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Common Slack Tasks & Patterns

skill-data/slack/references/slack-tasks.md

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Common Slack Tasks & Patterns

Reference guide for common automations and data extraction patterns when interacting with Slack.

Task: Check All Unread Messages

Goal

Determine which channels and DMs have unread messages.

Steps

  1. Connect to Slack

    bash
    agent-browser connect 9222

  2. Check Activity Tab

    • Take snapshot: agent-browser snapshot -i
    • Look for Activity tab ref (usually @e14)
    • Click: agent-browser click @e14
    • Wait: agent-browser wait 1000
    • If you see "You've read all the unreads", you have no unread messages
    • Screenshot: agent-browser screenshot activity.png

  3. Check DMs

    • Click DMs tab ref (usually @e13)
    • Look for "Unreads" toggle/badge
    • Count visible conversations with indicators

  4. Check Channels

    • Look for "More unreads" button (usually in sidebar)
    • Click it to expand list of channels with unreads
    • Screenshot the expanded view
    • Parse channel names from snapshot

  5. Summary

    • Activity + DMs + Channels = complete unread picture

Evidence Capture

  • Screenshot of Activity tab
  • Screenshot of DMs
  • Screenshot of expanded unreads sidebar

Task: Find All Channels in Workspace

Goal

Get a complete list of all channels you have access to.

Steps

  1. Navigate to Channels section

    bash
    agent-browser connect 9222
agent-browser snapshot -i

  2. Look for "Channels" treeitem

    • This is usually a collapsed section header
    • Click to expand if collapsed
    • Screenshot: agent-browser screenshot all-channels.png

  3. Scroll through sidebar

    bash
    # If the list is long, scroll within the sidebar
agent-browser scroll down 500 --selector ".p-sidebar"
agent-browser screenshot channels-page-2.png

  4. Parse snapshot for channel list

    bash
    agent-browser snapshot --json > channels.json
# Search JSON for treeitem elements with level=2 under "Channels" section

Evidence

  • JSON snapshot with all channel refs
  • Screenshots of channel list
  • Count of total channels

Task: Search for Messages Containing Keywords

Goal

Find all messages/threads mentioning specific terms.

Steps

  1. Open search

    bash
    agent-browser snapshot -i
# Find Search button ref (usually @e5)
agent-browser click @e5
agent-browser wait 500

  2. Enter search term

    bash
    # Identify search input ref from snapshot
agent-browser fill @e_search_input "your keyword"
agent-browser press Enter
agent-browser wait --load networkidle

  3. Capture results

    bash
    agent-browser screenshot search-results.png
agent-browser snapshot -i > search-snapshot.txt

  4. Parse results

    • Look for result items in snapshot
    • Extract message content, sender, channel, timestamp
    • Follow links to view full context

Filters

Slack search supports filters:

  • in:channel-name - Search in specific channel
  • from:@user - Messages from specific user
  • before:2026-02-25 - Messages before date
  • after:2026-02-20 - Messages after date
  • has:file - Messages with files
  • has:emoji - Messages with reactions

Example search: "bug report" in:engineering from:@alice after:2026-02-20

Task: Monitor a Specific Channel for Activity

Goal

Watch a channel and capture new messages/engagement.

Steps

  1. Navigate to channel

    bash
    agent-browser connect 9222
agent-browser snapshot -i
# Find channel ref from sidebar
agent-browser click @e_channel_ref
agent-browser wait --load networkidle

  2. Check channel info

    • Screenshot channel details: agent-browser screenshot channel-header.png
    • Look for member count, description, topic

  3. View messages

    bash
    # Jump to recent/unread
agent-browser press j  # Jump to unread in Slack
agent-browser wait 500
agent-browser screenshot recent-messages.png

  4. Scroll to see more

    bash
    agent-browser scroll down 500
agent-browser screenshot more-messages.png

  5. Check threads

    • Click on messages with thread indicators
    • View replies in thread view
    • Screenshot: agent-browser screenshot thread.png

Evidence

  • Channel info screenshot
  • Message history screenshots
  • Thread examples

Task: Extract User Information from a Conversation

Goal

Find who said what, when, and in what context.

Steps

  1. Navigate to relevant channel or DM

    bash
    agent-browser click @e_conversation_ref
agent-browser wait 1000

  2. Take snapshot with context

    bash
    agent-browser snapshot --json > conversation.json

  3. Find message blocks

    • In JSON, look for document/listitem elements
    • These contain: user name (button), timestamp (link), message text, reactions

  4. Extract structured data

    • User: Found in button element with username
    • Time: Found in link with timestamp
    • Content: Text content of message
    • Reactions: Buttons showing emoji counts

  5. Screenshot key messages

    bash
    agent-browser screenshot important-message.png
agent-browser screenshot --annotate annotated-message.png

Task: Track Reactions to a Message

Goal

See who reacted to a message and with what emoji.

Steps

  1. Find message with reactions

    bash
    agent-browser snapshot -i
# Look for "N reaction(s)" buttons in messages

  2. Click reaction button to expand

    bash
    agent-browser click @e_reaction_button
agent-browser wait 500

  3. Capture reaction details

    bash
    agent-browser screenshot reactions.png
# You'll see emoji, count, and list of users who reacted

  4. Extract data

    • Emoji used
    • Number of people who reacted
    • User names (if visible in popup)

Task: Find and Review Pinned Messages

Goal

See messages that have been pinned in a channel.

Steps

  1. Open a channel

    bash
    agent-browser click @e_channel_ref
agent-browser wait 1000
agent-browser snapshot -i

  2. Click Pins tab

    • In channel view, look for "Pins" tab ref (usually near Messages, Files tabs)
    • Click it: agent-browser click @e_pins_tab
    • Wait: agent-browser wait 500

  3. View pinned messages

    bash
    agent-browser screenshot pins.png
agent-browser snapshot -i > pins-snapshot.txt

  4. Review each pin

    • Click pin to see context
    • Note who pinned it, when, and why
    • Screenshot: agent-browser screenshot pin-detail.png

In Slack snapshot, message timestamps appear as links. Example:

- link "Feb 25th at 10:26:22 AM" [ref=e151]
  - /url: https://vercel.slack.com/archives/C0A5RTN0856/p1772036782543189

The URL contains the timestamp in the fragment (p1772036782543189). This is a Slack message ID that uniquely identifies the message.

Pattern: Understanding Channel/Thread Structure

- treeitem "channel-name" [ref=e94] [level=2]
  - group: (contains channel metadata or sub-items)
  • level=1: Section headers (External connections, Starred, Channels, etc.)
  • level=2: Individual channels/items within sections
  • level=3+: Nested sub-items (rare in sidebar)

Common Ref Patterns (Session-Dependent)

These refs vary per session, but follow patterns:

ElementTypical Ref RangeHow to Find
Home tabe10-e20snapshot -i | grep "Home"
DMs tabe10-e20snapshot -i | grep "DMs"
Activity tabe10-e20snapshot -i | grep "Activity"
Searche5-e10snapshot -i | grep "Search"
More unreadse20-e30snapshot -i | grep "More unreads"
Channel refse30+snapshot -i | grep "treeitem"

Always take a fresh snapshot to find current refs for the current session.

Debugging: Element Not Found

If you can't find an element:

  1. Check it's visible

    bash
    # Is the element on screen or off-screen?
agent-browser screenshot current-state.png
# Compare screenshot to what you expected

  2. Try expanding/scrolling

    bash
    # Sidebar might need scrolling
agent-browser scroll down 300 --selector ".p-sidebar"
agent-browser snapshot -i

  3. Check current URL

    bash
    agent-browser get url
# Verify you're in the right section

  4. Wait for page to load

    bash
    agent-browser wait --load networkidle
agent-browser wait 1000
agent-browser snapshot -i