GitHub - shibayu36/slack-explorer-mcp

Slack Explorer MCP Server

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server specialized in retrieving information from Slack messages and threads. It provides tools to access messages that the authenticated user can view using a User Token (xoxp).

Available Tools

Message Search (search_messages)
- Search Slack messages with advanced filtering options. You can search by channel, user, date range, and specific features (reactions, files, etc.).
- Parameters
  - query: Basic search query (without modifiers)
  - in_channel: Filter by channel name (e.g., "general", "team-dev")
  - from_user: Search messages from specific user (User ID)
  - with: Search DMs/threads with specific users (array of User IDs)
  - before, after, on: Date range filtering (YYYY-MM-DD format)
  - during: Period specification (e.g., "July", "2023")
  - has: Messages containing specific features (emoji, "pin", "file", "link", "reaction")
  - hasmy: Messages where you reacted with specific emoji
  - sort: Sort method ("score" or "timestamp")
  - count: Number of results per page (1-100, default: 20)
  - page: Page number (1-100, default: 1)
Thread Replies (get_thread_replies)
- Get all replies in a message thread. Supports pagination for efficiently handling large numbers of replies.
- Parameters
  - channel_id: Channel ID (required)
  - thread_ts: Parent message timestamp (required)
  - limit: Number of replies to retrieve (1-1000, default: 100)
  - cursor: Pagination cursor
User Profiles (get_user_profiles)
- Get profile information for multiple users in bulk. Retrieve display names, real names, email addresses, and other profile information by specifying a list of user IDs.
- Parameters
  - user_ids: Array of user IDs (required, max 100)
Search Users by Display Name (search_users_by_name)
- Search users by their display name. Supports both exact match and partial match search with case sensitivity.
- Parameters
  - display_name: Display name to search for (required)
  - exact: Enable exact match search

Setup

Getting a Slack User Token

Create an app at Slack API
Add the following User Token Scopes in OAuth & Permissions:
- channels:history - For public channels
- groups:history - For private channels
- im:history - For direct messages
- mpim:history - For group direct messages
- search:read - For message search
- users.profile:read - For user profiles
- users:read - For user information
Install the app to your workspace
Get the User OAuth Token (starts with xoxp-)
- Tip: To use with multiple users in the same workspace, add them as Collaborators and have each user reinstall from OAuth & Permissions to get their own User OAuth Token

MCP Server Configuration

Configure mcp.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "slack-explorer-mcp": {
      "command": "docker",
      "args": ["run", "-i", "--rm", "--pull", "always",
        "-e", "SLACK_USER_TOKEN=xoxp-your-token-here",
        "ghcr.io/shibayu36/slack-explorer-mcp:latest"
      ]
    }
  }
}

If you're using Claude Code:

claude mcp add slack-explorer-mcp -- docker run -i --rm --pull always \
  -e SLACK_USER_TOKEN=xoxp-your-token-here \
  ghcr.io/shibayu36/slack-explorer-mcp:latest

Use the agent to perform Slack searches

Examples:
- "Search for meeting-related messages in the general channel from last week"
- "Find messages from @john.doe about 'project'"
- "Get all thread replies for this post"

Usage

Common Search Patterns

Search in a specific channel

Search for "release" messages in the general channel

Search messages from a specific user

Search for yesterday's messages from @john.doe

Search messages with reactions

Search for messages with :fire: reactions

Search messages you reacted to

Search for messages where you reacted with :eyes:

Search messages with file attachments

Search for messages with file attachments

Using as Streamable HTTP Server

By default, the server uses stdio for MCP communication. You can start it as a Streamable HTTP server by setting the TRANSPORT=http environment variable. In HTTP mode, pass the Slack token using the X-Slack-User-Token header.

Starting the server:

# Start HTTP server (default: all interfaces 0.0.0.0, port 8080)
docker run -i --rm --pull always \
  -e TRANSPORT=http \
  -p 8080:8080 \
  ghcr.io/shibayu36/slack-explorer-mcp:latest

# Start with custom host and port
docker run -i --rm --pull always \
  -e TRANSPORT=http \
  -e HTTP_HOST=127.0.0.1 \
  -e HTTP_PORT=9090 \
  -p 9090:9090 \
  ghcr.io/shibayu36/slack-explorer-mcp:latest