What Is Slack MCP? How to Connect It to Claude, Admin Approval, Sending Messages and Permissions

You ask your assistant about a conversation or a file in Slack; Slack MCP searches messages, files, channels and people, reads channel and thread history and, if you want, sends messages. It is the official remote MCP server hosted by Slack (address https://mcp.slack.com/mcp); according to Slack's documentation, connecting requires the MCP integration to be approved by a workspace admin. It writes as well as reads: sending and scheduling messages, opening channels and DMs, reactions, and writing canvases, files and lists. Neither source lists a delete tool. Which Slack plans it works on and whether there is a separate fee are not stated on the official pages.

What it does: Lets your assistant search Slack and send messages
Type: Connector (remote MCP hosted by Slack)
Maker: Slack (Salesforce)
Admin approval: Required (Slack docs)
Delete: No delete tool
Write: Sends messages, leaves a permanent record
Plan/price: Not stated on the official page

What does Slack MCP do?

MCP is the standard that lets AI programs connect to outside tools. With Slack MCP, the assistant searches messages and files in public and private channels and DMs, reads and summarizes the history of a channel or thread, and reads canvases and user profiles. On the writing side, it sends and schedules messages, opens channels or DMs, adds reactions, and creates or updates canvases, files and lists.

YouAsk about a conversation or have it write a message

AssistantAn assistant that supports MCP

Slack MCPmcp.slack.com, with admin approval

Your Slack workspaceMessages, files, channels, people, canvases

Sends messages and leaves a permanent record; no delete tool.

Have the assistant search SlackWhat you get: Search results, summaryNeeds a connection Write to Slack with the assistantWhat you get: Sent message, canvasNeeds a connection

The number of tools differs by source: the Claude directory lists 11 tools, while Slack's own documentation counts more features such as scheduling, reactions, opening channels, file uploads and lists. So no single number is given.

Who it helps: Teams that want to ask the assistant "What did we decide on this?" instead of searching Slack by hand, and to produce channel summaries and announcement drafts.

How do I connect Slack MCP?

Slack's documentation requires a Slack workspace where "the MCP integration has been approved by a workspace admin" in order to connect. Ask your admin first; if they have not approved it, you cannot connect. Slack states that admins approve and manage all MCP client integrations.

Open the Customize page from the sidebar.
Click Connectors, add a connector with + and find Slack.
Complete the OAuth sign-in to your Slack workspace.
On Team and Enterprise plans, an Owner or Primary Owner goes first: Organization settings then Connectors then Browse connectors › Add to your team; then each member authorizes with their own Slack account.

Install the plugin› /plugin install slack@claude-plugins-official

On first use, it asks you to sign in to your Slack workspace with OAuth. The plugin brings the MCP connection and five ready-made commands: /slack:summarize-channel, /slack:find-discussions, /slack:draft-announcement, /slack:standup, /slack:channel-digest.

The "Add to Cursor" button in the docs or /add-plugin slack; for a manual setup, enter the server settings from Slack's documentation (address https://mcp.slack.com/mcp and the app ID Slack provides) in the Cursor Settings then MCP tab.

Slack does not support Dynamic Client Registration; the client must come with a fixed app ID registered with Slack, which is why the Claude Code and Cursor settings include an ID value. Slack's documentation lists Perplexity as a ready client but gives no setup steps. Slack's documentation has no steps for ChatGPT or Gemini.

How do I use Slack MCP?

Once connected, you write your request normally. For requests that send messages, ask it to show a draft before sending.

Find decisions"What decisions were made in Slack about "new pricing" over the last two months? Show which channel, who said it and the message link."

Channel summary"Summarize the last week of the #marketing channel: decisions made, open questions, to-dos. Don't send anything."

Draft announcement"Write a draft announcement for the #general channel from these notes. Show me the text before sending, and send it only if I approve."

Which clients does Slack MCP work with?

Claude (claude.ai and Desktop)Yes	Through Customize then Connectors.
Claude CodeYes	With the plugin.
CursorYes	Button, plugin or manual setting.
PerplexityPartly	Slack's documentation lists it as a ready client; no setup steps.
CodexPartly	The plugin brings only skills; the README says the MCP server is not yet connected to Codex.
ChatGPT, GeminiUnclear	No steps in Slack's documentation.

What does Slack MCP access, and what does it write?

Reads

Public and private channels, DM and group DM history, message and file search, files, canvases, lists, user profiles and email addresses. The connector inherits your permissions: the assistant cannot reach a channel you cannot reach.

Writes

Sending and scheduling messages, creating channels/DMs/group DMs, adding reactions, creating/updating canvases and lists, uploading files. All of these leave a permanent record in Slack.

Deletes

Slack's tool table and the Claude directory list no delete tool. Even so, canvas and list updates can change existing content.

Data

The messages it reads go to the AI service you use. Slack states that MCP activity can be tracked in the audit logs.

In Claude Team and Enterprise, Owners can set tools to "Always allow", "Needs approval" or "Blocked"; they can allow reading and block writing. In your own account too, set the write tools to "Needs approval".

Slack asks you to think carefully before using its MCP server together with other MCP servers: different servers may have different security and stability properties.

As a remote service, it falls outside package security advisory databases; the Claude Code plugin repository is MIT-licensed, v1.4.1 (October 2, 2026). The data storage region for MCP is not stated.

Is Slack MCP free, and which plans does it work on?

Slack's official pages mention no separate fee for MCP and do not state which Slack plans (Free, Pro, Business+, Enterprise) it works on; they only require admin approval. The "connector is free" wording on the atlas card is not in the official documentation. On the Claude side, the connector directory requires a sign-in. Ask your admin about your plan.

Feature	Requirement
Basic connection (search, read, write)	Admin approval; plan requirement not stated in the docs
Enterprise-managed authorization with Okta (optional)	Slack Enterprise+ and Claude Team or Enterprise

This is not financial advice.

Common problems and fixes

What happens	What to do
It asks for approval when connecting, or I can't connect	The MCP integration needs admin approval; ask your workspace admin.
I can't see the Slack connector in Team/Enterprise Claude	An Owner or Primary Owner must first add the connector to the organization.
The client gives a registration error	Slack does not support Dynamic Client Registration; the client must be configured with a fixed app ID registered with Slack.
Requests are rejected in an IP-restricted app	MCP requests are subject to the same IP restriction; add the client's IP to the allowlist.

How do I disconnect Slack MCP?

In Claude: Select Slack under Customize then Connectors and disconnect it.
At the org level: An Owner can set the write tools to "Blocked" in the Slack connector's tool permissions.
Claude Code: Remove the plugin from the /plugin menu; the command name is not stated in the official documentation.

How to revoke the user token on the Slack side is not stated in the official documentation.

Frequently asked questions

Does Slack MCP delete anything?

Slack's tool table and the Claude directory list no delete tool. But there are write tools such as sending messages, opening channels and updating canvases and lists, and these leave a permanent record in Slack. In Claude, you can set the write tools to Needs approval and approve each call.

Does Claude also read private channels and DMs?

Slack's scope table includes private channel, group DM and DM history and search. According to Claude's help pages, the connector inherits your permissions: Claude cannot reach a channel you cannot reach.

Is admin permission required?

Slack's documentation requires the MCP integration to be approved by a workspace admin. On Claude Team and Enterprise plans, an Owner must also enable the connector for the organization.

Is Slack MCP free?

The official documentation states no separate fee or plan requirement; it does not say it is free either. Ask your Slack admin about your plan.

Is it risky to use it alongside other MCP servers?

Slack states that different servers may have different security and stability properties and asks you to think carefully before using them together.

Related guides

Perplexity

Claude Plugins Official

Atlassian Rovo MCP

Canva MCP

Claude Finance plugin

Claude for Excel

Sources

Not clear in the official sources: Which Slack plans allow an MCP connection · the admin approval flow on the Slack Free plan · how to revoke a token on the Slack side · data storage region and retention · ChatGPT and Gemini support · security advisory coverage for the remote service · Turkish-language support. Each is covered in the relevant section.