scli

A terminal-based Slack client that operates as a user (not a bot). Read channels, send messages, search, and manage DMs — all without leaving your terminal.

Features

• Read channel and DM messages with thread expansion
• Post messages and reply to threads (supports \n for newlines)
• Post Block Kit messages from JSON (file, stdin, or inline)
• Upload files to channels
• List unread channels and DMs
• Search messages across the workspace
• Multiple workspace support
• Color output with --json and --no-color flags
• Token storage via OS keychain, environment variables, or .env files

Installation

Build from source

git clone https://github.com/nlink-jp/scli.git
cd scli
make build          # builds for the current platform → dist/scli
make build-all      # cross-compiles for all target platforms

Requirements: Go 1.26+, make

First-time setup

See docs/setup.md for step-by-step instructions on creating a Slack app and authenticating.

scli auth login

Commands

Command	Description
scli auth login	Authenticate with Slack (OAuth 2.0 PKCE)
scli auth logout	Remove stored credentials
scli auth list	Show authenticated workspaces
scli channel list	List channels you are a member of
scli channel read <channel>	Read messages from a channel
scli dm list	List open DM conversations
scli dm read <user>	Read DM messages
scli dm send <user> <message>	Send a direct message
scli post <channel> [message]	Post a message to a channel
scli search <query>	Search messages in the workspace
scli unread	Show channels and DMs with unread messages
scli user list	List workspace members
scli workspace list	List configured workspaces
scli workspace use <name>	Switch default workspace

Common flags

--workspace, -w   Workspace name (default: "default")
--json            Output raw JSON
--no-color        Disable ANSI color codes

channel read / dm read options

-n, --limit N     Number of messages to fetch (default: 20)
--unread          Show only messages since last read
--thread <ts>     Show a specific thread by message timestamp

post options

--file <path>         Attach a file to the message
--thread <ts>         Reply in a thread
--blocks <json>       Block Kit JSON array (inline string)
--blocks-file <path>  Block Kit JSON from a file ("-" reads from stdin)

When --blocks or --blocks-file is used, [message] becomes the notification fallback text and may be omitted. The two flags are mutually exclusive.

Block Kit examples

# Inline JSON
scli post '#general' 'Hello' --blocks '[{"type":"section","text":{"type":"mrkdwn","text":"*Hello*"}}]'

# From a file
scli post '#general' 'Hello' --blocks-file blocks.json

# From stdin (e.g. piped from md-to-slack)
md-to-slack input.md | scli post '#general' 'Hello' --blocks-file -

# Without fallback text (blocks only)
md-to-slack input.md | scli post '#general' --blocks-file -

search options

-n, --limit N     Maximum number of results (default: 20)
--asc             Sort results oldest first (default: newest first)

Multiple workspaces

scli auth login --workspace personal
scli auth login --workspace work
scli workspace use work
scli channel read #general --workspace personal

License

MIT — see LICENSE