slack-channel-context
# Slack Channel Context - Technical Documentation
**For quick start: See [README.md](README.md)**
## Overview
This skill automatically loads channel context files from `slack-channel-contexts/` into your session context whenever you're interacting in a Slack channel or thread. This ensures you have the right context for each channel without manual intervention.
In my Openclaw workflow, I use Slack with diffrent channels for different purposes. As a developer, I have dedicated Slack channels for each project. I needed a way to ensure that the Openclaw Agent knew which project I meant when I said something like; run all unit tests. Or if I wanted to discuss a new feature, I wanted to simply be able to start discussing in the appropriate channel and have the Agent know which project I meant. This Skill is the artifact that solved for my case.
**Key Design Decision:** Context files are named simply as `<CHANNEL_ID>.md` or `<CHANNEL_NAME>.md` (e.g., `bebops.md`, `C0AK8SDFS4W.md`). There is NO default fallback file - channels without context files return `None`.
## How It Works
### Context Loading Process
1. **Detection**: Skill detects when you're in a Slack channel or thread
2. **Thread Check**: If the message is in a thread (has `thread_id` or `thread_ts`), checks `SLACK_CONTEXT_LOAD_ON_THREADS` setting
- If `SLACK_CONTEXT_LOAD_ON_THREADS=false`, skips context loading in threads
- If `SLACK_CONTEXT_LOAD_ON_THREADS=true` (default), loads context in threads
3. **File Discovery**: Looks for context files in `slack-channel-contexts/` folder in priority order:
- `slack-channel-contexts/<CHANNEL_ID>.md` (e.g., `C0AK8SDFS4W.md`) - **highest priority**
- `slack-channel-contexts/<CHANNEL_NAME>.md` (e.g., `bebops.md`) - medium priority
- No default fallback - returns `None` if no file exists
4. **Context Injection**: Loads the found file into session context
5. **Caching**: Caches the loaded context for 1 hour (3600 seconds) to avoid repeated file reads
## Tools
### `load_channel_context()`
**Load Slack channel context into the current session.**
This tool automatically loads the appropriate channel context file based on the current Slack channel. Call this at session startup to ensure you have full channel awareness.
**Signature:**
```python
load_channel_context(
channel_id: str,
channel_name: str,
workspace_dir: str = None,
force_reload: bool = False,
is_thread: bool = False
) -> dict
```
**Parameters:**
- `channel_id` (str, required): Slack channel ID (e.g., "C0AK8SDFS4W")
- `channel_name` (str, required): Slack channel name (e.g., "bebops")
- `workspace_dir` (str, optional): Custom workspace directory (defaults to `~/.openclaw/workspace`)
- `force_reload` (bool, optional): If True, bypass cache and read file fresh (use after editing context files)
- `is_thread` (bool, optional): If True, checks `SLACK_CONTEXT_LOAD_ON_THREADS` setting (default: False)
**Returns:**
```json
{
"success": true,
"context": "# Channel Context: #bebops\n\n## Purpose...",
"channel_id": "C0AK8SDFS4W",
"channel_name": "bebops",
"message": "Loaded channel context for bebops channel"
}
```
Or if no context file exists:
```json
{
"success": false,
"context": "",
"channel_id": "C0AK8SDFS4W",
"channel_name": "bebops",
"message": "No context file found for this channel. Context files must be created in slack-channel-contexts/ directory."
}
```
**Example:**
```python
result = load_channel_context(channel_id="C0AK8SDFS4W", channel_name="bebops")
if result["success"]:
print(f"Loaded context: {result['context'][:200]}...")
else:
print(f"No context available: {result['message']}")
```
**Behavior:**
- Looks for context files in priority order:
1. `slack-channel-contexts/<CHANNEL_ID>.md`
2. `slack-channel-contexts/<CHANNEL_NAME>.md`
3. No default - returns `None` if no file exists
- Caches results for 1 hour (3600 seconds) by default
- Use `force_reload=True` after editing context files to bypass cache
## Implementation Files
### `scripts/skill.py`
**Location:** `scripts/skill.py`
Main implementation file containing the `SlackContextLoader` class and `load_channel_context()` function.
### `scripts/load_context.py`
**Location:** `scripts/load_context.py`
Legacy module for backward compatibility. Contains the core `SlackContextLoader` class.
### `scripts/reload_all_contexts.py`
**Location:** `scripts/reload_all_contexts.py`
Utility script to reload all channel context files, bypassing cache.
**Usage:**
```bash
python3 ~/.openclaw/workspace/skills/slack-channel-context/scripts/reload_all_contexts.py
```
### `scripts/example.py`
**Location:** `scripts/example.py`
Demo script showing how the context loader works with different channels.
**Usage:**
```bash
python3 ~/.openclaw/workspace/skills/slack-channel-context/scripts/example.py
```
## Environment Variables
Set these in **`~/.openclaw/workspace/.env`** (preferred method):
| Variable | Default | Description |
|----------|---------|-------------|
| `SLACK_CONTEXT_ENABLED` | `true` | Enable/disable the skill |
| `SLACK_CONTEXT_LOAD_ON_THREADS` | `true` | Load context in threaded messages |
| `SLACK_CONTEXT_LOAD_ON_THREAD_START` | `true` | Load context on thread/session start |
| `SLACK_CONTEXT_CACHE_TTL` | `7200` | Cache duration in seconds (120 min) |
| `SLACK_CONTEXT_CONTEXTS_DIR` | `~/.openclaw/workspace/slack-channel-contexts/` | Custom contexts directory |
**Note:** Do not use `export` - just set the variables directly in `~/.openclaw/workspace/.env`.
## Context File Structure
Context files follow this structure:
```markdown
# Channel Context: #channel-name
## Purpose
[What is this channel for?]
## Associated Projects
- [project-name]: [description]
## Rules & Guidelines
- [Rule 1]
- [Rule 2]
## Recent Activity
- [YYYY-MM-DD]: [Update]
## People to Know
- [@username]: [role]
---
```
See [`examples/EXAMPLE_CHANNEL_CONTEXT.md`](examples/EXAMPLE_CHANNEL_CONTEXT.md) for a complete working example.
## Important Notes
### Force Reload After Editing
After editing a context file, you **MUST** use `force_reload=True` to bypass the cache:
```python
load_channel_context(
channel_id="C0AK8SDFS4W",
channel_name="bebops",
force_reload=True
)
```
### No Default Fallback
There is NO default `SLACK_CHANNEL_CONTEXT.md` file. If a channel doesn't have a context file, the skill returns `success: false` with an empty context. This is intentional - channels without context simply have no context.
### Simple File Names
Context files are named simply as `<CHANNEL_ID>.md` or `<CHANNEL_NAME>.md`. The `SLACK_CHANNEL_CONTEXT_` prefix has been removed to make file names shorter and more readable.
## Troubleshooting
See [`TROUBLESHOOTING.md`](TROUBLESHOOTING.md) for detailed troubleshooting steps.
## Files
| File | Purpose |
|------|---------|
| `scripts/skill.py` | Main implementation |
| `scripts/load_context.py` | Legacy module |
| `scripts/example.py` | Demo script |
| `scripts/reload_all_contexts.py` | Utility script |
| `examples/EXAMPLE_CHANNEL_CONTEXT.md` | Complete working example |
| `_meta.json` | ClawHub publishing metadata |
---
*For quick start: [README.md](README.md)*
*For troubleshooting: [TROUBLESHOOTING.md](TROUBLESHOOTING.md)*
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