You can get Claude's help right inside Slack, or have Claude search and reference your Slack conversations. Officially there are two ways — 1. add the Claude app to your workspace to use it inside Slack, and 2. enable the Slack connector in Claude settings so Claude can search your Slack. They are strongest together, and both require a paid plan. This guide covers the difference, the setup steps, what you can do, and the permissions and limits.
Two ways — what's the difference
- 1. Claude app in Slack: chat with @Claude without leaving Slack (DM, AI panel, thread mention). This is how you use Claude inside Slack.
- 2. Slack connector (Claude settings): let Claude (web/desktop) search and reference your Slack channels, DMs, and files. Useful for deeper research and gathering context.
They are separate; for full functionality, enable both.
Method 1 — Add the Claude app to your Slack workspace
- An admin installs it: a workspace admin adds (approves) the Claude app from the Slack App Marketplace. If you are not an admin, installing shows a "Request to install" prompt to message your admin.
- Connect your Claude account: open the Claude app in the Slack sidebar → Home tab to check status and authenticate.
- Use it: DM @Claude, open the panel via the Claude icon in Slack's AI assistant header, or @mention Claude in a thread. To use it in a channel, invite it first with
/invite @Claude.
The Claude app is available to users on paid Slack plans. On Team and Enterprise, mentioning @Claude with a coding task can auto-route to a Claude Code (web) session (an admin must first enable Claude Code in organization settings).
Method 2 — Enable the Slack connector in Claude
- Log in to Claude → click your initials (lower left) → Settings → Connectors.
- Find Slack and click Connect to authenticate via OAuth.
- After connecting, Claude can search the public and private channels, DMs, and shared files you have access to. By default it only reaches what you explicitly grant during the OAuth flow.
The Slack connector is available on paid plans (Pro, Max, Team, and Enterprise) and not on the free tier. On Team and Enterprise, an Owner must enable it at the organization level before individual users can connect.
What you can do
- Search and summarize: "Summarize what was decided in #product last month"
- Meeting prep: pull relevant Slack discussions into a briefing of key decisions and updates
- Draft and post messages: compose a message in Claude, preview the formatting, and post to a channel (in public threads Claude drafts privately first so you can review and edit before sharing)
- Project status and docs: gather progress across channels and formalize it into documentation
Claude in Slack also uses your other connected integrations (e.g., Google Docs, Gmail, Calendar) just as it does on the web.
Good to know
- Your Claude conversations in Slack are separate from your Claude web history (they are not visible to each other).
- If you disconnect or uninstall, your Slack Claude conversations are deleted from Claude's backend within 30 days (anything left in Slack follows your Slack retention policy).
- You cannot connect new integrations from within Slack — set them up in Claude settings first.
- Claude only searches channels you have access to.
When it won't connect (troubleshooting)
- Admin approval: on a company Slack, an admin must approve the Claude app first (send a request to install).
- Check your plan: the connector needs a paid plan (Pro+); the app needs a paid Slack plan.
- Team / Enterprise: confirm an admin enabled the connector at the org level.
- Multiple workspaces: the connector is tied to your Claude account, not a Slack workspace. When switching workspaces, disconnect and reconnect the connector.
Related: Connect Claude to Notion, Connect Claude to Google, Connect Claude to Figma, How to connect MCP (4 ways), MCP connector security