Follow this guide and you'll be able to read Slack channel messages, search past conversations, and get summaries of recent discussions directly from Claude Code or the Claude app. Setup itself takes about 10–15 minutes once you have the prerequisites in place.
🟢 Model references match the current lineup · model notice · Fable subscription
Fable 5 and 5.1 subscription (updated September 7, 2026): Claude Fable 5.1, released September 1, 2026, is the current Fable model and Fable 5 is now legacy. Plan terms are the same for both — Max and Team Premium plans include Fable at up to 50% of the weekly usage limit; Pro and Team Standard use usage credits (
MCP (Model Context Protocol) — an open standard that lets AI systems like Claude connect to outside services such as Slack or GitHub to read and act on real data. Slack runs its own remote MCP server at mcp.slack.com, so Claude can reach your workspace without you installing anything locally.
Before you start
Check these items first — missing admin approval is the most common thing that blocks people at the authentication step.
- For Claude Code: the Claude Code CLI must be installed. Run
claude --versionin a terminal to confirm. - For the Claude app (web or desktop): you just need to be signed in to your claude.ai account.
- You need to be a member of the Slack workspace you're connecting.
- Workspace admin approval for the MCP integration. Slack manages MCP clients through its standard Slack app approval process. If an admin hasn't approved it in advance, the OAuth flow won't complete — ask your admin ahead of time if you're not one yourself.
Quick terms
- MCP (Model Context Protocol) — the open standard that lets Claude connect to outside services to read and write data
- OAuth — an authentication method where you sign in through your browser and click "Allow" to delegate access, without sharing a password
- Plugin — a package that installs an MCP server's configuration and dedicated commands into Claude Code in one step
- Marketplace — a repository of vetted plugins;
@claude-plugins-officialrefers to Anthropic's official marketplace - Scope — the boundary of what an OAuth grant allows (for example, read-only channel access vs. also sending messages)
Option 1: Install the Slack plugin in Claude Code (recommended)
The fastest path is installing Slack's officially published "Slack MCP and Skills Plugin," which sets up the MCP server connection and authentication automatically.
- Step 1 — Install the plugin. Inside a Claude Code session, run:
To run it directly from a terminal instead, use/plugin install slack@claude-plugins-officialclaude plugin install slack@claude-plugins-official(exact wording may vary by version, so follow what's shown on screen).
Success looks like: a confirmation message that the install finished and the Slack MCP server was configured automatically. - Step 2 — Sign in through the browser. Once the plugin loads, Claude Code prompts you to sign in to your Slack workspace and opens a browser window automatically. Log in with your workspace account.
Warning: if your workspace admin hasn't approved the MCP integration beforehand, authentication won't complete even after you log in. - Step 3 — Approve access. On the permissions screen in your browser, click Allow to grant Claude the requested scopes (such as reading and searching channels).
- Step 4 — Confirm the connection. Back in Claude Code, run:
Success looks like: the slack server shows ✔ Connected in the list. ! Needs authentication means sign-in isn't finished yet./mcp
Option 2: Add the MCP server manually
If you'd rather not use the plugin, or you want finer control over scopes, you can register Slack's remote MCP endpoint directly with claude mcp add.
claude mcp add --transport http slack https://mcp.slack.com/mcpThe command prints an Added ... line once the configuration is saved. Then run /mcp to go through the same sign-in and approval flow. Add --scope project to share the configuration with your team via version control, or --scope user to make it available across all your projects on this machine.
Connecting from the Claude app (web or desktop)
If you're not using Claude Code, you can connect Slack through the Claude app's connector feature instead. Open the sidebar to reach the Customize page, click Connectors, use + to find and add Slack, then complete the OAuth flow. On Team and Enterprise accounts, only admins can add connectors — check on screen to confirm exactly what's available on your individual plan.
Connect with least privilege (security)
Grant only the access you actually need. If all you need is reading and searching channels, adding the message-sending scope (chat:write) on top of that creates risk — Claude could post to your workspace by mistake, or as the result of a prompt injection attack.
| Goal | Example scopes needed |
|---|---|
| Read and search channels only (minimal setup) | channels:read, search:read |
| Also allow sending messages | the above + chat:write |
| Read shared canvases | canvases:read |
| Look up user information | users:read |
Set oauth.scopes directly in your project's .mcp.json to pin the grant to a narrower set than Slack's default:
{
"mcpServers": {
"slack": {
"type": "http",
"url": "https://mcp.slack.com/mcp",
"oauth": {
"scopes": "channels:read chat:write search:read"
}
}
}
}Common issues & fixes
Most connection problems can be diagnosed just by reading the status shown in /mcp.
| Status shown | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| ! Needs authentication | Sign-in hasn't been completed yet | Run /mcp and finish logging in through the browser |
| Sign-in doesn't complete authentication | The workspace admin hasn't approved the MCP integration | Ask your admin to approve the Slack app (MCP client) |
| ⏸ Pending approval | A project-scoped server from .mcp.json is still awaiting your personal approval | Run claude interactively in the terminal to approve it |
| ✘ Failed to connect | A network issue or misconfiguration | Retry shortly; if it persists, check the config with claude mcp get slack |
Going further
Once connected, you can ask in plain language — "find last week's discussion about the product launch" or "summarize recent activity in #general" work fine. The plugin also ships with dedicated slash commands:
/slack:summarize-channel— summarize a channel's conversation/slack:find-discussions— locate discussions on a topic/slack:draft-announcement— draft an announcement message/slack:standup— put together a standup summary/slack:channel-digest— generate a channel digest
Check out usingclaude.com's other MCP server guides to extend Claude's reach to tools beyond your workspace, like issue trackers and databases.
Frequently asked questions
Q. Is workspace admin approval really required?
Yes. Slack manages MCP clients through its standard Slack app approval process, so the OAuth flow can't complete until an admin has approved it in advance.
Q. Can I connect Slack without Claude Code, from the web or desktop app?
Yes. Add Slack from Customize → Connectors in the sidebar and complete the OAuth flow. On Team and Enterprise accounts, only admins can add connectors.
Q. I only want to read messages — do I have to grant sending permission too?
No. You can narrow the oauth.scopes value in .mcp.json to something like channels:read search:read to connect with minimal access.
Q. How do I confirm the connection worked?
Run /mcp in Claude Code. A ✔ Connected next to the server name means it's working; ! Needs authentication means sign-in still needs to be completed.
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