using atom in slack
atom has three surfaces in slack: slash commands for configuration, mentions for everything conversational, and dms for standups.
slash commands
| command | what it does |
|---|---|
/atom help | how to work with atom, with setup links if something is not connected yet. |
/atom connect | link your slack identity to your github account. this is what routes review requests to you and lets atom act as you on github. |
/atom reminders | configure pr reminders for the channel you are in. the form pre-loads the existing config and pre-selects the channel's repos. |
/atom reminders off | turn reminders off for this channel. |
/atom standup | configure the standup: participants, nudge time, board time, days. the board posts to the channel you run this in. |
/atom standup off | pause the standup. config and history are kept. |
configuration confirmations post in the channel so the whole team sees what changed.
mention atom in a channel
| say | what happens |
|---|---|
@atom pending prs | a summary of open pull requests for this channel's repos, replied in a thread under your message, grouped by repo with authors and ages. |
@atom my prs | your open pull requests across the workspace, replied in a thread under your message. |
@atom inbox | everything that needs you in three buckets: reviews waiting on you, your own pull requests ranked by what needs action, and prs where you are mentioned or assigned. |
@atom insights | this week's numbers for the channel's repos: merged and opened counts, median time to first review, publish to merge time, review cycles, first pass rate, review load, and stale prs. last week shown alongside. |
@atom stats | your personal week: prs opened and merged, reviews given, your median response time, and how long your prs waited for review. |
@atom reminder config | this channel's reminder schedule. |
@atom standup config | the standup schedule and participants. |
@atom feedback ... | send us feedback, right from slack. |
@atom help | what atom can do in a channel. |
plain language works: atom understands phrasing like "@atom show my open pull requests".
mention atom in a pull request thread
inside a pr thread, mentions act on that pull request, on github, as you:
| say | what happens |
|---|---|
@atom approve | approves the pr. add a message after it if you like. @atom lgtm works too. |
@atom request changes needs tests | requests changes with your feedback. |
@atom comment deploying after lunch | comments on the pr. |
@atom request review from @teammate | requests a review. |
@atom assign @teammate | assigns them. |
@atom add labels docs, do not merge | adds labels, comma separated, validated against the repo's real labels. |
@atom remove labels docs | removes labels. |
@atom close and @atom reopen | closes or reopens the pr. |
a successful action gets a checkmark reaction on your message and nothing else: the thread stays clean because your command is the record. when something cannot be done, atom replies in the thread and says why. approving never falls back to a bot account, so an approval from slack is a real approval from you.
the thread keeps watch
some things post to the thread without anyone asking:
- when checks finish, the result lands in the thread: "checks passed in 3m 42s" or "checks failed" with the failing job named and linked.
- draft prs post with a draft badge and flip to open when marked ready for review.
- when a pr sits quiet, atom nudges: a gentle note at one day, a firmer one at two, and a message to the channel at three so the team sees it. any activity resets the clock.
- the moment a pr develops a conflict with its base branch, the thread says so. once, not repeatedly.
notifications you can live with
- one message per event, never two.
- the pr message edits itself through open, changes requested, approved, merged, and closed.
- dms only when something waits on you, and the dm badge updates itself when it no longer does.
- pushes show the real commit count and messages, linked to the compare view.