A utility for fetching and summarizing Slack channel histories and specific message threads from workspace links or IDs.
Install & Download
1. ClawHub CLI
The fastest way to install a skill directly from the registry.
npx clawhub@latest install slack-thread-reader
2. Manual Installation
Copy the skill folder to one of these locations
~/.openclaw/skills/ <project>/skills/ Priority: Workspace > Local > Bundled
3. Prompt Installation
Copy this prompt to OpenClaw to install it automatically.
Help me install slack-thread-reader using Clawhub. If Clawhub is not installed, install it first (npm i -g clawhub).
Prefer to download?
Get the raw skill files in a ZIP archive.
What is Slack Thread Reader?
The Slack Thread Reader is a specialized integration designed to extract meaningful context from Slack workspaces. It allows users to retrieve entire channel histories or deep-dive into specific message threads by simply providing a Slack archive URL or channel ID. As a core component of Openclaw Skills, this tool enables AI agents to parse complex team discussions, resolve user mentions, and present chat data in a clean, readable format.
By bridging the gap between Slack's API and your development environment, this skill ensures that project context buried in chat logs is always accessible. It handles the nuances of Slack's data structure, including emoji reactions and file attachments, providing a comprehensive view of team interactions.
Slack Thread Reader Use Cases
- Summarizing long-form discussions within a specific Slack channel.
- Extracting all replies from a specific message thread to understand technical decisions.
- Monitoring recent channel activity by fetching a limited number of recent messages.
- Converting Slack conversations into structured documentation with resolved user names.
- Gathering context from team chats to help AI agents provide better coding assistance.
How Slack Thread Reader Works
- The skill receives a Slack archive link or specific channel/thread identifiers from the user.
- It automatically determines if the target is a broad channel history or a specific nested thread based on the URL pattern.
- The script validates the request; if the provided link type doesn't match the user's intent, it prompts for clarification to ensure accuracy.
- It fetches the message data, resolving unique Slack IDs into human-readable real names and formatting emoji reactions.
- If requested, the skill recursively fetches thread replies to provide a complete view of the conversation tree.
- The final output is returned as a formatted summary or raw text for further processing within Openclaw Skills workflows.
Slack Thread Reader Setup
To use this skill, ensure the script is available in your scripts/ directory and that your Slack bot has the necessary permissions. The bot must be invited to any private or public channel you wish to read.
# Invite the bot to the channel first
/invite @botname
# Usage: Read a specific thread via URL
scripts/slack-thread.sh https://your-workspace.slack.com/archives/CHANNEL/pTIMESTAMP
# Usage: Read channel history with a limit
scripts/slack-thread.sh <channel-id> --limit 20
Slack Thread Reader Data Schema & Taxonomy
The skill organizes Slack data into a structured Markdown format for easy reading:
| Element | Format | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Timestamps | ISO 8601 | Displayed as [YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM:SS] |
| Senders | Real Name | Resolves internal IDs to human-readable names |
| Mentions | @name | Automatically resolves user mentions in text |
| Reactions | [:emoji: Name] | Lists emojis used and the names of users who reacted |
| Threads | ├ └ Tree | Visual representation of reply chains when threads are enabled |
| Attachments | 📎 Filename | Shows filename and MIME type for shared files |
Slack Thread Reader Advanced Features
- Inline Thread Support: Use the
--with-threadsflag to pull all nested replies directly into the channel history view. - Granular Reply Limits: Control output length by setting the
--thread-limitto fetch only the most relevant replies. - Smart Link Validation: Specifically detects discrepancies between thread links and channel links to prevent data retrieval errors.
- Mentions Resolution: Automatically translates cryptic Slack user IDs into recognizable names for better context within Openclaw Skills.
SKILL.md
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