How to add Slack MCP Server (korotovsky) to Claude Desktop

Powerful Slack MCP with stdio/SSE/HTTP, DMs, group DMs and no-admin token auth Paste the config into ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json and restart Claude Desktop.

Last updated June 15, 2026 · 1.7k★ · stdio · apikey

Claude Desktop config for Slack MCP Server (korotovsky)

npx -y slack-mcp-server@latest --transport stdio

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "slack-mcp-server-korotovsky": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "slack-mcp-server@latest",
        "--transport",
        "stdio"
      ],
      "env": {
        "SLACK_MCP_XOXP_TOKEN": "<your-slack-user-oauth-token-xoxp>"
      }
    }
  }
}

Setup steps

1Open Claude Desktop → Settings → Developer → Edit Config (this opens ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json).
2Paste the Slack MCP Server (korotovsky) config below under the top-level "mcpServers" key.
3Fill in any placeholder secrets (API keys, paths) in the snippet.
4Save the file, then fully quit and reopen Claude Desktop.
5Open a chat and confirm Slack MCP Server (korotovsky)'s tools appear under the 🔌 tools menu.

Before you start

One Slack auth method: browser tokens (xoxc + xoxd) extracted from the Slack web client, a user OAuth token (xoxp), or a bot token (xoxb, limited to invited channels and no search)
Go toolchain to build the binary, or Docker, or Node.js/npx to run the npm wrapper
For xoxc/xoxd: access to your own Slack web session; for xoxp: a Slack app with ~16 user token scopes (channels:history/read, groups, im, mpim, users:read, chat:write, search:read, usergroups:read/write, channels:write)
An MCP-compatible client (e.g. Claude Desktop)

What Slack MCP Server (korotovsky) can do in Claude Desktop

conversations_history

Fetch channel or DM messages with pagination and smart history (by date range or count).

conversations_replies

Retrieve messages within a thread.

conversations_add_message

Post a message to a channel or DM (disabled by default; supports markdown).

conversations_search_messages

Search messages across the workspace.

channels_list

List channels (public, private, DMs, group DMs).

conversations_unreads

Get unread messages across channels, prioritizing DMs.

conversations_mark

Mark a channel as read (disabled by default).

reactions_add

Add an emoji reaction to a message (disabled by default).

Security

Browser-token (xoxc/xoxd) auth bypasses workspace admin approval and can violate org policy; prefer a scoped user OAuth token (xoxp) stored as a secret, never in shell history. The SLACK_MCP_XOXP_TOKEN env var is the recommended auth.

Slack MCP Server (korotovsky) + Claude Desktop FAQ

Where is the Claude Desktop config file?

Claude Desktop reads MCP servers from ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json. Paste the Slack MCP Server (korotovsky) config there under the "mcpServers" key and restart the client.

Is Slack MCP Server (korotovsky) safe to use with Claude Desktop?

Do I need a Slack admin or a bot to use this?

No. With browser tokens (xoxc + xoxd) it works in "stealth" mode using your existing Slack session — no app creation, approval, or bot installation needed.

What's the difference between the token types?

xoxc+xoxd (browser) are the most capable and support search; xoxp (user OAuth) works with declared scopes; xoxb (bot) is limited to channels it's invited to and cannot search.

Why can't I post messages or add reactions?

Write tools are disabled by default. Enable them via SLACK_MCP_ADD_MESSAGE_TOOL, SLACK_MCP_REACTION_TOOL, and SLACK_MCP_MARK_TOOL (optionally scoped to specific channels).

View repo Full Slack MCP Server (korotovsky) page