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:

CODEBLOCK0

Then take a snapshot to see what's available:

CODEBLOCK1

Core Workflow

1. 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

CODEBLOCK2

Common Tasks

Checking Unread Messages

CODEBLOCK3

Navigating to a Channel

CODEBLOCK4

Finding Messages/Threads

CODEBLOCK5

Extracting Channel Information

CODEBLOCK6

Checking Channel Details

CODEBLOCK7

Taking Notes/Capturing State

When you need to document findings from Slack:

CODEBLOCK8

Sidebar Structure

Understanding Slack's sidebar helps you navigate efficiently:

CODEBLOCK9

Key refs to look for:

• - @e12 - Home tab (usually)
• INLINECODE3 - DMs tab
• INLINECODE4 - Activity tab
• INLINECODE5 - Search button
• INLINECODE6 - 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

CODEBLOCK10

Parse Accessibility Tree

CODEBLOCK11

Count Unreads

CODEBLOCK12

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

CODEBLOCK13

View raw HTML of an element

CODEBLOCK14

Get current page state

CODEBLOCK15

Example: Full Unread Check

CODEBLOCK16

References

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