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

bash

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

For multi-line replies:

bash

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:

text

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

Reply:

bash

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

bash

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

Example 3: Request More Information

bash

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

bash

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:

text

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.