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SlackCLI

Development setup

Prerequisites

Section titled “Prerequisites”
  • Bun 1.0+ (CI pins 1.3.13 — see build and release)
  • TypeScript 5.x (installed as a dev dependency)
  • pre-commit — required, brew install pre-commit or pip install pre-commit
  • Optional: Chrome, Edge, Chromium, or Brave, to exercise auth login-auto

First run

Section titled “First run”
Terminal window
git clone https://github.com/shaharia-lab/slackcli.git
cd slackcli
bun install
pre-commit install     # required — constitution §5, not optional

pre-commit install wires up the same checks CI runs, so you find breakage before you push instead of in a red PR. Working hooks are a prerequisite for contributing here: if a hook needs a tool this machine does not have, install it before you start rather than working without the check.

Everyday commands

Section titled “Everyday commands”
Terminal window
bun run dev --help                          # run from source
bun run dev conversations list --json       # any command, no build step


bun test                                    # whole suite
bun test src/lib/curl-parser.test.ts        # one file
bun test --watch                            # while iterating


bun run type-check                          # bunx tsc --noEmit


bun run build                               # ./dist/slackcli for this platform
bun run build:all                           # linux + macos + windows

There is no watch/rebuild step for normal work — bun run dev executes the TypeScript directly.

What the hooks enforce

Section titled “What the hooks enforce”

.pre-commit-config.yaml runs on every commit:

Hook Why
trailing-whitespace, end-of-file-fixer Keeps diffs clean
check-yaml, check-json, check-merge-conflict Catches unparseable files
no-commit-to-branch (main, master) Work happens on a branch
actionlint An invalid workflow file is a startup failure — no logs, and scheduled runs are silently never created. CI runs the same pinned hook id, so local and CI cannot drift.
bun run type-check Types must pass
bun test Tests must pass

Run them all by hand with pre-commit run --all-files.

Never bypass a hook — no git commit --no-verify / -n, no SKIP=, no re-running a commit with checks disabled. A failing hook means fix the code. This is constitution §5 in CLAUDE.md, and it binds AI agents as strictly as it binds people.

Signed commits

Section titled “Signed commits”

Commits must be signed — there is a Signed Commits workflow that enforces it. If you have not set signing up:

Terminal window
git config --global commit.gpgsign true
git config --global gpg.format ssh
git config --global user.signingkey ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub

Then add the same public key to GitHub as a signing key (separate from an authentication key). See CONTRIBUTING.md.

Before you open a pull request

Section titled “Before you open a pull request”

The repository policy is binding, and it is stricter than most:

  1. An issue must exist first, describing WHAT, WHY, and optionally HOW.
  2. The issue must carry the ready-for-pr label. A PR opened before the issue is triaged is likely to be rejected even if the code is good.
  3. The PR must link that issue — a PR must link an open issue workflow checks this.
  4. Type-check, tests, and hooks must pass; commits must be signed.

Full text: CONTRIBUTING.md and the constitution in CLAUDE.md.

Local config while developing

Section titled “Local config while developing”

Running from source uses the same ~/.config/slackcli/workspaces.json as an installed binary. If you want a throwaway identity for testing, add it under its own --profile and pass --workspace=<profile> rather than changing your default.

The self-updater and its “update available” notice are disabled automatically when running under Bun, so bun run dev will never nag you or try to replace a binary that does not exist.

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