Slack

Team messaging, channels, and thread management. Agents drive the app.slack.com web client. Slack desktop apps share most selectors with the web client but expose additional native chrome that agents do not need.

Browser Access

Requires the user to be signed in to at least one workspace in the connected browser. Cookies persist across sessions. If the workspace switcher is open or the user belongs to multiple workspaces, navigation must always include the workspace ID in the URL: app.slack.com/client/<TEAM_ID>/<CHANNEL_ID>.

Tool	Usage
navigate	Go to channel, thread, or DM URL
snapshot	Read messages, channel state, sidebar
click	Channels, threads, reactions, action buttons
type	Message compose, search, slash commands

Workspace anatomy

Region	Contains
Top bar	Workspace name, search, history nav
Left rail	Workspace icons (multi-workspace), notifications
Channel sidebar	Sections, channels (#…), DMs, group DMs, apps
Main view	Channel or DM message stream
Right pane	Thread, channel details, file viewer, search results — overlays main

Channels are listed in customizable sections (Starred, Channels, Direct Messages, Apps, plus user-defined). Unread channels show in bold; channels with mentions show a badge.

URL patterns

URL	Surface
/client/<team>/<channel>	Channel
/client/<team>/<dm>	Direct message conversation
/archives/<channel>/p<ts>	Permalink to a single message
/archives/<channel>/p<ts>?thread_ts=<parent>	Permalink to a thread reply
/messages/<channel>	Legacy channel URL — Slack auto-redirects

Message permalinks are the most reliable way for agents to anchor a conversation context. Always copy the permalink rather than scraping rendered timestamps.

Threads

Threads open in the right pane. Replies posted to the channel via the compose box stay in-channel; replies posted in the right-pane compose box stay in the thread. The "Also send to #channel" checkbox bridges them — leave it off unless the thread genuinely needs to surface in the channel.

• Reply in threads, not in the channel — keep channels scannable.
• Threads with >10 messages: summarize before acting.
• When creating tickets from Slack, always link the ticket back to the message permalink.

Search

Slack search supports modifiers that scope dramatically:

Modifier	Effect
from:@user	Authored by user
to:@user	DMs to user
in:#channel	Restrict to channel
before:YYYY-MM-DD / after: / on:	Date range
has:link / has:pin / has:reaction	Filter by attachment type
is:thread / is:saved / is:starred	Special collections

Modifiers stack and can be entered as free text in the search bar. Always quote multi-word phrases.

Messaging conventions

• Use @mentions sparingly — only for direct action items.
• Keep messages concise — one topic per message.
• Use emoji reactions (:eyes:, :thumbsup:, :white_check_mark:) to acknowledge without adding noise.

Formatting

• Bullet points for lists and action items.
• Bold key decisions or outcomes (*bold* in the markdown subset; toolbar applies <b> automatically).
• Code blocks (triple backtick) for technical content, snippets, and stack traces.
• Inline code (single backtick) for filenames, identifiers, and short commands.

Status, DND, and notifications

The user status (avatar overlay) and Do Not Disturb schedule live in the account menu. Bots that post during DND deliver, but mobile push is suppressed. Always check the recipient's status emoji before paging — :vacation: and :no_bell: typically mean delay non-urgent asks.

Gotchas

• Slack web app uses heavy React virtualization — selectors need ARIA names or data-qa attributes, not raw class names.
• Message compose uses a contenteditable div, not a <textarea> — browser.type works, browser.fill does not.
• The thread sidebar overlays the channel — clicks intended for the channel can hit thread elements when both are open. Close the thread first.
• Workspace switching changes the entire DOM and loses the prior message draft.
• Slash commands (/remind, /giphy) execute on Enter, not Send — confirm with a snapshot before assuming the message posted as text.
• Channel names are case-insensitive and - separated; the URL slug uses the channel ID, not the name, so renames don't break permalinks.
• Edited messages show an (edited) marker but no diff; if audit history matters, prefer pulling from Slack's export rather than scraping the UI.