Slack

npx -y @jtalk22/slack-mcp --setup

The trick: session tokens, not OAuth

Slack's official MCP server is OAuth-first — a registered app, admin approval, and (for several clients) compatibility workarounds that don't exist yet (see the tracked Claude Code / Copilot DCR discussion). For a lot of people the "integration" quietly degrades into screenshotting messages into a chat window. That isn't an integration.

So this server does the obvious thing instead: it reads the xoxc- + xoxd- session tokens your browser is already holding and speaks Slack's own API with them. No app install, no scopes to request, no admin in the loop — and because there's no bot user and no installed app, nothing appears in the workspace admin panel. Your agent's footprint is exactly your open browser tab's: no more, no less.

_{Same permissions either way — your agent sees exactly what you see. The difference is who has to approve it.}

Honest answer: it's a gray area, and you should know exactly what this does before you run it. This server automates <i>your own session</i> — the same class of thing as a browser extension or a userscript. It grants your agent nothing you don't already have: it can't read a channel you can't read, join a workspace you're not in, or act as anyone but you. There is no permission escalation anywhere in this codebase — just your cookie, used from your machine.

What it does <i>not</i> do: it does not evade compliance exports, DLP, or retention. Those run server-side at Slack and see this traffic like any other client's. "Invisible to admins" means there is no <i>app install</i> to review — not that your messages stop being subject to workspace policy.

If your workspace's acceptable-use policy forbids unofficial clients, respect it — the OAuth-based <a href="https://mcp.revasserlabs.com">hosted version</a> exists for exactly that case.

Watch it run

Install

Node.js 20+. One command extracts your tokens, validates them, and remembers where to keep them:

npx -y @jtalk22/slack-mcp --setup

Register the server with your client, restart it, then ask your agent to run slack_health_check — a workspace name in the reply means you're live. Pick your client:

Add to ~/.claude.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "slack": { "type": "stdio", "command": "npx", "args": ["-y", "@jtalk22/slack-mcp"] }
  }
}

Or in one line: claude mcp add slack -- npx -y @jtalk22/slack-mcp

macOS — ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json Windows / Linux — %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "slack": { "command": "npx", "args": ["-y", "@jtalk22/slack-mcp"] }
  }
}

On Windows and Linux, auto-refresh is unavailable — supply tokens explicitly with an "env": { "SLACK_TOKEN": "xoxc-…", "SLACK_COOKIE": "xoxd-…" } block.

Add to .cursor/mcp.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "slack": { "command": "npx", "args": ["-y", "@jtalk22/slack-mcp"] }
  }
}

Add to .vscode/mcp.json:

{
  "servers": {
    "slack": { "command": "npx", "args": ["-y", "@jtalk22/slack-mcp"] }
  }
}

Add to ~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "slack": { "command": "npx", "args": ["-y", "@jtalk22/slack-mcp"] }
  }
}

Add to ~/.gemini/settings.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "slack": { "command": "npx", "args": ["-y", "@jtalk22/slack-mcp"] }
  }
}

Add to ~/.codex/config.toml:

[mcp_servers.slack]
command = "npx"
args = ["-y", "@jtalk22/slack-mcp"]

Or via CLI: codex mcp add slack -- npx -y @jtalk22/slack-mcp

Anything that speaks stdio MCP works — point it at npx -y @jtalk22/slack-mcp. On macOS, tokens auto-extract from Chrome (no env block needed); elsewhere, pass SLACK_TOKEN / SLACK_COOKIE via env.

docker pull ghcr.io/jtalk22/slack-mcp-server:latest

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "slack": {
      "command": "docker",
      "args": ["run", "-i", "--rm",
               "-v", "~/.slack-mcp-tokens.json:/root/.slack-mcp-tokens.json",
               "ghcr.io/jtalk22/slack-mcp-server"]
    }
  }
}

Full walkthrough — including the optional keep-tokens-fresh LaunchAgent — in docs/SETUP.md.

The 21 tools

Every workspace write-path tool carries an MCP destructive annotation so clients can gate it.

_{* slack_refresh_tokens writes the local token file only. † Hosted stubs return a structured upgrade payload (signup_url, free_tier_quota, pro_value_prop) — no Slack call happens from OSS. ‡ Accepts include_rich_message_fields — see Rich message fields.}

Workflows: Slack in, typed JSON out

Reading messages is table stakes. The primitives turn Slack into a typed data source your automation can consume directly. Bind a workflow_kind to a set of channels, priority people, retention, and cadence with slack_workflow_save (stored locally at ~/.slack-mcp-workflows.json). The hosted brain reads those profiles and returns structured JSON per kind — no prompt-parsing, no scraping, feed it straight into Linear, Notion, or a status dashboard.

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