slk — Slack CLI

Session-based Slack CLI for macOS. Auto-authenticates from the Slack desktop app — no tokens, no OAuth, no app installs. Acts as your user (

xoxc-

session tokens).

Commands

# Auth
slk auth                              # Test authentication, show user/team

# Read
slk channels                          # List channels (alias: ch)
slk read <channel> [count]            # Read recent messages, default 20 (alias: r)
slk thread <channel> <ts> [count]     # Read thread replies, default 50 (alias: t)
slk search <query> [count]            # Search messages across workspace
slk users                             # List workspace users (alias: u)

# Activity
slk activity                          # All channels with unread/mention counts (alias: a)
slk unread                            # Only unreads, excludes muted (alias: ur)
slk starred                           # VIP users + starred items (alias: star)
slk saved [count] [--all]             # Saved for later items (alias: sv)
slk pins <channel>                    # Pinned items in a channel (alias: pin)

# Write
slk send <channel> <message>          # Send a message (alias: s)
slk react <channel> <ts> <emoji>      # React to a message

# Drafts (synced to Slack editor UI)
slk draft <channel> <message>         # Draft a channel message
slk draft thread <ch> <ts> <message>  # Draft a thread reply
slk draft user <user_id> <message>    # Draft a DM
slk drafts                            # List active drafts
slk draft drop <draft_id>             # Delete a draft

Channel accepts name (

general

,

ai-coding

) or ID (

C08A8AQ2AFP

).

Auth

Automatic — extracts session token from Slack desktop app's LevelDB + decrypts cookie from macOS Keychain.

First run: macOS will show a Keychain dialog asking to allow access to "Slack Safe Storage":

• Allow — one-time access, prompted again next time
• Always Allow — permanent, no future prompts (convenient but any process running as your user can extract credentials silently)
• Deny — blocks access, slk cannot authenticate

Token cache:

~/.local/slk/token-cache.json

— auto-validated, auto-refreshed on

invalid_auth

.

If auth fails (token rotated, Slack logged out):

rm ~/.local/slk/token-cache.json
slk auth

Slack desktop app must be installed and logged in. Does not need to be running if token is cached.

Reading Threads

Threads require a Slack timestamp. Use

--ts

to get it, then read the thread:

slk read general 10 --ts
# Output: [1/30/2026, 11:41 AM ts:1769753479.788949] User [3 replies]: ...

slk thread general 1769753479.788949

Agent Workflow Examples

• Heartbeat/cron unread check —

  slk unread

  →

  slk read <channel>

  for channels that need attention
• Save & pick up — Human saves threads in Slack ("Save for later"). Agent runs

  slk saved

  during heartbeat, reads full threads with

  slk thread

  , summarizes or extracts action items
• Daily channel digest —

  slk read <channel> 100

  across key channels → compile decisions, open questions, action items →

  slk send daily-digest "📋 ..."

• Thread monitoring — Watch specific threads for new replies (incidents, PR reviews, decisions)
• Draft for human review —

  slk draft <channel> "..."

  posts to Slack's editor UI for human to review before sending
• Search-driven context —

  slk search "deployment process"

  or

  slk pins <channel>

  to pull context before answering questions

Limitations

• macOS only — uses Keychain + Electron storage paths
• Session-based — acts as your user, not a bot. Be mindful of what you send
• Draft drop may fail with

  draft_has_conflict

  if Slack has that conversation open
• Session token expires on logout — keep Slack app running or rely on cached token

Missing Features & Issues

Create PR or Report Issue at: https://github.com/therohitdas/slkcli