If you’re using the Slack desktop application on Linux, you might have noticed the persistent blue circle icon that appears on the taskbar whenever there’s activity in any channel. While this feature is designed to keep you informed, it can sometimes be more distracting than helpful, especially if you’re part of multiple active channels. In this guide, we’ll walk you through a method to disable this blue circle notification by modifying Slack’s internal files.
Important Note: The steps outlined below involve altering Slack’s internal files. Proceed with caution and ensure you have the necessary backups before making any changes. Additionally, these modifications may need to be reapplied after Slack updates.
Install the asar Utility
Slack’s resources are packaged using the Electron framework’s asar archive format. To modify these resources, you’ll need the asar utility. Install it globally using npm:
1 | sudo npm install -g asar |
Create Backup Directories
It’s crucial to back up the original Slack files before making any changes. Create a backup directory:
1 | sudo mkdir -p ~/tmp/slack-backup |
Backup Original Slack Files
Copy the original app.asar file and its unpacked contents to the backup directory:
1 | sudo cp /usr/lib/slack/resources/app.asar ~/tmp/slack-backup/ |
Extract the app.asar Archive
Create a temporary directory and extract the contents of app.asar into it:
1 | sudo mkdir ~/tmp/slack |
Modify the Notification Settings
Navigate to the extracted files and modify the JavaScript responsible for the taskbar notifications:
1 | sudo sed -i 's/:t>0/:t<0/g' ~/tmp/slack/dist/main.*.js |
This command changes the condition that controls the display of the blue circle, effectively disabling it.
Repack the Modified Files
After making the necessary changes, remove the original app.asar and its unpacked directory:
1 | sudo rm /usr/lib/slack/resources/app.asar |
Then, repack the modified files into a new app.asar archive and move it to Slack’s resources directory:
1 | sudo env "PATH=$PATH" asar pack ~/tmp/slack /usr/lib/slack/resources/app.asar |
Restart Slack
Close and reopen the Slack application for the changes to take effect. The blue circle icon should no longer appear on channel activity.
Additional Considerations:
- Slack Updates: Be aware that updating Slack may overwrite these changes. You might need to repeat this process after each update.
By following these steps, you can customize your Slack experience on Linux to better suit your workflow and minimize distractions.
🛠️ (Optional) Note on Using PATH=$PATH with asar
If you’re wondering why I used sudo env "PATH=$PATH" asar ... instead of just sudo asar ..., here’s the reason:
Even though I had installed asar globally using npm, running it with sudo gave me this error:
1 | sudo asar ... |
But oddly enough, running asar without sudo worked just fine:
1 | asar --version |
This happens because tools like asar are often installed under a user-specific path when using Node.js via NVM (Node Version Manager). That path isn’t inherited by sudo, which uses a more limited environment.
To fix it, I simply told sudo to explicitly pass along my current PATH like this:
1 | sudo env "PATH=$PATH" asar ... |
That way, asar is found and executed correctly — with root permissions — without needing to fiddle with symlinks or system-wide installs.
🧠 TL;DR: If asar works but sudo asar doesn’t, use:
1 | sudo env "PATH=$PATH" asar ... |
Problem solved. ✔️
Ref: superuser