Slack MCP Server

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that provides programmatic access to Slack conversations, threads, and workspace information. Designed for AI assistants like Claude to interact with your Slack workspace through a standardized interface.

What is MCP?

The Model Context Protocol is an open standard that enables AI assistants to securely access external data sources and tools. This server implements MCP to give Claude direct access to your Slack workspace.

Features

📨 Message Operations

• Read Channel Messages: Fetch recent messages from any channel with flexible time-based filtering
• Read Thread Messages: Access complete conversation threads including all replies
• Get Message Permalinks: Generate permanent, shareable links to specific messages

🔍 Discovery & Search

• List Your Channels: Enumerate all channels you're a member of (public, private, DMs, group DMs)
• Search Conversations: Find messages where you're mentioned or involved using Slack's search

📊 Metadata & Context

• Get Channel Info: View channel details, topics, purposes, member counts, and settings
• Get User Info: Look up user profiles, emails, titles, timezones, and status information

Quick Start

Option 1: Install from PyPI (Recommended)

The easiest way to use this MCP server is to install it directly from PyPI:

# Install via pip
pip install slack-mcp-server-v2

# Or install via uvx (recommended for MCP servers)
uvx slack-mcp-server-v2

Option 2: Install from Source

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/stevenvo/slack-mcp-server.git
cd slack-mcp-server

# Install dependencies
pip install -r requirements.txt

After installation, you'll need to set up authentication (see below).

Authentication

Option 1: User Token (Recommended)

A User Token uses your personal Slack permissions and can access all channels you're a member of.

1. Go to https://api.slack.com/apps
2. Create a new app (or use existing)
3. Navigate to "OAuth & Permissions"
4. Add the following User Token Scopes:
   • channels:history - View messages in public channels
   • channels:read - View basic channel info
   • groups:history - View messages in private channels
   • groups:read - View basic private channel info
   • im:history - View messages in direct messages
   • im:read - View basic DM info
   • mpim:history - View messages in group DMs
   • mpim:read - View basic group DM info
   • users:read - View user information
   • search:read - Search messages
5. Install the app to your workspace
6. Copy the "User OAuth Token" (starts with xoxp-)

Option 2: Bot Token

A Bot Token is more limited but easier to set up for team-wide access.

1. Follow steps 1-2 above
2. Add Bot Token Scopes instead (same list but in bot section)
3. Install the app
4. Copy the "Bot User OAuth Token" (starts with xoxb-)
5. Invite the bot to channels you want to read: /invite @YourBotName

Configure Environment

Create a .env file:

cp .env.example .env

Edit .env and add your token:

# Use one of these:
SLACK_USER_TOKEN=xoxp-your-user-token-here
# OR
SLACK_BOT_TOKEN=xoxb-your-bot-token-here

Configuration for Claude Code

Add this server to Claude Code by editing your ~/.claude.json file:

Using PyPI Package (Recommended)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "slack": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": ["slack-mcp-server-v2"],
      "env": {
        "SLACK_USER_TOKEN": "xoxp-your-user-token-here",
        "SLACK_WORKSPACE_URL": "https://your-workspace.slack.com"
      }
    }
  }
}

Using Local Installation

If you installed from source:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "slack": {
      "command": "python",
      "args": ["/path/to/slack-mcp-server/server.py"],
      "env": {
        "SLACK_USER_TOKEN": "xoxp-your-user-token-here",
        "SLACK_WORKSPACE_URL": "https://your-workspace.slack.com"
      }
    }
  }
}

Using Bot Token

If you prefer to use a bot token instead of a user token:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "slack": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": ["slack-mcp-server-v2"],
      "env": {
        "SLACK_BOT_TOKEN": "xoxb-your-bot-token-here",
        "SLACK_WORKSPACE_URL": "https://your-workspace.slack.com"
      }
    }
  }
}

Note: Remember to invite your bot to channels: /invite @YourBotName

Verify Installation

Restart Claude Code and verify the server is running:

claude mcp list

You should see slack in the list of active MCP servers.

Available Tools

This server provides 7 MCP tools for interacting with Slack:

📬 read_channel_messages

Retrieve recent messages from any Slack channel with flexible time filtering.

Parameters:

Natural Language Examples:

• "Show me messages from the #general channel in the last 24 hours"
• "Read the last 48 hours of messages from channel C1234567890"
• "Get the most recent 50 messages from C070PDRHQS1"

Returns: Formatted messages with timestamps, user mentions, thread indicators, reactions, and permalinks.

💬 read_thread_messages

Read all messages in a conversation thread, including the parent message and all replies.

Parameters:

Natural Language Examples:

• "Read the full thread with timestamp 1699564800.123456 in channel C1234567890"
• "Show me all replies to message ts 1699564800.123456"

Returns: Complete thread with parent message and all replies, formatted with timestamps and reactions.

📋 get_channel_info

Get detailed metadata about a Slack channel.

Parameters:

Natural Language Examples:

• "Get info about channel C1234567890"
• "Show me details for the #engineering channel"

Returns: Channel name, ID, creation date, member count, privacy status, topic, and purpose.

👤 get_user_info

Look up detailed profile information for any Slack user.

Parameters:

Natural Language Examples:

• "Get info about user U1234567"
• "Show me details for @john.doe"

Returns: User's real name, display name, email, title, status, timezone, and admin/bot flags.

📑 list_my_channels

List all channels you're a member of, with support for different channel types.

Parameters:

Supported Types:

• public_channel - Public channels
• private_channel - Private channels
• mpim - Group direct messages
• im - Direct messages

Natural Language Examples:

• "List all my channels"
• "Show me all private channels I'm in"
• "List all my DMs"

Returns: Channel names, IDs, member counts, and privacy indicators.

🔍 search_my_conversations

Search for messages across all conversations where you're mentioned or involved.

Parameters:

Natural Language Examples:

• "Search my conversations for 'deployment'"
• "Find messages mentioning 'bug fix' in the last week"
• "Search for messages about 'Q4 planning'"

Returns: Matching messages with channel names, user info, timestamps, and permalinks.

🔗 get_message_permalink

Generate a permanent, shareable link to a specific Slack message.

Parameters:

Natural Language Examples:

• "Get permalink for message 1699564800.123456 in channel C1234567890"
• "Generate a link to this message"

Returns: Permanent URL that works even if the workspace's URL changes.

Usage Examples

Once configured in Claude Code, you can interact with your Slack workspace using natural language. Here are some example queries:

Reading Messages

👤 "Show me the latest messages from #engineering"
🤖 [Claude fetches and displays recent messages with timestamps, users, and links]

👤 "What were the last 100 messages in the #product-updates channel from the past week?"
🤖 [Claude retrieves messages from the last 168 hours with limit of 100]

Following Threads

👤 "Read the full thread that starts at timestamp 1699564800.123456 in channel C1234567890"
🤖 [Claude displays the entire conversation thread with all replies]