setup-slack

Setup Slack CLI (slk)

Guided installation and configuration of slk (Slack Gem) for Slack access from the command line.

Step 1: Check Prerequisites

which slk && slk --version

If installed, check for configured workspaces:

slk workspaces

If slk is installed and workspaces are configured, tell the user their Slack CLI is already set up and suggest /slack.

Step 2: Install slk

slk is a Ruby gem. Install via mise (preferred) or gem:

# Via mise (preferred — manages Ruby version automatically)
mise use ruby@latest
gem install slk

# Or directly if Ruby is available
gem install slk

Verify installation:

slk --version

Step 3: Initial Configuration

Run the interactive setup:

slk config setup

This will prompt for:

• Workspace name (e.g., "oddball", "dsva")
• Slack tokens (user token for full access, or bot token for limited access)

User tokens (xoxc/xoxs) provide full access including search. Bot tokens have limited capabilities.

Step 4: Add Workspaces

Add additional workspaces as needed:

slk workspaces add

Common workspaces:

• oddball — Oddball team Slack
• dsva — VA Digital Service Slack
• boehs — Personal workspace

Step 5: Build Cache

Build the user/channel cache for faster lookups:

slk cache build
slk cache build --all  # For all workspaces

Step 6: Set Up Presets (Optional)

Create status presets for quick switching:

slk preset add

Common presets: meeting, focus, lunch, ooo

Step 7: Verify

# Check workspaces
slk workspaces

# Check unread
slk unread

# Test reading a channel
slk messages #general -n 5

Behavior

1. Run through steps sequentially, checking what's already done
2. Don't reinstall if already present
3. If slk is installed but no workspaces configured, skip to Step 3
4. After setup, suggest running /slack to check unread messages