bytelyst-devops-tools/Slack Message/README.md

Slack Two-Way Chat CLI

A powerful command-line tool for two-way communication with Slack channels. Send and receive messages in real-time with both CLI and interactive chat modes.

Installation

1. Install dependencies:

pip install -r requirements.txt

Usage

Interactive Two-Way Chat Mode (Recommended)

Start an interactive chat session where you can send and receive messages:

python slack_poster.py --chat
python slack_poster.py -i

In chat mode, you can:

• Type messages directly to send them to Slack
• Use /listen to start receiving messages from others in real-time
• View message history with /history
• Use commands to manage your configuration
• Have your token and channel ID automatically saved for future sessions

Command Line Mode

Send a single message using command line arguments:

python slack_poster.py --token <SLACK_TOKEN> --channel <CHANNEL_ID> --message "<MESSAGE>"

Interactive CLI Mode

If any parameter is missing, the tool will prompt you interactively:

python slack_poster.py

Examples

# Interactive chat mode
python slack_poster.py --chat

# Single message via CLI
python slack_poster.py -t xoxb-1234567890-1234567890-abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwx -c C04ABC123 -m "Hello World!"

# CLI with prompts for missing parameters
python slack_poster.py

Parameters

• --token or -t: Slack Bot/User OAuth token (e.g., xoxb-...)
• --channel or -c: Slack channel ID (e.g., C04ABC123)
• --message or -m: Message text to post
• --chat or -i or --interactive: Start interactive chat mode

Interactive Chat Commands

When in chat mode, you can use the following commands:

• /help or /h - Show help message with all available commands
• /quit or /q or /exit - Exit the chat
• /token <token> - Set or update your Slack token
• /channel <id> - Set or update the channel ID
• /status - Show current configuration (token and channel)
• /clear - Clear all saved configuration
• /test - Send a test message to verify your configuration
• /listen - Start listening for incoming messages in real-time
• /stop - Stop listening for messages
• /history [n] - Show recent message history (default: 10 messages)
• <message> - Send any text as a message to the current channel

Two-Way Communication Features

The tool now supports full two-way communication with Slack channels:

Real-Time Message Receiving

• Use /listen to start receiving messages from others in the channel
• Messages appear automatically with timestamps and sender names
• Polls for new messages every 2 seconds for near real-time experience
• Use /stop to stop listening when needed

Message History

• Use /history to view recent messages in the channel
• Specify number of messages: /history 20 (default: 10, max: 50)
• Shows messages with timestamps and sender information

Threading Support

• Send and receive messages simultaneously
• Background thread handles incoming messages
• Clean shutdown when exiting the application

Configuration Storage

The tool automatically saves your Slack token and channel ID to slack_config.json in the current directory. This allows you to:

• Skip entering credentials on subsequent runs
• Switch between different tokens/channels using commands
• Maintain persistent configuration across sessions

Error Handling

The tool handles various error scenarios:

• Invalid token
• Channel not found
• Bot not in channel
• Rate limiting
• Network issues
• Empty messages

Getting Slack Credentials

1. Go to https://api.slack.com/apps
2. Create a new app or select existing one
3. Go to "OAuth & Permissions"
4. Add the following scopes:
   • chat:write - Send messages
   • channels:history - Read channel messages
   • groups:history - Read private channel messages
   • im:history - Read direct messages
   • mpim:history - Read group direct messages
   • users:read - Get user information
5. Install the app to your workspace
6. Copy the Bot User OAuth Token (starts with xoxb-)

Channel ID

To get a channel ID:

1. Open Slack in your browser
2. Navigate to the channel
3. The channel ID is in the URL: https://app.slack.com/client/T1234567890/C04ABC123
4. Use the part after /C (e.g., C04ABC123)