# Slack Explorer MCP

An MCP server that lets your coding agent read Slack messages and threads. Useful when the answer you need sits in a channel, not in the repo.

- MCP server · `type=mcp` · Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Windsurf (Devin Desktop), Cline, Zed, Gemini CLI · ★ 50
- Author: shibayu36
- License: MIT · policy=link-only · description only; the file stays with the author
- Source: https://github.com/shibayu36/slack-explorer-mcp
- Updated: 2026-07-03
- HTML: https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/mcp/slack-explorer-mcp

## What it does

Access goes through a Slack User Token (`xoxp-`), so the server only surfaces what that user can already see. Six tools ship with it. `search_messages` covers channel, author, date range and reaction filters; `get_thread_replies` pulls a full thread with pagination; `get_user_profiles` takes up to 100 user IDs at once; `search_users_by_name` matches display names; `search_files` narrows attachments by type and channel; `get_canvas_content` returns canvas HTML.

Setup starts in the Slack API dashboard: create an app, add eight User Token Scopes — `channels:history`, `groups:history`, `im:history`, `mpim:history`, `search:read`, `users.profile:read`, `users:read`, `files:read` — then install it to the workspace. Drop `search:read` and message search stops working. The token goes into the `SLACK_USER_TOKEN` variable when the container starts.

stdio is the default transport. Setting `TRANSPORT=http` switches the server to Streamable HTTP on `0.0.0.0:8080`, and the token moves to the `X-Slack-User-Token` header; `HTTP_HOST` and `HTTP_PORT` change the binding. Everything runs from the `ghcr.io/shibayu36/slack-explorer-mcp` image, so Docker has to be installed.

## Requirements
- Needs: Docker
- Works with: Slack

## Install

### Claude Code (native platform)

**Platform CLI**
```bash
claude mcp add slack-explorer-mcp -- docker run -i --rm ghcr.io/shibayu36/slack-explorer-mcp:0.12.0
```

### Codex

**Platform CLI**
```bash
codex mcp add slack-explorer-mcp -- docker run -i --rm ghcr.io/shibayu36/slack-explorer-mcp:0.12.0
```

### Cursor

**Config file**
File `.cursor/mcp.json`:
```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "slack-explorer-mcp": {
            "command": "docker",
            "args": [
                "run",
                "-i",
                "--rm",
                "ghcr.io/shibayu36/slack-explorer-mcp:0.12.0"
            ]
        }
    }
}
```

### GitHub Copilot

**Config file**
File `.vscode/mcp.json`:
```json
{
    "servers": {
        "slack-explorer-mcp": {
            "type": "stdio",
            "command": "docker",
            "args": [
                "run",
                "-i",
                "--rm",
                "ghcr.io/shibayu36/slack-explorer-mcp:0.12.0"
            ]
        }
    }
}
```

### Gemini CLI

**Platform CLI**
```bash
gemini mcp add slack-explorer-mcp docker run -i --rm ghcr.io/shibayu36/slack-explorer-mcp:0.12.0
```

## When to use it
- find a release discussion in one channel from last week
- pull every reply out of a long thread
- resolve email and display name for a batch of user IDs
- locate a PDF or canvas attached to a message
- list messages you reacted to with a given emoji

## Example prompts
- Search the general channel for messages about the release from last week
- Get all replies in this thread
- Find messages with file attachments from john.doe

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