Slack Automation#

Interact with Slack workspaces to check messages, extract data, and automate common tasks.

Quick Start#

Connect to an existing Slack browser session or open Slack:

bash

# Connect to existing session on port 9222 (typical for already-open Slack)
agent-browser connect 9222

# Or open Slack if not already running
agent-browser open https://app.slack.com

Then take a snapshot to see what's available:

bash

agent-browser snapshot -i

Core Workflow#

1. Connect/Navigate: Open or connect to Slack
2. Snapshot: Get interactive elements with refs ( @e1, @e2, etc.)
3. Navigate: Click tabs, expand sections, or navigate to specific channels
4. Extract/Interact: Read data or perform actions
5. Screenshot: Capture evidence of findings

bash

# Example: Check unread channels
agent-browser connect 9222
agent-browser snapshot -i
# Look for "More unreads" button
agent-browser click @e21  # Ref for "More unreads" button
agent-browser screenshot slack-unreads.png

Common Tasks#

Checking Unread Messages#

bash

# Connect to Slack
agent-browser connect 9222

# Take snapshot to locate unreads button
agent-browser snapshot -i

# Look for:
# - "More unreads" button (usually near top of sidebar)
# - "Unreads" toggle in Activity tab (shows unread count)
# - Channel names with badges/bold text indicating unreads

# Navigate to Activity tab to see all unreads in one view
agent-browser click @e14  # Activity tab (ref may vary)
agent-browser wait 1000
agent-browser screenshot activity-unreads.png

# Or check DMs tab
agent-browser click @e13  # DMs tab
agent-browser screenshot dms.png

# Or expand "More unreads" in sidebar
agent-browser click @e21  # More unreads button
agent-browser wait 500
agent-browser screenshot expanded-unreads.png

Navigating to a Channel#

bash

# Search for channel in sidebar or by name
agent-browser snapshot -i

# Look for channel name in the list (e.g., "engineering", "product-design")
# Click on the channel treeitem ref
agent-browser click @e94  # Example: engineering channel ref
agent-browser wait --load networkidle
agent-browser screenshot channel.png

Finding Messages/Threads#

bash

# Use Slack search
agent-browser snapshot -i
agent-browser click @e5  # Search button (typical ref)
agent-browser fill @e_search "keyword"
agent-browser press Enter
agent-browser wait --load networkidle
agent-browser screenshot search-results.png

Extracting Channel Information#

bash

# Get list of all visible channels
agent-browser snapshot --json > slack-snapshot.json

# Parse for channel names and metadata
# Look for treeitem elements with level=2 (sub-channels under sections)

Checking Channel Details#

bash

# Open a channel
agent-browser click @e_channel_ref
agent-browser wait 1000

# Get channel info (members, description, etc.)
agent-browser snapshot -i
agent-browser screenshot channel-details.png

# Scroll through messages
agent-browser scroll down 500
agent-browser screenshot channel-messages.png

Taking Notes/Capturing State#

When you need to document findings from Slack:

bash

# Take annotated screenshot (shows element numbers)
agent-browser screenshot --annotate slack-state.png

# Take full-page screenshot
agent-browser screenshot --full slack-full.png

# Get current URL for reference
agent-browser get url

# Get page title
agent-browser get title

Sidebar Structure#

Understanding Slack's sidebar helps you navigate efficiently:

text

- Threads
- Huddles
- Drafts & sent
- Directories
- [Section Headers - External connections, Starred, Channels, etc.]
  - [Channels listed as treeitems]
- Direct Messages
  - [DMs listed]
- Apps
  - [App shortcuts]
- [More unreads] button (toggles unread channels list)

Key refs to look for:

• @e12 - Home tab (usually)
• @e13 - DMs tab
• @e14 - Activity tab
• @e5 - Search button
• @e21 - More unreads button (varies by session)

Tabs in Slack#

After clicking on a channel, you'll see tabs:

• Messages - Channel conversation
• Files - Shared files
• Pins - Pinned messages
• Add canvas - Collaborative canvas
• Other tabs depending on workspace setup

Click tab refs to switch views and get different information.

Extracting Data from Slack#

Get Text Content#

bash

# Get a message or element's text
agent-browser get text @e_message_ref

Parse Accessibility Tree#

bash

# Full snapshot as JSON for programmatic parsing
agent-browser snapshot --json > output.json

# Look for:
# - Channel names (name field in treeitem)
# - Message content (in listitem/document elements)
# - User names (button elements with user info)
# - Timestamps (link elements with time info)

Count Unreads#

bash

# After expanding unreads section:
agent-browser snapshot -i | grep -c "treeitem"
# Each treeitem with a channel name in the unreads section is one unread

Best Practices#

• Connect to existing sessions: Use agent-browser connect 9222 if Slack is already open. This is faster than opening a new browser.
• Take snapshots before clicking: Always snapshot -i to identify refs before clicking buttons.
• Re-snapshot after navigation: After navigating to a new channel or section, take a fresh snapshot to find new refs.
• Use JSON snapshots for parsing: When you need to extract structured data, use snapshot --json for machine-readable output.
• Pace interactions: Add sleep 1 between rapid interactions to let the UI update.
• Check accessibility tree: The accessibility tree shows what screen readers (and your automation) can see. If an element isn't in the snapshot, it may be hidden or require scrolling.
• Scroll in sidebar: Use agent-browser scroll down 300 --selector ".p-sidebar" to scroll within the Slack sidebar if channel list is long.

Limitations#

• Cannot access Slack API: This uses browser automation, not the Slack API. No OAuth, webhooks, or bot tokens needed.
• Session-specific: Screenshots and snapshots are tied to the current browser session.
• Rate limiting: Slack may rate-limit rapid interactions. Add delays between commands if needed.
• Workspace-specific: You interact with your own workspace -- no cross-workspace automation.

Debugging#

Check console for errors#

bash

agent-browser console
agent-browser errors

View raw HTML of an element#

bash

# Snapshot shows the accessibility tree. If an element isn't there,
# it may not be interactive (e.g., div instead of button)
# Use snapshot -i -C to include cursor-interactive divs
agent-browser snapshot -i -C

Get current page state#

bash

agent-browser get url
agent-browser get title
agent-browser screenshot page-state.png

Example: Full Unread Check#

bash

#!/bin/bash

# Connect to Slack
agent-browser connect 9222

# Take initial snapshot
echo "=== Checking Slack unreads ==="
agent-browser snapshot -i > snapshot.txt

# Check Activity tab for unreads
agent-browser click @e14  # Activity tab
agent-browser wait 1000
agent-browser screenshot activity.png
ACTIVITY_RESULT=$(agent-browser get text @e_main_area)
echo "Activity: $ACTIVITY_RESULT"

# Check DMs
agent-browser click @e13  # DMs tab
agent-browser wait 1000
agent-browser screenshot dms.png

# Check unread channels in sidebar
agent-browser click @e21  # More unreads button
agent-browser wait 500
agent-browser snapshot -i > unreads-expanded.txt
agent-browser screenshot unreads.png

# Summary
echo "=== Summary ==="
echo "See activity.png, dms.png, and unreads.png for full details"

References#

• Slack docs: https://slack.com/help
• Web experience: https://app.slack.com
• Keyboard shortcuts: Type ? in Slack for shortcut list