Configuration

Full example

[general]
default_workspace = "work" # the slug, not the team ID
use_slack_sections = true # use real Slack sidebar sections (default).
 # set false to use [sections.*] globs instead.
[appearance]
theme = "dracula"
timestamp_format = "3:04 PM"
image_protocol = "auto" # auto | kitty | sixel | halfblock | off
max_image_rows = 20 # cap inline image height in terminal rows
colored_usernames = false # color each user's name by ID hash (Slack-style)
[animations]
enabled = true
smooth_scrolling = true
typing_indicators = true
[notifications]
enabled = true
on_mention = true
on_dm = true
on_keyword = ["deploy", "incident"]
quiet_hours = "22:00-08:00" # planned
# notify_command (optional): run INSTEAD of the built-in OS notification for any
# message that would notify (DM / mention / keyword). Executed via `sh -c` with
# $SLK_TITLE and $SLK_BODY set, so you can route notifications through your own
# tooling (terminal-notifier, a multiplexer's notifier, mako, ...). Values are
# passed via the environment, so message text can't inject shell syntax.
# notify_command = 'terminal-notifier -title "$SLK_TITLE" -message "$SLK_BODY"'
# status_command (optional): run on every unread-state change (a message arrives
# or a channel is read) so an external surface can mirror slk's unread state.
# Because it fires on reads too, it can clear a status as well as set one.
# Runs are serialized and coalesced: states never run concurrently or out of
# order, and under a burst intermediate states may be skipped — the newest
# state always runs last, so the surface converges on the current state.
# Executed via `sh -c` with:
# $SLK_UNREAD unread channels in the active workspace (mute-filtered)
# $SLK_OTHER_UNREAD unread count across other workspaces
# $SLK_WORKSPACE active workspace name
# $SLK_TITLE the window-title string, e.g. "slk SW (3) +1"
# status_command = 'my-statusbar --slack-unread "$SLK_UNREAD"'
# Both hooks require a POSIX `sh` on $PATH and are unavailable on Windows
# (the built-in OS notification still works there). Hook failures are silent
# in the UI; run slk with SLK_DEBUG=1 and check slk-debug.log ([notify] lines)
# to diagnose a misbehaving command.
# Muted channels and DMs never notify — including on mentions and keywords —
# matching Slack. (This is a behavior change: previously a mention or keyword
# in a muted channel would still notify.)
[cache]
message_retention_days = 30
max_db_size_mb = 500
max_image_cache_mb = 200
# Glob-based channel sections — only consulted when use_slack_sections
# is false (globally or per-workspace), or when Slack's section API is
# unreachable. Otherwise slk reads the user's actual Slack sections.
[sections.Alerts]
channels = ["alerts", "ops", "*-alerts"]
order = 1
# Channels can carry an optional ":<N>" suffix to pin their order
# within the section. Lower numbers sort higher. Entries without a
# suffix fall after annotated ones, in the order they appear.
# This syntax is only honored when use_slack_sections = false;
# in Slack-native mode, channel order comes from Slack.
[sections.Engineering]
channels = ["eng-general:1", "eng-alerts:2", "eng-*"]
order = 2
# Per-workspace settings: keyed by a slug you choose at --add-workspace
# time. team_id ties the slug to the underlying Slack workspace.
[workspaces.work]
team_id = "T01ABCDEF"
order = 1 # rail position; 1-based, used by 1-9 keys
theme = "dracula" # overrides [appearance].theme
use_slack_sections = false # this workspace uses [sections.*] globs;
 # other workspaces still use Slack sections
[workspaces.work.sections.Alerts]
channels = ["alerts", "*-alerts"]
order = 1
[workspaces.work.sections.Engineering]
channels = ["eng-*", "deploys"]
order = 2
# A second workspace with no per-workspace sections — falls back to
# the global [sections.*] above.
[workspaces.side]
team_id = "T02XYZ"
order = 2
# Inline color overrides on top of the active theme
[theme]
primary = "#4A9EFF"
accent = "#50C878"
background = "#1A1A2E"
text = "#E0E0E0"

Section resolution

Ordering channels within a section

[sections.Engineering]
channels = ["eng-general:1", "eng-alerts:2", "eng-*"]
order = 2

Limitations of Slack-native sections

Workspace order

Terminal-palette themes (ANSI Dark, ANSI Light)

[appearance]
theme = "ANSI Dark" # or "ANSI Light"

Custom themes

name = "My Theme"
[colors]
primary = "#BD93F9"
accent = "#50FA7B"
warning = "#FFB86C"
error = "#FF5555"
background = "#282A36"
surface = "#343746"
surface_dark = "#21222C"
text = "#F8F8F2"
text_muted = "#6272A4"
border = "#44475A"
# Optional sidebar/rail overrides — lets you have a darker sidebar with a
# lighter message pane (Slack's default look). Fall back to
# background/text/text_muted/surface_dark when omitted.
sidebar_background = "#19171D"
sidebar_text = "#D1D2D3"
sidebar_text_muted = "#9A9B9E"
rail_background = "#19171D"

Data paths (XDG)