Slack CLI

A command-line tool for sending messages to Slack using the Slack API.

This project is a fork of urugus/slack-cli, with additional features and modifications.

Disclaimer: This is an unofficial tool and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Slack Technologies, LLC. "Slack" is a trademark of Slack Technologies, LLC.

Installation

npm install -g @mimo-3/slack-cli

By default, when you run commands, the CLI will show an update notification if a new npm release is available. To disable this, set SLACK_CLI_DISABLE_UPDATE_NOTIFIER=1.

Configuration

You need to configure your Slack API token on first use:

# Interactive secure prompt (recommended)
slack-cli config set

# Non-interactive (CI/scripts)
printf '%s\n' "$SLACK_API_TOKEN" | slack-cli config set --token-stdin

Token storage security:

Tokens are encrypted with AES-256-GCM before being written to disk.
A local master key is created at ~/.slack-cli-secrets/master.key with owner-only permissions.
Existing ~/.slack-cli/master.key files are migrated automatically on first use.
For ephemeral environments, you can supply SLACK_CLI_MASTER_KEY to override the local key.
Legacy v0.x configs: tokens stored before v0.20 used a fixed key derived from a hard-coded string. They are upgraded to AES-256-GCM the first time a v0.20+ release reads them, but old backups taken before that upgrade can be decrypted by anyone with access to the source code. Discard any pre-0.20 backups after a successful upgrade. See SECURITY.md for details.

Trust boundary for file inputs:

--file/-f (e.g. slack-cli upload -f ./report.csv) and --blocks-file read paths with the privileges of the invoking user. Do not pass untrusted paths from external systems; the CLI does not sandbox or restrict the readable directory.

Usage

Managing Multiple Workspaces (Profiles)

# Set tokens for different workspaces
printf '%s\n' "$WORK_SLACK_TOKEN" | slack-cli config set --profile work --token-stdin
printf '%s\n' "$PERSONAL_SLACK_TOKEN" | slack-cli config set --profile personal --token-stdin

# Show all profiles
slack-cli config profiles

# Switch default profile
slack-cli config use work

# Show current active profile
slack-cli config current

# Show configuration for specific profile
slack-cli config get --profile personal

# Clear specific profile
slack-cli config clear --profile work

Sending Messages

# Basic usage (uses default profile)
slack-cli send -c channel-name -m "Your message here"

# Using specific profile
slack-cli send -c channel-name -m "Your message here" --profile personal

# Using channel ID
slack-cli send -c C1234567890 -m "Your message here"

# Multi-line message
slack-cli send -c general -m "Line 1\nLine 2\nLine 3"

# Send message from file
slack-cli send -c random -f message.txt

# Reply to a thread
slack-cli send -c channel-name -m "Reply message" --thread 1719207629.000100

# Reply to a thread (short option)
slack-cli send -c channel-name -m "Reply message" -t 1719207629.000100

# Schedule by absolute time (Unix seconds or ISO 8601)
slack-cli send -c channel-name -m "Scheduled message" --at "2026-03-01T09:00:00Z"

# Schedule after N minutes
slack-cli send -c channel-name -m "Scheduled message" --after 30

# Send DM by username
slack-cli send --user @john -m "Hello via DM!"

# Send DM by email
slack-cli send --email john@example.com -m "Hello via DM!"

# Send a Block Kit message (inline JSON)
slack-cli send -c general --blocks '[{"type":"section","text":{"type":"mrkdwn","text":"*Release shipped* :tada:"}}]'

# Send a Block Kit message from file
slack-cli send -c general --blocks-file ./blocks.json

List Channels

# List all channels (uses default profile)
slack-cli channels

# List channels from specific profile
slack-cli channels --profile work

# List public channels only
slack-cli channels --type public

# List private channels only
slack-cli channels --type private

# List all channel types including IMs and MPIMs
slack-cli channels --type all

# Include archived channels
slack-cli channels --include-archived

# Limit number of channels displayed
slack-cli channels --limit 20

# Output in different formats
slack-cli channels --format json
slack-cli channels --format simple

Channel Info & Management

# Display channel details (topic, purpose, members, etc.)
slack-cli channel info -c general

# Output channel info in different formats
slack-cli channel info -c general --format json
slack-cli channel info -c general --format simple

# Set channel topic
slack-cli channel set-topic -c general --topic "Current sprint: v2.0"

# Set channel purpose
slack-cli channel set-purpose -c general --purpose "Project X development channel"

View Message History

# Get latest 10 messages (default)
slack-cli history -c general

# Specify number of messages
slack-cli history -c general -n 20

# Get messages since specific date
slack-cli history -c general --since "2024-01-01 00:00:00"

# Get complete conversation of a thread
slack-cli history -c general --thread 1719207629.000100

# Output in different formats
slack-cli history -c general --format json
slack-cli history -c general --format simple

# Include permalink for each message
slack-cli history -c general --with-link

# Use specific profile
slack-cli history -c general --profile work

Get Unread Messages

# Get all unread messages across all channels
slack-cli unread

# Get unread messages from specific channel
slack-cli unread -c general

# Show only unread counts (no message content)
slack-cli unread --count-only

# Mark messages as read after fetching
slack-cli unread --mark-read

# Mark messages as read for specific channel
slack-cli unread -c general --mark-read

# Limit number of channels displayed
slack-cli unread --limit 10

# Output in different formats
slack-cli unread --format json
slack-cli unread --format simple

Search Messages

# Basic search
slack-cli search -q "deploy error"

# Sort by timestamp (newest first)
slack-cli search -q "meeting" --sort timestamp

# Sort oldest first
slack-cli search -q "release" --sort timestamp --sort-dir asc

# Limit results per page
slack-cli search -q "bug fix" -n 50

# Paginate through results
slack-cli search -q "deploy" --page 2

# Use Slack search modifiers in query
slack-cli search -q "in:general from:@alice deploy"

# Output in different formats
slack-cli search -q "error" --format json
slack-cli search -q "error" --format simple

# Use specific profile
slack-cli search -q "release" --profile work

Edit Messages

# Edit a sent message
slack-cli edit -c general --ts 1234567890.123456 -m "Updated message text"

# Replace with Block Kit content (inline)
slack-cli edit -c general --ts 1234567890.123456 \
  --blocks '[{"type":"section","text":{"type":"mrkdwn","text":"*Edited*"}}]'

# Replace with Block Kit content from file
slack-cli edit -c general --ts 1234567890.123456 --blocks-file ./blocks.json

# Use specific profile
slack-cli edit -c general --ts 1234567890.123456 -m "Fixed typo" --profile work

Delete Messages

# Delete a message
slack-cli delete -c general --ts 1234567890.123456

# Use specific profile
slack-cli delete -c general --ts 1234567890.123456 --profile work

Upload Files

# Upload a file
slack-cli upload -c general -f ./report.csv

# Upload with title and initial comment
slack-cli upload -c general -f ./report.csv --title "Daily Report" -m "Here is the report"

# Upload a text snippet
slack-cli upload -c general --content 'console.log("hello")' --filename snippet.js --filetype javascript

# Upload as a thread reply
slack-cli upload -c general -f ./logs.txt -t 1234567890.123456

# JSON output (returns file_id, permalink, etc. for scripting)
slack-cli upload -c general -f ./report.csv --format json

Channel Membership

# Join a channel
slack-cli join -c general

# Leave a channel
slack-cli leave -c general

# Invite one or more users to a channel
slack-cli invite -c general --user @alice
slack-cli invite -c general --user U01ABCDEF --user U01XYZDEF

# Tolerate invalid user IDs and continue inviting valid ones
slack-cli invite -c general --user U01ABCDEF --user invalid-id --force

# List members of a channel
slack-cli members -c general
slack-cli members -c general --limit 200 --format json

Ephemeral Messages

# Send an ephemeral message visible only to one user in a channel
slack-cli send-ephemeral -c general -u U01ABCDEF -m "Heads up: build is red"

# Reply in a thread
slack-cli send-ephemeral -c general -u U01ABCDEF -m "FYI" -t 1719207629.000100

Reminders

# Create a reminder at an absolute time
slack-cli reminder create -m "Push the release" --at "2026-03-01 09:00"

# Create a reminder after N minutes
slack-cli reminder create -m "Stretch break" --after 60

# List your reminders
slack-cli reminder list
slack-cli reminder list --format json

# Mark a reminder as complete
slack-cli reminder complete --id Rm12345678

# Delete a reminder
slack-cli reminder delete --id Rm12345678

Bookmarks (Save for Later)

# Save a message for later
slack-cli bookmark add -c general -t 1234567890.123456

# List saved items
slack-cli bookmark list
slack-cli bookmark list --limit 50 --format json

# Remove a saved item
slack-cli bookmark remove -c general -t 1234567890.123456

Reactions

# Add a reaction to a message
slack-cli reaction add -c general -t 1234567890.123456 -e thumbsup

# Remove a reaction from a message
slack-cli reaction remove -c general -t 1234567890.123456 -e thumbsup

Pins

# Pin a message
slack-cli pin add -c general -t 1234567890.123456

# Unpin a message
slack-cli pin remove -c general -t 1234567890.123456

# List pinned items in a channel
slack-cli pin list -c general

# Output in different formats
slack-cli pin list -c general --format json
slack-cli pin list -c general --format simple

Users

# List workspace users
slack-cli users list

# Limit number of users
slack-cli users list --limit 50

# Output in different formats
slack-cli users list --format json
slack-cli users list --format simple

# Get detailed info for a specific user
slack-cli users info --id U01ABCDEF

# Look up user by email address
slack-cli users lookup --email user@example.com

# Check user presence status (active/away)
slack-cli users presence --id U01ABCDEF
slack-cli users presence --name @alice --format json

# Use specific profile
slack-cli users list --profile work

Scheduled Messages

# List scheduled messages
slack-cli scheduled list

# Filter by channel
slack-cli scheduled list -c general

# Limit results
slack-cli scheduled list --limit 20

# Output in different formats
slack-cli scheduled list --format json
slack-cli scheduled list --format simple

# Cancel a scheduled message
slack-cli scheduled cancel -c general --id Q1298393284

Drafts

Drafts are stored locally in ~/.slack-cli/drafts.json (Slack does not expose a public API for drafts).

# Save a draft for a channel
slack-cli draft save -c general -m "Draft message"

# Save a draft for a DM
slack-cli draft save --user alice -m "Draft DM"

# Save a draft as a thread reply
slack-cli draft save -c general -m "Reply draft" -t 1234567890.123456

# List drafts
slack-cli draft list
slack-cli draft list --format json

# Show the full content of a draft
slack-cli draft show --id a1b2c3d4

# Send a draft (deleted after sending by default)
slack-cli draft send --id a1b2c3d4

# Send a draft but keep it
slack-cli draft send --id a1b2c3d4 --keep

# Delete a draft
slack-cli draft delete --id a1b2c3d4

Canvases

# Get sections of a Canvas
slack-cli canvas read -i F01234567890

# Output in different formats
slack-cli canvas read -i F01234567890 --format json
slack-cli canvas read -i F01234567890 --format simple

# List canvases linked to a channel
slack-cli canvas list -c general

# Output in different formats
slack-cli canvas list -c general --format json
slack-cli canvas list -c general --format simple

# Use specific profile
slack-cli canvas read -i F01234567890 --profile work
slack-cli canvas list -c general --profile work

Other Commands

# Show help
slack-cli --help

# Show version
slack-cli --version

# Show current configuration
slack-cli config get

# Update token for default profile
printf '%s\n' "$NEW_TOKEN" | slack-cli config set --token-stdin

Options

Global Options

Option	Short	Description
--profile	-p	Use specific workspace profile

send command

Option	Short	Description
--channel	-c	Target channel name or ID (one of --channel/--user/--email)
--user		Send DM to user by username
--email		Send DM to user by email address
--message	-m	Message to send
--file	-f	File containing message content
--blocks	-b	Block Kit JSON array (inline string)
--blocks-file		File containing Block Kit JSON array
--thread	-t	Thread timestamp to reply to
--at		Schedule time (Unix seconds or ISO 8601)
--after		Schedule message after N minutes

channels command

Option	Short	Description
--type		Channel type: public, private, im, mpim, all (default: public)
--include-archived		Include archived channels
--format		Output format: table, simple, json (default: table)
--limit		Maximum number of channels to list (default: 100)

history command

Option	Short	Description
--channel	-c	Target channel name or ID (required)
--number	-n	Number of messages to retrieve (default: 10)
--since		Get messages since specific date (YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS)
--thread	-t	Thread timestamp to retrieve complete thread messages
--format		Output format: table, simple, json (default: table)

unread command

Option	Short	Description
--channel	-c	Get unread for specific channel
--format		Output format: table, simple, json (default: table)
--count-only		Show only unread counts
--limit		Maximum number of channels to display (default: 50)
--mark-read		Mark messages as read after fetching

search command

Option	Short	Description
--query	-q	Search query (required)
--sort		Sort by: score or timestamp (default: score)
--sort-dir		Sort direction: asc or desc (default: desc)
--number	-n	Number of results per page, 1-100 (default: 20)
--page		Page number, 1-100 (default: 1)
--format		Output format: table, simple, json (default: table)

edit command

Option	Short	Description
--channel	-c	Target channel name or ID (required)
--ts		Message timestamp to edit (required)
--message	-m	New message text (one of --message/--file/--blocks/--blocks-file)
--file	-f	File containing new message text
--blocks	-b	Block Kit JSON array (inline string)
--blocks-file		File containing Block Kit JSON array

delete command

Option	Short	Description
--channel	-c	Target channel name or ID (required)
--ts		Message timestamp to delete (required)

upload command

Option	Short	Description
--channel	-c	Target channel name or ID (required)
--file	-f	File path to upload
--content		Text content to upload as snippet
--filename		Override filename
--title		File title
--message	-m	Initial comment with the file
--filetype		Snippet type (e.g. python, javascript, csv)
--thread	-t	Thread timestamp to upload as reply
--format		Output format: table, simple, json (default: table)

reaction command

Option	Short	Description
--channel	-c	Channel name or ID (required)
--timestamp	-t	Message timestamp (required)
--emoji	-e	Emoji name without colons (required)

Subcommands: add, remove

pin command

Subcommands: add, remove, list

pin add / pin remove

Option	Short	Description
--channel	-c	Channel name or ID (required)
--timestamp	-t	Message timestamp (required)

pin list

Option	Short	Description
--channel	-c	Channel name or ID (required)
--format		Output format: table, simple, json (default: table)

users command

Subcommands: list, info, lookup

users list

Option	Short	Description
--limit		Maximum number of users to list (default: 100)
--format		Output format: table, simple, json (default: table)

users info

Option	Short	Description
--id		User ID (required)
--format		Output format: table, simple, json (default: table)

users lookup

Option	Short	Description
--email		Email address to look up (required)
--format		Output format: table, simple, json (default: table)

scheduled command

Subcommands: list, cancel

scheduled list

Option	Short	Description
--channel	-c	Filter by channel name or ID
--limit		Maximum number of scheduled messages to list (default: 50)
--format		Output format: table, simple, json (default: table)

scheduled cancel

Option	Short	Description
--channel	-c	Channel name or ID (required)
--id		Scheduled message ID (required)

draft command

Subcommands: save, list, show, send, delete

draft save

Option	Short	Description
--channel	-c	Target channel name or ID
--user		Target user for DM (exclusive with --channel)
--message	-m	Message content (required)
--thread	-t	Thread timestamp to reply to

draft list

Option	Short	Description
--format		Output format: table, simple, json (default: table)

draft show / send / delete

Option	Short	Description
--id		Draft ID (required)
--keep		(send only) Keep the draft after sending
--profile		(send only) Use specific workspace profile

invite command

Option	Short	Description
--channel	-c	Channel name or ID (required)
--user	-u	User ID or @username to invite (repeatable, at least one required)
--force		Continue inviting valid users even if some IDs are invalid

join / leave commands

Option	Short	Description
--channel	-c	Channel name or ID (required)

members command

Option	Short	Description
--channel	-c	Channel name or ID (required)
--limit		Maximum number of members to list (default: 100)
--format		Output format: table, simple, json (default: table)

send-ephemeral command

Option	Short	Description
--channel	-c	Target channel name or ID (required)
--user	-u	User ID who will see the ephemeral message (required)
--message	-m	Message to send (required)
--thread	-t	Thread timestamp to reply to

reminder command

Subcommands: create, list, complete, delete

reminder create

Option	Short	Description
--message	-m	Reminder text (required)
--at		Absolute date/time (e.g. "2026-03-01 15:00")
--after		Minutes from now

reminder list

Option	Short	Description
--format		Output format: table, simple, json (default: table)

reminder complete / reminder delete

Option	Short	Description
--id		Reminder ID (required)

bookmark command

Subcommands: add, list, remove

bookmark add / bookmark remove

Option	Short	Description
--channel	-c	Channel name or ID (required)
--timestamp	-t	Message timestamp (required)

bookmark list

Option	Short	Description
--limit		Number of items to display (default: 100)
--format		Output format: table, simple, json (default: table)

users presence (sub-subcommand)

Option	Short	Description
--id		User ID (one of --id/--name)
--name		Username such as `@alice` (one of --id/--name)
--format		Output format: table, simple, json (default: table)

canvas command

Subcommands: read, list

canvas read

Option	Short	Description
--id	-i	Canvas ID (required)
--format		Output format: table, simple, json (default: table)

canvas list

Option	Short	Description
--channel	-c	Channel name or ID (required)
--format		Output format: table, simple, json (default: table)

Required Permissions

Your Slack API token needs the following scopes:

chat:write - Send and edit messages
channels:read - List public channels and get channel info
channels:write - Set topic/purpose for public channels
groups:read - List private channels and get channel info
groups:write - Set topic/purpose for private channels
channels:history - Read channel message history
groups:history - Read private channel message history
im:history - Read direct message history
im:write - Open DM channels for --user/--email DM sending
users:read - Access user information for unread counts and user listing
users:read.email - Look up users by email address
search:read - Search messages (user token only, not supported with bot tokens)
reactions:write - Add and remove reactions
pins:read - List pinned items in a channel
pins:write - Pin and unpin messages
files:write - Upload files and snippets
files:read - List canvases linked to a channel
canvases:read - Read Canvas sections

Advanced Features

Rate Limiting

The CLI includes built-in rate limiting to handle Slack API limits:

Concurrent requests: 3
Automatic retry with exponential backoff (max 3 retries)
Graceful error handling for rate limit errors

Output Formats

Most commands support multiple output formats:

table (default) - Human-readable table format
simple - Simplified text output
json - Machine-readable JSON format

Markdown Support

Messages sent via the send command automatically support Slack's mrkdwn formatting:

*bold* for bold text
_italic_ for italic text
~strikethrough~ for strikethrough
`code` for inline code
```code blocks``` for multiline code
Links are automatically hyperlinked
User mentions: <@USER_ID>
Channel mentions: <#CHANNEL_ID>

License

MIT

Name		Name	Last commit message	Last commit date
Latest commit History 235 Commits
.claude		.claude
.github		.github
src		src
tests		tests
.gitignore		.gitignore
.npmrc		.npmrc
CHANGELOG.md		CHANGELOG.md
CLAUDE.md		CLAUDE.md
CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md		CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md
CONTRIBUTING.md		CONTRIBUTING.md
LICENSE		LICENSE
README.md		README.md
SECURITY.md		SECURITY.md
biome.json		biome.json
package-lock.json		package-lock.json
package.json		package.json
tsconfig.json		tsconfig.json
vitest.config.ts		vitest.config.ts

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Slack CLI

Installation

Configuration

Usage

Managing Multiple Workspaces (Profiles)

Sending Messages

List Channels

Channel Info & Management

View Message History

Get Unread Messages

Search Messages

Edit Messages

Delete Messages

Upload Files

Channel Membership

Ephemeral Messages

Reminders

Bookmarks (Save for Later)

Reactions

Pins

Users

Scheduled Messages

Drafts

Canvases

Other Commands

Options

Global Options

send command

channels command

history command

unread command

search command

edit command

delete command

upload command

reaction command

pin command

pin add / pin remove

pin list

users command

users list

users info

users lookup

scheduled command

scheduled list

scheduled cancel

draft command

draft save

draft list

draft show / send / delete

invite command

join / leave commands

members command

send-ephemeral command

reminder command

reminder create

reminder list

reminder complete / reminder delete

bookmark command

bookmark add / bookmark remove

bookmark list

users presence (sub-subcommand)

canvas command

canvas read

canvas list

Required Permissions

Advanced Features

Rate Limiting

Output Formats

Markdown Support

License

About

Resources

License

Code of conduct

Contributing

Packages