Fix test mode to not send Slack notifications

- Make SLACK_WEBHOOK_URL optional in test mode
- Prevent test mode from actually sending to Slack (displays payload only)
- Update documentation with example notification format
- Test mode now only requires ANTHROPIC_API_KEY as documented

Fixes issue where test mode was sending actual Slack notifications

Co-authored-by: paolomainardi <8747+paolomainardi@users.noreply.github.com>

Author: Copilot

docs/SLACK_NOTIFICATION_EXAMPLES.md

@@ -148,17 +148,35 @@ python3 src/slack-notify/notify-slack-on-merge.py --test
 ```
 
 The test mode will:
-1. Use a sample changelog diff (no git required)
-2. Call Claude API to analyze the diff
-3. Generate a notification message
-4. Display the Slack payload (without sending)
+1. Use sample changelog diffs (no git required)
+2. Call Claude API to analyze each diff
+3. Generate notification messages
+4. Display the Slack payload that would be sent (without actually sending)
 
 This allows you to:
 - Test the Claude AI integration
 - Verify message generation
 - Validate Slack payload structure
 - All without needing `SLACK_WEBHOOK_URL` or git history
 
+## Example Notification
+
+When significant features are detected, the notification appears in Slack like this:
+
+```
+🚀 New Sparkdock Release
+
+This release brings significant infrastructure improvements and expanded development environment options:
+
+• Automated Slack notifications for feature releases - development team announcements are now streamlined through automated notifications for significant changes merged to the master branch
+
+• Lima container environment with Docker Desktop replacement support - developers now have a lightweight alternative to Docker Desktop that reduces resource consumption while maintaining full container functionality
+
+• New shell enhancement system with eza, starship, and fzf integration - enhanced command-line productivity through modern tools including better file listings, an improved prompt, and powerful fuzzy finding capabilities
+
+Commit: abc1234 by sparkfabrik
+```
+
 ## Customizing Messages
 
 To adjust the notification style or content, edit the prompt in `src/slack-notify/prompts/analyze-changelog.txt`:

src/slack-notify/notify-slack-on-merge.py

@@ -90,12 +90,12 @@
 ]
 
 
-def check_env():
+def check_env(require_slack=True):
     """Check required environment variables. Exits if missing."""
     missing = []
     if not os.environ.get("ANTHROPIC_API_KEY"):
         missing.append("ANTHROPIC_API_KEY")
-    if not os.environ.get("SLACK_WEBHOOK_URL"):
+    if require_slack and not os.environ.get("SLACK_WEBHOOK_URL"):
         missing.append("SLACK_WEBHOOK_URL")
 
     if missing:
@@ -254,17 +254,10 @@ def run_test(test, commit_sha, commit_url, author):
         if DEBUG:
             print(f"\nGenerated message:\n---\n{message}\n---\n")
         payload = create_slack_payload(message, commit_url, commit_sha, author)
-        if DEBUG:
-            print(f"Slack payload:\n{json.dumps(payload, indent=2)}\n")
-
-        print(f"{YELLOW}Sending Slack notification...{NC}")
-        try:
-            if send_slack(payload):
-                print(f"{GREEN}✅ Slack notification sent{NC}\n")
-            else:
-                print(f"{RED}✗ Failed to send Slack notification{NC}\n")
-        except Exception as e:
-            print(f"{RED}✗ Slack error: {e}{NC}\n")
+        
+        print(f"{YELLOW}Test mode: Notification would be sent. Payload below for verification:{NC}")
+        print(json.dumps(payload, indent=2))
+        print()
 
     # Validate result
     expected = test.get("expected")
@@ -362,11 +355,11 @@ def production_mode(changelog_file, commit_sha, commit_url, author):
 
 def main():
     """Main entry point."""
-    check_env()
-
     if len(sys.argv) == 2 and sys.argv[1] == "--test":
+        check_env(require_slack=False)
         test_mode()
     elif len(sys.argv) == 5:
+        check_env(require_slack=True)
         production_mode(sys.argv[1], sys.argv[2], sys.argv[3], sys.argv[4])
     else:
         print(__doc__)