/comms - Slack & Trello Communications Skill

Post messages to Slack channels and create/update Trello cards with natural language commands.

Usage

/comms [message or instruction]

CRITICAL: Load MCP Tools First

MCP tools are deferred and MUST be loaded via ToolSearch before use.

Before calling any Slack or Trello tool, load it:

ToolSearch: select:mcp__slack__slack_post_message
ToolSearch: select:mcp__trello__add_card_to_list

Do NOT:

• Try bash commands to call MCP tools
• Assume tools are unavailable if direct calls fail
• Go searching through scripts or configs

The tools ARE available. Just load them first with ToolSearch.

Key Rules

Trello Comments

Always prefix Trello comments with "From Claude Code: "

Example: If asked to add comment "Fixed the bug", post:

From Claude Code: Fixed the bug

Fuzzy Matching

Match user input to channels/boards using aliases. Examples:

• "android" -> tech-android (Slack) or Android list (Trello)
• "ios" -> tech-ios (Slack) or IOS App list (Trello)
• "server" -> tech-server (Slack) or Server list (Trello)

Smart Defaults

• Tech topics without channel specified -> tech-general
• Tech topics without board specified -> Tech Work board
• Business/org topics -> Org-Business Work board

Example Commands

User Says	Action
"post to android: feature complete"	Post to tech-android channel
"create card on ios list: Fix crash bug"	Create card on Tech Work -> IOS App list
"add comment to card X: resolved"	Add "From Claude Code: resolved" to card
"tell server channel build is ready"	Post to tech-server channel
"create website card: update pricing"	Create card on Org-Business Work -> Website list

Resources

See RESOURCES.md for complete channel/board mappings with IDs.

MCP Tools Used

Slack

• mcp__slack__slack_post_message - Post to channel
• mcp__slack__slack_reply_to_thread - Reply in thread
• mcp__slack__slack_get_channel_history - Read messages
• mcp__slack__slack_add_reaction - Add emoji reaction

Trello

• mcp__trello__add_card_to_list - Create card
• mcp__trello__add_comment - Add comment (remember prefix!)
• mcp__trello__update_card_details - Update card
• mcp__trello__move_card - Move card between lists
• mcp__trello__get_cards_by_list_id - List cards

Workflow

1. Parse user intent (Slack, Trello, or both)
2. Resolve channel/board/list using fuzzy matching
3. Convert content to platform-native formatting (see below)
4. Execute appropriate MCP tool(s)
5. Confirm action to user

---

Platform Formatting Guidelines

CRITICAL: Neither Trello nor Slack supports markdown tables. You must convert tabular data to platform-native formats.

Trello Formatting (Markdown subset)

Supported:

• Bold: **text** or __text__
• Italic: *text* or _text_
• Strikethrough: ~~text~~
• Headings: # H1, ## H2, ### H3
• Bulleted lists: - item or * item (blank line required above list)
• Numbered lists: 1. item
• Code blocks: ``` or indent 4 spaces
• Links: [text](url)
• Horizontal rule: ---

NOT Supported:

• Tables (pipes and dashes render as plain text)
• Nested formatting in some contexts

Slack Formatting (mrkdwn, NOT markdown)

Supported:

• Bold: *text* (single asterisk, unlike markdown)
• Italic: _text_
• Strikethrough: ~text~ (single tilde)
• Code: `code`
• Code blocks: ``` (no syntax highlighting)
• Links: <url|text> (angle brackets, not square)
• Blockquotes: > at line start
• Lists: Use bullet character or numbers

NOT Supported:

• Tables
• Headings (# doesn't work)
• Standard markdown link syntax

---

Converting Tables to Native Formats

Option 1: Key-Value Lists (Recommended for Trello)

Instead of:

| Component | Cost |
|-----------|------|
| GPU | $100 |
| STT | $0 |

Use:

**Components:**
- **GPU:** $100
- **STT:** $0

Option 2: Grouped Sections (Best for comparisons)

Instead of a comparison table, use:

## 20 Users
- **Total:** $100/month
- GPU: $87-100
- STT: $0 (Groq free tier)
- TTS: $0 (self-hosted)

## 100 Users
- **Total:** $175/month
- GPU: $115-145
- STT: $0-30
- TTS: $0 (self-hosted)

Option 3: Code Block (Preserves alignment)

For data that must stay aligned, use a code block:

Component          20 Users    100 Users
─────────────────────────────────────────
GPU                $100        $150
STT                $0          $0-30
TTS                $0          $0
─────────────────────────────────────────
TOTAL              $100        $175

Option 4: Inline Summary (For Slack)

Slack messages should be concise:

*Cost Summary:*
• 20 users: *$100/mo* (GPU $100, STT free, TTS free)
• 100 users: *$175/mo* (GPU $150, STT $0-30, TTS free)

---

Formatting Checklist

Before posting to Trello or Slack:

• Convert all markdown tables to lists or code blocks
• Ensure blank line before any list
• Use platform-specific bold/italic syntax
• Use <url|text> for Slack links, [text](url) for Trello
• Keep Slack messages concise; Trello can be longer