Ranked roundup · Slack
Best MCP Server for Slack
Picking an MCP server for Slack got simpler in February 2026, when Slack shipped its own. The official server at mcp.slack.com went generally available on February 17, 2026, speaks Streamable HTTP, and authenticates with standard OAuth — which settles the question for most teams whose admins will approve it. The community still matters, though. Slack's server is hosted-only and gated behind app approval, so self-hosters and people in locked-down workspaces lean on korotovsky/slack-mcp-server, a 1,806-star Go project that reads DMs and full history and ships with write tools disabled by default. Managed platforms like Composio and Zapier wrap Slack's API in hosted MCP endpoints with OAuth handled for you. The old Anthropic reference server that many tutorials still link is archived and unmaintained. We ranked all six options on verifiable criteria — official status, maintenance recency, auth model, capability coverage — not paid placement. Every number below was checked against the GitHub API and vendor docs on September 1, 2026.
Facts checked September 1, 2026 · ranked on verifiable criteria · placement is never for sale
Founder, Automation Squad ·
The ranking
- Official · Slack (Salesforce)
Teams that want vendor-supported Slack access with proper OAuth and zero infrastructure
Search messages/files/users/channels/emoji, retrieve and send messages, manage canvases, upload files, work with lists, member info, reactions. Tiered rate limits from roughly 20/min (Tier 2) to 100+/min (Tier 4).
Fully hosted by Slack (Streamable HTTP at mcp.slack.com/mcp) — nothing to run · OAuth 2.0 with user tokens (confidential client); users authorize via standard consent flow, admins approve the integration
- Only directory-published or internal Slack apps may use MCP — unlisted apps are prohibited, and workspace admins must approve the integration
- Hosted-only; there is no self-hosted version and no source to audit
- Slack's public docs don't state plan-tier eligibility, so confirm availability on your plan before committing
- Generally available only since February 17, 2026 — a young product by API standards
- Community
Self-hosters who need deep read access — DMs, full history, search — or can't get an app approved in their workspace
Channel/thread history with smart date- or count-based fetching, thread replies, unread aggregation, message search with filters, DMs and group DMs, channel/user directories as CSV resources, reactions, saved items. Write tools (post message, reactions, mark read) exist but are disabled by default via env flags.
Self-hosted (Go binary, npm, or Docker); stdio, SSE, and HTTP transports with proxy support · Two modes: OAuth tokens (xoxp user / xoxb bot) or browser session tokens (xoxc/xoxd) in so-called stealth mode requiring no app install · MIT · 1,806★
- Unofficial — no Slack support, and session-token mode authenticates as you using tokens scraped from your browser, an integration path Slack does not sanction and one that breaks when the session rotates
- Stealth mode bypasses workspace app-approval controls, which your admin may reasonably object to
- Bot-token mode is limited: invited channels only, no message search
- Message posting is disabled by default and must be explicitly enabled per-channel via environment variable — a safety feature, but a setup step people miss
- Community
Agents that touch Slack plus many other SaaS tools and teams that don't want to manage tokens
145 Slack tools and 8 triggers per Composio's docs — message posting, search, reactions, channel management, workflow triggers — alongside hundreds of other app integrations on the same endpoint
Fully managed/hosted by Composio; free tier to start · Managed Slack OAuth with automatic token refresh and rotation; can use Composio's built-in Slack app or your own credentials
- A third party sits between your agent and your Slack data (Composio states SOC 2 Type 2 and ISO 27001 compliance, but it's still an extra party)
- Composio itself recommends configuring your own Slack app credentials for production rather than their shared app
- Paid-tier pricing details aren't spelled out on the Slack toolkit page — check current pricing before scaling
- Community
People already on Zapier who want Slack actions in an AI client without new infrastructure
24+ write actions (send messages, create channels, add reactions), 9 search actions (find users, messages, members), 13 triggers — action-oriented rather than deep history reading
Fully managed/hosted by Zapier · Zapier's existing Slack connection (OAuth handled inside your Zapier account)
- Built around discrete actions, not bulk history or transcript reading — weaker for 'summarize this channel' workflows than korotovsky or the official server
- Usage is subject to Zapier MCP plan limits; pricing isn't stated on the Slack page
- Some actions carry permission quirks — e.g. you must be a channel member to invite someone, and edits/deletes only work on messages the authenticated user posted
- Community
Teams that want a small, auditable, ToS-clean bot-token server maintained by a company (Ubie) that uses it internally
9 tools: list channels, post message, reply to thread, add reaction, channel history, thread replies, user list, bulk user profiles, and filtered message search. Optional server-enforced safe-search flag excludes private channels and DMs from results.
Self-hosted (npm package or Node); stdio and Streamable HTTP transports · Standard Slack bot token (xoxb) plus optional user token (xoxp) for search — no browser-token tricks · Apache-2.0 · 110★
- Far narrower coverage than korotovsky — no DM reading, no unread aggregation, bot sees only invited channels
- Message search requires adding a user token on top of the bot token
- Package is published to GitHub's npm registry, so installation requires a GitHub personal access token — an odd bit of friction
- Modest adoption at 110 stars
Nothing new — listed here because old tutorials still link it and you should know why not to use it
The original 8-tool basic set: list channels, post message, reply to thread, add reaction, channel history, thread replies, list users, get user profile
Self-hosted (TypeScript/npm or Docker) · Slack bot token (xoxb) with channel IDs set via environment variables · MIT · 295★
- The repository is archived and explicitly labeled 'no longer maintained' — last push May 28, 2025, over 15 months ago
- No fixes for Slack API changes since archival; the 295 stars belong to the whole archive repo, not this server
- If a guide points you here, substitute the official server or korotovsky's
Slack MCP servers compared
| Server | Maintained by | Runs | Auth | License |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Slack MCP Server (official) | Slack (Salesforce) | Fully hosted by Slack (Streamable HTTP at mcp.slack.com/mcp) — nothing to run | OAuth 2.0 with user tokens (confidential client); users authorize via standard consent flow, admins approve the integration | — |
| korotovsky/slack-mcp-server | Community | Self-hosted (Go binary, npm, or Docker); stdio, SSE, and HTTP transports with proxy support | Two modes: OAuth tokens (xoxp user / xoxb bot) or browser session tokens (xoxc/xoxd) in so-called stealth mode requiring no app install | MIT |
| Composio Slack MCP | Community | Fully managed/hosted by Composio; free tier to start | Managed Slack OAuth with automatic token refresh and rotation; can use Composio's built-in Slack app or your own credentials | — |
| Zapier MCP (Slack) | Community | Fully managed/hosted by Zapier | Zapier's existing Slack connection (OAuth handled inside your Zapier account) | — |
| ubie-oss/slack-mcp-server | Community | Self-hosted (npm package or Node); stdio and Streamable HTTP transports | Standard Slack bot token (xoxb) plus optional user token (xoxp) for search — no browser-token tricks | Apache-2.0 |
| Anthropic reference Slack server (archived) | Community | Self-hosted (TypeScript/npm or Docker) | Slack bot token (xoxb) with channel IDs set via environment variables | MIT |
How to choose
Pick the official Slack server if your workspace admin will approve MCP clients and you want OAuth, vendor support, and zero hosting — it covers search, messaging, canvases, files, and lists. Pick korotovsky/slack-mcp-server if you self-host, need DM and full-history access, or can't get an app approved — but read the session-token caveats first. Pick Composio or Zapier MCP if Slack is one of many tools your agent touches and you'd rather not manage tokens at all. Pick ubie-oss if you want a minimal, auditable bot-token server. Skip the archived reference server; it hasn't been maintained since May 2025.
How this ranking works
Every server here is real and was checked against its repository or vendor documentation on the date above — stars and licenses come from the GitHub API, not from memory. Order reflects verifiable criteria only: official support, maintenance recency, adoption, auth model, and documented capability coverage. We do not run paid placements, and we list every caveat we find, including the unflattering ones.
Common questions
- Is there an official MCP server for Slack?
- Yes. Slack's own MCP server went generally available on February 17, 2026, hosted at mcp.slack.com/mcp over Streamable HTTP with OAuth 2.0. It covers search, messaging, canvases, file uploads, and lists, and works with partner clients including Claude, Cursor, ChatGPT, and Perplexity.
- What does setup and authentication actually look like?
- The official server uses standard OAuth: you connect through an approved client, authorize via consent screen, and your workspace admin approves the integration — only directory-published or internal apps qualify. Community servers make you choose between a bot token (safe and sanctioned, but no search and invited-channels only) and your personal browser session tokens (full access as you, but unofficial and prone to breaking when the session rotates).
- Can an MCP server read my Slack DMs?
- Depends on the auth model. korotovsky's server in session-token mode reads anything your account can see, DMs and group DMs included. The official server operates within whatever your OAuth grant and workspace permissions allow. Bot-token servers like ubie-oss see only channels the bot has been invited to.
- Should I use the Slack server from the original modelcontextprotocol/servers repo?
- No. It was moved to the servers-archived repository, which is marked 'no longer maintained,' and its last push was May 28, 2025. Plenty of 2025-era tutorials still link it; use the official Slack server or korotovsky/slack-mcp-server instead.
MCP servers we build
Automation Squad publishes its own open-source MCP servers and agent skills, documented with the same rules this ranking uses.