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npx humanlayer contact_human

The contact_human command allows you to send a message to a human through your configured contact channels (Slack, email) and wait for their response. This is useful for getting human input, approvals, or feedback directly from the command line.

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Usage

npx humanlayer contact_human <message> [options]

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Arguments

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Options

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General Options

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Slack Options

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Email Options

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Examples

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Basic Usage

npx humanlayer contact_human "Should we proceed with the deployment?"

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Reading from Stdin

echo "Review this code change" | npx humanlayer contact_human -

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With Slack Configuration

npx humanlayer contact_human "Approve marketing campaign" \
  --slack-channel C123456789 \
  --slack-context "marketing team"

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With Email Configuration

npx humanlayer contact_human "Need approval for budget increase" \
  --email-address manager@company.com \
  --email-context "Finance Manager"

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Using Environment Variables

export HUMANLAYER_SLACK_CHANNEL=C123456789
export HUMANLAYER_SLACK_BOT_TOKEN=xoxb-your-bot-token
npx humanlayer contact_human "Quick question about the project"

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Interactive Flow

$ npx humanlayer contact_human "Should we deploy to production?"
Contacting human...
Human response received
Yes, proceed with the deployment. Make sure to monitor the metrics closely.

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Input Methods

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Direct Message

Pass the message directly as an argument:

npx humanlayer contact_human "Your message here"

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From Stdin

Use - to read the message from stdin, useful for piping:

cat message.txt | npx humanlayer contact_human -
echo "Dynamic message" | npx humanlayer contact_human -

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Configuration

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Required Configuration

You must configure at least one contact channel:

Slack Channel:

• Channel/User ID: --slack-channel or HUMANLAYER_SLACK_CHANNEL
• Bot Token: --slack-bot-token or HUMANLAYER_SLACK_BOT_TOKEN

Email:

• Email Address: --email-address or HUMANLAYER_EMAIL_ADDRESS

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Optional Configuration

• Context about recipient: --slack-context / --email-context
• Slack thread: --slack-thread-ts
• Slack blocks: --slack-blocks

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Response Handling

The command will:

1. Send your message through the configured channel
2. Wait for a human response
3. Output the response to stdout
4. Exit with code 0 on success

Error messages are sent to stderr, so you can capture just the human response:

response=$(npx humanlayer contact_human "Question?" 2>/dev/null)
echo "Human said: $response"

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Error Handling

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No Contact Channel Configured

$ npx humanlayer contact_human "test"
Error: No contact channel configured. Please specify --slack-channel, --email-address, or use environment variables/config file.

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Invalid Configuration

The command will validate your configuration and provide helpful error messages for:

• Missing API tokens
• Invalid channel IDs
• Network connectivity issues

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Integration Examples

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In Shell Scripts

#!/bin/bash
if npx humanlayer contact_human "Deploy to production?" 2>/dev/null | grep -i "yes"; then
    echo "Deployment approved, proceeding..."
    ./deploy.sh
else
    echo "Deployment not approved"
    exit 1
fi

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With Git Hooks

# Pre-push hook
if [ "$remote_url" = "production" ]; then
    response=$(npx humanlayer contact_human "Push to production?" 2>/dev/null)
    if ! echo "$response" | grep -i "yes"; then
        echo "Push cancelled by human"
        exit 1
    fi
fi

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Best Practices

1. Clear messages: Be specific about what you’re asking
2. Provide context: Use --slack-context or --email-context to help humans understand
3. Error handling: Always check the exit code and handle failures
4. Timeouts: Be aware that humans may take time to respond
5. Automation: Use environment variables or config files for repeated usage