A GitHub CLI extension that dumps Slack conversations into Slack's JSON export format using slackdump. Inspired by gh-slack, but can export entire channels and DMs, not just threads.
It authenticates via the Slack desktop app's local cookie storage and uses TLS fingerprinting to work with enterprise Slack workspaces without triggering security notifications. Currently macOS-only — requires the Slack desktop app to be signed in to your Slack workspace.
gh extension install wham/gh-slackdump
To update to the latest version:
gh extension upgrade wham/gh-slackdump
Sign in to your Slack workspace in the Slack desktop app first. On first run, macOS will prompt for Keychain access — click Allow or Always Allow.
gh slackdump <slack-link>
Supports channels, threads, and direct messages in both regular (*.slack.com) and enterprise (*.enterprise.slack.com) workspaces. Copy the link from Slack and pass it as the argument.
The output is written to stdout by default. Use -o to write to a file instead.
gh slackdump https://myworkspace.slack.com/archives/C09036MGFJ4
gh slackdump -u https://myworkspace.slack.com/archives/C09036MGFJ4
gh slackdump -u -f https://myworkspace.slack.com/archives/C09036MGFJ4
gh slackdump -o output.json https://myworkspace.enterprise.slack.com/archives/CMH59UX4P
gh slackdump --from 2024-01-01 --to 2024-01-31 https://myworkspace.slack.com/archives/C09036MGFJ4
gh slackdump --test
| Flag | Description |
|---|---|
-o, --output <file> |
Write JSON output to a file instead of stdout. When set, progress is logged to stdout. |
-u, --users |
Replace user IDs with Slack handles. Fetches the workspace user list on first use and caches it. |
-f, --force |
Force re-fetch of the cached user list (implies -u). |
--from <time> |
Dump only messages after this time. Accepts RFC3339 (e.g. 2024-01-02T15:04:05Z) or date-only (2024-01-02). Filters by parent message timestamp; thread replies follow their parent. |
--to <time> |
Dump only messages before this time. Accepts RFC3339 (e.g. 2024-01-31T23:59:59Z) or date-only (2024-01-31). Filters by parent message timestamp; thread replies follow their parent. |
--test |
Show the detected Slack cookie source and value, then exit. Useful for verifying that cookie access is working. |
-v, --version |
Print the version number and exit. |
-h, --help |
Show help with all available flags and usage examples. |
The output follows Slack's export format with slackdump extensions:
{
"channel_id": "C09036MGFJ4",
"thread_ts": "1771747003.176409", // only present for thread links
"name": "channel-name",
"messages": [
{
"type": "message",
"user": "U09036M8VEU",
"text": "Hello",
"ts": "1771747003.176409",
"reactions": [{ "name": "eyes", "count": 1, "users": ["U09036M8VEU"] }],
"slackdump_thread_replies": [
{ "type": "message", "user": "U09036M8VEU", "text": "Reply", "ts": "..." }
]
}
]
}Thread replies are nested under slackdump_thread_replies on the parent message. Users are identified by ID, not display name.
When -u is passed, user IDs are replaced with Slack handles everywhere in the JSON — message authors, reactions, thread participants, and <@mention> patterns in message text. The workspace user list is fetched once and cached in the gh CLI cache directory (~/.cache/gh/slackdump/<workspace>/users.json). Use -f to force a re-fetch.
Build and run locally (requires Go 1.21+):
scripts/run <slack-link>
Run tests:
scripts/test
Releases are automated with GoReleaser via GitHub Actions. To publish a new version:
scripts/release patch # v0.2.0 → v0.2.1
scripts/release minor # v0.2.0 → v0.3.0
scripts/release major # v0.2.0 → v1.0.0
The script reads the latest git tag, bumps the version, and pushes the new tag after confirmation. The workflow then builds macOS binaries (amd64 + arm64) and creates a GitHub Release, enabling gh extension install without requiring Go.
