/slack

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

   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

   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

   # 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

   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

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

2. Enter search term

   # Identify search input ref from snapshot
   agent-browser fill @e_search_input "your keyword"
   agent-browser press Enter
   # Match the submitted query so a repeated search cannot reuse the old route.
   agent-browser wait --fn "location.pathname.includes('/search') && new URL(location.href).searchParams.get('q') === 'your keyword'"

3. Capture results

   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

   agent-browser connect 9222
   agent-browser snapshot -i
   # Find channel ref from sidebar
   agent-browser click @e_channel_ref
   # Replace `engineering` with the clicked channel's name, or wait for its known URL:
   agent-browser wait --fn "document.querySelector('[data-qa=\"channel_header\"]')?.innerText.includes('engineering')"

2. Check channel info

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

3. View messages

   # 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

   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

   agent-browser click @e_conversation_ref
   agent-browser wait 1000

2. Take snapshot with context

   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

   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

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

2. Click reaction button to expand

   agent-browser click @e_reaction_button
   agent-browser wait 500

3. Capture reaction details

   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

   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

   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

Pattern: Extract Timestamp from Link

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:

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

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

2. Try expanding/scrolling

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

3. Check current URL

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

4. Wait for page to load

   agent-browser wait --fn "document.querySelector('[role=main]')"
   agent-browser snapshot -i