Slack MCP and Skills Plugin
The Slack MCP and Skills Plugin for AI tools bundles together a set of skills that help you develop on the Slack platform with the Slack MCP Server. You can use the plugin with Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, and other coding agents.
Installing the plugin sets up two things:
- Skills. Skills supercharge you and your agents when developing Slack apps.
- Slack MCP Server connection. The Slack MCP server lets you and your agent interact directly with your Slack workspace, such as searching channels, sending messages, and managing canvases.
The Slack MCP server is configured automatically when the plugin loads. You'll be prompted to authenticate into your Slack workspace via OAuth. Full setup details vary depending on the AI tool you are using.
The Slack MCP Server connection is only available when using with Claude Code and Cursor. For Codex and other coding agents, the plugin installs the skills only. You won't experience an OAuth prompt since it's not connecting to the Slack MCP server. Your tool also won't be able to utilize the slack-search skill, as it needs the Slack MCP Server connection to query your workspace.
Installing the plugin
Read on for instructions on installing the Plugin for your AI tool of your choice, whether it be Claude Code, Codex, Cursor or other coding agents.
Installing the plugin for Claude Code
The plugin is published on the official Claude marketplace. You can install the plugin directly from a Claude Code session with a slash command:
/plugin install slack@claude-plugins-official
Installing the plugin for Codex
The plugin is published as a marketplace in its GitHub repository. Add the marketplace, then install the plugin:
codex plugin marketplace add slackapi/slack-skills-plugin
codex plugin add slack@slack
As the Slack MCP Server is not available on Codex yet, this install the skills only. Your tool also won't be able to utilize the slack-search skill, as it needs the Slack MCP Server connection to query your workspace.
Installing the plugin for Cursor
The plugin is published on the official Cursor Marketplace. You can install the plugin directly from a Cursor Agent chat with a slash command:
/add-plugin slack
Alternatively, search for "slack" in the Cursor plugin marketplace. This installs the skills, and MCP server together, and prompts OAuth to your Slack workspace on first use.
Installing the skills for other agents
You can install the skills within the Plugin into other coding agents with npx skills, naming the agent you want:
# Install the skills for a coding agent, named by its own identifier
npx skills add slackapi/slack-skills-plugin -y -a <agent>
# For example, Gemini CLI or OpenCode
npx skills add slackapi/slack-skills-plugin -y -a gemini-cli
npx skills add slackapi/slack-skills-plugin -y -a opencode
Other popular agents include crush, devin, hermes-agent, openclaw, and pi. See supported agents for the full list of agents and their identifiers.
The -y flag installs every skill without prompting. Drop it to choose skills from a list, or pass -s <skill> to name the ones you want.
As the Slack MCP Server is not supported via this path, this install the skills only. Your tool also won't be able to utilize the slack-search skill, as it needs the Slack MCP Server connection to query your workspace.
Using skills
Skills are focused sets of instructions and references that your assistant loads when a task calls. The skills load automatically when your prompt calls for them.
Most of the skills work on their own, without a connection to the Slack MCP server. The one exception is the slack-search skill, which relies on the Slack MCP server to query your workspace.
| Skill | What it helps with | Example prompt |
|---|---|---|
block-kit | Build and validate Block Kit layouts for messages, modals, and Home tabs, validating against the blocks.validate API method. | "Build a Block Kit modal with a name field, a dropdown to pick a channel, and a submit button." |
create-slack-app | Scaffold a new Slack app or agent with the Slack CLI and Bolt (JavaScript or Python). | "Scaffold a new Bolt for JavaScript app that listens for the app_mention event." |
slack-api | Discover, navigate, and call Web API methods, surfacing info on required scopes, pagination, rate limits, and error handling. | "Which Web API method posts a message to a channel, and what scopes does it need?" |
slack-cli | Create, run, and manage Slack apps from the terminal with the Slack CLI, and search the Slack docs from the command line. | "Run my Slack app locally and tail the logs." |
slack-docs | Find and read the right Slack developer docs page, so Slack platform answers come from the live docs rather than memory. | "How does the Events API delivery model work?" |
slack-messaging | Compose well-formatted Slack messages using standard markdown. | "Draft a release announcement message with a bulleted list of changes." |
slack-search | Search Slack effectively to find messages, files, channels, and people. Requires a Slack MCP Server connection. | "Find the channel where we discuss the platform roadmap." |
test-slack-app | Run an existing Slack app somewhere safe, like a developer sandbox, and get guided, source-specific steps to confirm it works in Slack. | "Help me check that my Slack app actually works." |