slack-mcp

slack-mcp

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that enables AI assistants to interact with Slack workspaces. This server provides a bridge between AI tools and Slack, allowing you to read messages, post content, and manage Slack channels programmatically through MCP-compatible clients.

What is this and why should I use it?

This MCP server transforms your Slack workspace into an AI-accessible environment. It provides 21+ tools for comprehensive Slack interaction:

Message & Thread Operations

• Read channel history with date filtering and thread support
• Post messages and replies to threads
• Search messages across workspace or within specific channels
• Execute Slack commands

Channel Management

• List, join, create, and rename channels
• Look up channel IDs by name
• Invite users to channels

Reactions & Users

• Add and view emoji reactions
• Send direct messages and group DMs
• Manage usergroups (clear members)

Utility

• Check authentication status
• Cache management for performance

Key Benefits

• Seamless Integration: Connect your AI assistant directly to Slack without manual copy-pasting
• Automated Workflows: Build AI-powered Slack bots that can read, analyze, and respond to messages
• Enhanced Productivity: Let AI help manage notifications, summarize conversations, or automate routine Slack tasks
• Real-time Collaboration: Enable AI assistants to participate in team discussions and provide instant insights

Use Cases

• Team Assistant: Have an AI that can read team updates and provide summaries
• Notification Manager: Automatically categorize and respond to incoming messages
• Knowledge Base: AI that can search through channel history and provide context
• Meeting Scheduler: AI that can read meeting requests and help coordinate schedules

Setting Up with Claude Code

This repo ships as a Claude Code plugin with a guided setup skill. Claude will walk you through the entire process — no manual config editing required.

Run the setup script. It handles everything — venv, Playwright, token extraction, wrapper script, and Claude Code registration. The only interaction required is logging in to Slack when the browser opens, and entering an optional channel ID for server logs, if desired.

python3 <(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/redhat-community-ai-tools/slack-mcp/main/scripts/setup-slack-mcp.py)

Or clone the repo first and run it locally:

git clone https://github.com/redhat-community-ai-tools/slack-mcp
python3 slack-mcp/scripts/setup-slack-mcp.py

Options:

Flag	Description
--logs-channel DXXXXXXXXX	Slack channel ID for server logs (optional; logs go to stderr if omitted)
--workspace https://myco.slack.com	Specific Slack workspace to open
--refresh-tokens	Re-extract tokens when they expire (skips all other steps)
--skip-verify	Skip the post-setup smoke test

When tokens expire, just run:

python3 slack-mcp/scripts/setup-slack-mcp.py --refresh-tokens

Desktop App Token Refresh (Linux)

If you have the Slack desktop app installed, you can refresh tokens without opening a browser:

slack-mcp/scripts/slack-refresh-tokens --validate

This reads tokens directly from the desktop app's local storage on disk — no DevTools, no Playwright, no manual steps. Requires the Slack app to be signed in.

Flag	Description
--validate	Verify tokens against Slack's API after extraction
--env	Print tokens as env vars to stdout (for piping into other tools)
--output FILE	Write tokens to a custom path (default: ~/.local/share/slack-mcp/tokens.env)

Requirements: python3, python3-cryptography, secret-tool (libsecret/gnome-keyring), curl, jq

This is useful for CI hooks or session startup scripts that need to silently refresh tokens before launching the MCP server.

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Bot token authentication (recommended)

For better security, use a Slack App bot token (xoxb-) instead of browser session tokens. Bot tokens provide: