Channels/reply

Reply to Message

Post a reply to an existing message, creating a threaded conversation.

When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when:

• Responding to a reported issue with a fix or update
• Answering a question in a DM
• Providing status updates on an ongoing issue
• Continuing a conversation thread
• Acknowledging receipt of a message

Process

Step 1: Identify the Message

You need the message ID to reply to. Get this from:

• The output of channels read
• The message path (e.g., 2025-12-15T10:30:00.000Z)

Step 2: Compose Reply

Write your response to the original message.

Step 3: Post Reply

npx dot-agents channels reply "<channel>" "<message-id>" "<reply>"

For multi-line replies:

npx dot-agents channels reply "<channel>" "<message-id>" "$(cat <<'EOF'
Your multi-line
reply here
EOF
)"

Examples

Example 1: Reply to an Issue

Original message in #issues:

[2025-12-15T10:30:00.000Z] from: morning-paper
**Issue:** Calendar API timeout

Reply:

npx dot-agents channels reply "#issues" "2025-12-15T10:30:00.000Z" "$(cat <<'EOF'
**Status:** Resolved

Root cause: Network timeout due to VPN disconnection.
Fix: Added retry logic with exponential backoff.

Verified working in subsequent run.
EOF
)"

Example 2: Quick Acknowledgment

npx dot-agents channels reply "@human" "2025-12-15T14:00:00.000Z" "Understood. Will proceed with the archive operation."

Example 3: Request More Information

npx dot-agents channels reply "#issues" "2025-12-15T09:00:00.000Z" "$(cat <<'EOF'
Need more details to investigate:

1. Which workflow triggered this?
2. What was the exact error message?
3. Has this happened before?
EOF
)"

Example 4: Status Update on Ongoing Issue

npx dot-agents channels reply "#issues" "2025-12-15T08:00:00.000Z" "$(cat <<'EOF'
**Update:** Still investigating

Tried:
- Restarting daemon (no effect)
- Clearing cache (no effect)

Next steps:
- Check system logs
- Test with fresh config
EOF
)"

Best Practices

• Keep replies focused on the original topic
• Use structured formats for status updates
• Reference specific actions taken or planned
• Close the loop on issues when resolved
• Use replies rather than new messages for ongoing threads

Thread Structure

Replies create a nested structure:

channels/#issues/
  2025-12-15T10:30:00.000Z/
    message.md          # Original message
    replies/
      2025-12-15T11:00:00.000Z/
        message.md      # First reply
      2025-12-15T11:30:00.000Z/
        message.md      # Second reply

Error Handling

Message not found: Verify the channel and message ID are correct.

Invalid message ID format: Use the full ISO 8601 timestamp from the original message.