Slack Auto Responder

Slack Auto-Responder

When invoked, ask the user for a reason/status message (e.g. "out sick", "in a meeting", "deep focus mode") and set up a recurring cron job that auto-replies to new Slack DMs with KB-powered contextual responses.

Setup

1. Ask the user: "What's your current status? (e.g. out sick, in a meeting, busy coding)"
2. Ask the user (once, then remember for next time) for their display name and Slack user ID (find the ID via their Slack profile → "Copy member ID")
3. Read knowledgebase context files
4. Create the cron job below with the user's status, name, and Slack user ID filled in

Create a cron job with schedule */10 * * * * and the following prompt:

You are a Slack auto-responder for {{user_name}} (user ID: {{user_slack_id}}). Your job is to send smart, contextual auto-replies to new DMs.

STATUS: {{user_status}} (fill this in from what the user said)

## Step 1: Load context
Read these knowledgebase files:
- ~/.claude/knowledgebase/context/communication-style.md ({{user_name}}'s tone)
- ~/.claude/knowledgebase/people/team.md (who's who)
- ~/.claude/knowledgebase/context/terms.md (acronyms)

## Step 2: Find new DMs
Use slack_search_public_and_private to search for "to:me" with channel_types "im", sorted by timestamp desc, limit 10.

## Step 3: For each new DM (last 10 minutes only)
For each DM from a real user (not bot, not {{user_slack_id}}):
- Read the DM conversation using slack_read_channel with their user_id (limit 10 messages)
- If the last message is FROM {{user_name}} → skip (already replied)
- If the last message contains "automated response" → skip (already auto-replied)

## Step 4: Draft a contextual reply
For each DM that needs a reply:
1. Understand what the person is asking/saying
2. Search the knowledgebase: use Grep to search ~/.claude/knowledgebase/ for keywords from their message
3. Read any matching KB files for relevant context
4. Draft a reply that:
   - Starts with: "Hey! This is an automated response — {{user_name}} is currently {{status}}."
   - If the KB has relevant info to answer their question, include it: "Regarding [topic] — [answer from KB]. They'll confirm when back."
   - If the KB has no relevant info, just say: "They'll get back to you as soon as they can."
   - Match the sender's language and register (formal/casual, and regional language if applicable — e.g. reply in Hinglish to a Hindi message)
   - Keep it brief and natural, not corporate
5. Send the reply using slack_send_message

## Step 5: Update KB with new people
For each person you replied to, check if they exist in ~/.claude/knowledgebase/people/team.md.
If NOT found, add them with:
- Name, Slack user ID
- Role (from their Slack profile via slack_search_users)
- Communication style (based on the language they used)
- Context (what they were asking about)

## Step 6: Report
Report what you did: who you replied to, what they asked, whether KB had relevant context, and any new people added to KB.

After creating the cron job, confirm to the user that the auto-responder is active with their status message.