What it is
Slack hosts its MCP server at https://mcp.slack.com/mcp over Streamable HTTP. It launched on 17 February 2026 alongside the Real-time Search API, and more tools (reactions, channel creation, member lists, emoji and file reading) arrived on 13 May. It acts with a user token obtained through Slack OAuth, with per-tool scopes such as search:read.public and chat:write. SSE and dynamic client registration are not supported.
Only registered Slack apps can connect: apps published in the Slack Marketplace and internal apps, each with a fixed app ID. Slack's help centre lists partner clients including Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor, Perplexity, Notion, Devin and Dropbox, and a Slack plugin for Claude Code and Cursor followed on 31 July 2026. Admins approve clients through the normal app approval process, MCP activity appears in audit logs, and app IP allowlists apply.
Tools cover search (messages, files, users, channels, emoji), messages (send, schedule, draft, read channels and threads, reactions, create conversations), canvases (create, update, read as markdown), user profiles, two-step file uploads and Slack Lists. Rate limits match the Web API tier for each tool.
Install
https://mcp.slack.com/mcpOur review
This is the Slack connector to standardise on. Each request carries a user token, so the assistant sees only what that person can see, and the scopes are split finely enough that an admin can grant search:read.public without the DM scopes search:read.im and search:read.mpim. Activity lands in Slack's audit logs and app IP allowlists still apply. Community servers such as korotovsky/slack-mcp-server, with about 1,900 GitHub stars, can do more, but they rely on tokens that sit outside that approval trail.
The useful core is search plus thread reading. An agent can find the thread where a decision was made, read all of it and summarise it, which is the job most people want from Slack in an assistant. The write tools go further than many rivals: scheduled messages, drafts, reactions, new channels and DMs, canvases and structured Lists, plus file uploads through a signed URL.
The catch is client identity. Slack requires every MCP client to be backed by a registered app with a hard-coded app ID, and unlisted apps are barred. In practice that means a partner client from Slack's list, or an internal app your team builds and maintains; pointing a generic MCP client at the URL will not work. Okta-managed access for Claude, through Enterprise-Managed Authorization, is available only on the Enterprise+ plan.
Rate limits are where agents notice. Slack applies them per method, per workspace, per app, so every user of the same client in one workspace draws on one allowance: reading a thread is Tier 3, roughly 50 calls a minute, and searching users or channels is Tier 2 at about 20. A busy team sharing one assistant can reach those ceilings during a Monday catch-up. The larger risk is the content itself. Messages the agent reads may contain instructions, and with chat:write granted, a crafted message can become a post under someone's name; Slack's docs warn against casually combining it with other MCP servers in the same session.
Where it earns its place
A product manager at a 300-person company on Claude Team
Catch up on what was decided about a launch while they were on leave
Claude searches the launch channels, reads the relevant threads in full and writes a summary with links. Only search and history scopes are needed, and the MCP server costs nothing beyond the existing Slack and Claude seats.
A platform engineer building an internal incident bot
Post status updates and keep an incident canvas current from an agent
Register an internal Slack app with chat:write and canvases:write, then point the agent at https://mcp.slack.com/mcp. Posting is limited to about one message per second per channel, ample for incident updates but not for a chatty agent.
An IT security lead at a Slack Enterprise+ organisation
Let staff use Claude with Slack without personal tokens floating around
Install the Claude app at org level and turn on Enterprise-Managed Authorization with Okta, so members can authenticate only with work accounts. The cost is admin time across Slack, Okta and Claude, and it needs Claude Team or Enterprise.
Before you commit
- Setup
- With a partner client such as Claude, Cursor or ChatGPT, add the Slack connector and complete OAuth consent; a few minutes if the app is already approved. A custom client needs a Marketplace or internal Slack app with a fixed app ID, its client ID and secret, and the per-tool user scopes.
- Integrations
- About 20 tools, judging by Slack's rate-limit table: search for messages, files, users, channels and emoji; read channels and threads; send, schedule and draft messages; reactions; create conversations; canvases; profiles; file upload; Lists. Roughly half write to Slack.
- Data and privacy
- The server reads whatever the authorising user can read, including private channels and DMs if those scopes are granted, and posts as that user with chat:write. Slack hosts it, so nothing leaves Slack until the client sends it to a model; message content is untrusted input.
- Cost at scale
- No fee for the server. Limits apply per method per workspace per app: channel and thread reads are Tier 3 (50+ a minute), user and channel search Tier 2 (20+), and posting about one message per second per channel, shared by everyone on the same client.
- Limits
- No SSE or dynamic client registration, and unlisted apps are refused. Okta-managed authorisation for Claude needs Enterprise+. Message search and sending use Slack's special rate tiers, which the MCP docs do not quantify.
What's good
- Runs as the signed-in user, with per-tool OAuth scopes
- Admin approval, audit logs and IP allowlists apply
- Search, threads, canvases, Lists and file uploads in one server
- Hosted by Slack; nothing to install or patch
What's not
- Only Marketplace or internal apps can connect
- Rate limits are shared per app per workspace
- Write scopes plus prompt injection can post as a user
- No SSE or dynamic client registration
Best for
Teams on Slack who want assistants to search past discussions and post updates under admin control.
Alternatives
Slack MCP Server: common questions
- Is Slack MCP Server worth it?
- Slack's own server is the version a security team will sign off, because every call runs as a named user through an app an admin approved. We rate it 4.4 out of 5.
- How much does Slack MCP Server cost?
- Free to connect; uses your existing Slack workspace and plan.
- What are the downsides of Slack MCP Server?
- Only Marketplace or internal apps can connect; rate limits are shared per app per workspace; write scopes plus prompt injection can post as a user; no SSE or dynamic client registration.
- Who is Slack MCP Server best for?
- Teams on Slack who want assistants to search past discussions and post updates under admin control.
- How much does Slack MCP Server cost for a team or in production?
- No fee for the server. Limits apply per method per workspace per app: channel and thread reads are Tier 3 (50+ a minute), user and channel search Tier 2 (20+), and posting about one message per second per channel, shared by everyone on the same client.
- Is Slack MCP Server safe for company data?
- The server reads whatever the authorising user can read, including private channels and DMs if those scopes are granted, and posts as that user with chat:write. Slack hosts it, so nothing leaves Slack until the client sends it to a model; message content is untrusted input.
- What are the best Slack MCP Server alternatives?
- The closest alternatives we have reviewed are Intercom MCP Server, Google Workspace MCP servers and Zapier MCP.
Answers checked Oct 22, 2026.
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