Connect Claude to Slack
Search conversations, post updates, and automate team communication with AI.
The Slack MCP integration lets Claude access your workspace conversations, search message history, and help you stay on top of team communication. Instead of scrolling through channels to catch up, ask Claude to summarize what you missed.
What You Can Do
Search Messages
Find conversations by keyword, person, or channel. Locate that discussion you remember but can't find.
Catch Up on Channels
Get summaries of channel activity while you were away. Never miss important updates.
Post Messages
Draft and send messages to channels or DMs through Claude.
Extract Action Items
Pull out decisions, commitments, and to-dos from lengthy threads.
Example Commands
Basic
- "What happened in #general today?"
- "Find messages from @sarah about the product launch"
- "Show me unread messages in my DMs"
Intermediate
- "Summarize the discussion in #engineering from this week"
- "What decisions were made in #marketing yesterday?"
- "Find all messages mentioning the Q3 deadline"
Advanced
- "What action items came out of the #project-alpha channel this week? Who owns each one?"
- "Compare what #sales and #support are saying about the new feature"
- "Post a summary of today's #standup to #leadership"
Setup Guide
Prerequisites
- Install the Slack MCP server
- Add configuration to Claude Desktop
- Authorize with your Slack workspace
- Test with a simple channel search
Add this to your configuration file (requires admin approval in most orgs):
{
"mcpServers": {
"slack": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "@anthropic/mcp-server-slack"],
"env": {
"SLACK_TOKEN": "your-slack-token"
}
}
}
}View Complete Setup Instructions →
Security & Privacy
Important: Slack messages often contain sensitive business information. Review your organization's policies before connecting.
Claude only accesses channels you have permission to view. Private channels and DMs require explicit authorization. Messages are processed locally through the MCP server.
Read our complete Security Guide →
Best Use Cases
Remote Teams
- Catch up after time zone gaps
- Summarize async discussions
- Never miss important decisions
Workflows Using Slack
- Operations Team Workflows — Automate updates and reporting.
- Automate Notion, Gmail & Slack — The trifecta workflow.
- Status Update Compiler: Gather updates across channels automatically.
Works Well With
FAQ
Can Claude access private channels?▼
Only if you explicitly grant permission. By default, Claude accesses channels your Slack token has permission to view.
Will my coworkers know I'm using Claude with Slack?▼
If Claude posts messages, they'll appear as coming from the connected app. Searching and reading are not visible to others.
Does this work with Slack Enterprise Grid?▼
Yes, but enterprise workspaces often have additional approval requirements. Check with your IT team.
Can Claude read message attachments and files?▼
Text content in messages is accessible. File attachments may require additional setup depending on the MCP server.
Ready to Connect Slack?
Get our Quick Start Kit with pre-configured settings and team workflow examples.
Get the Free Kit