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Slack Search
This skill provides guidance for effectively searching Slack to find messages, files, and information.
When to Use
Apply this skill whenever you need to find information in Slack — including when a user asks you to locate messages, conversations, files, or people, or when you need to gather context before answering a question about what's happening in Slack.
Search Tools Overview
| Tool | Use When |
|---|
slack_search_public | Searching public channels only. Does not require user consent. |
slack_search_public_and_private | Searching all channels including private, DMs, and group DMs. Requires user consent. |
slack_search_channels | Finding channels by name or description. |
slack_search_users | Finding people by name, email, or role. |
Search Strategy
Start Broad, Then Narrow
- Begin with a simple keyword or natural language question.
- If too many results, add filters (
in:, from:, date ranges).
- If too few results, remove filters and try synonyms or related terms.
Choose the Right Search Mode
- Natural language questions (e.g., "What is the deadline for project X?") — Best for fuzzy, conceptual searches where you don't know exact keywords.
- Keyword search (e.g.,
project X deadline) — Best for finding specific, exact content.
Use Multiple Searches
Don't rely on a single search. Break complex questions into smaller searches:
- Search for the topic first
- Then search for specific people's contributions
- Then search in specific channels
Search Modifiers Reference
Location Filters
in:channel-name — Search within a specific channelin:<#C123456> — Search in channel by ID-in:channel-name — Exclude a channelin:<@U123456> — Search in DMs with a user
User Filters
from:<@U123456> — Messages from a specific user (by ID)from:username — Messages from a user (by Slack username)to:me — Messages sent directly to you
Content Filters
is:thread — Only threaded messageshas:pin — Pinned messageshas:link — Messages containing linkshas:file — Messages with file attachmentshas::emoji: — Messages with a specific reaction
Date Filters
before:YYYY-MM-DD — Messages before a dateafter:YYYY-MM-DD — Messages after a dateon:YYYY-MM-DD — Messages on a specific dateduring:month — Messages during a specific month (e.g., during:january)
Text Matching
"exact phrase" — Match an exact phrase-word — Exclude messages containing a wordwild* — Wildcard matching (minimum 3 characters before *)
File Search
To search for files, use the content_types="files" parameter with type filters:
type:images — Image filestype:documents — Document filestype:pdfs — PDF filestype:spreadsheets — Spreadsheet filestype:canvases — Slack Canvases
Example: content_types="files" type:pdfs budget after:2025-01-01
Following Up on Results
After finding relevant messages:
- Use
slack_read_thread to get the full thread context for any threaded message.
- Use
slack_read_channel with oldest/latest timestamps to read surrounding messages for context.
- Use
slack_read_user_profile to identify who a user is when their ID appears in results.
Common Pitfalls
- Boolean operators don't work.
AND, OR, NOT are not supported. Use spaces (implicit AND) and - for exclusion.
- Parentheses don't work. Don't try to group search terms with
().
- Search is not real-time. Very recent messages (last few seconds) may not appear in search results. Use
slack_read_channel for the most recent messages.
- Private channel access. Use
slack_search_public_and_private when you need to include private channels, but note this requires user consent.
Weekly Installs
74
Repository
anthropics/know…-plugins
GitHub Stars
8.9K
First Seen
Feb 24, 2026
Security Audits
Gen Agent Trust HubPassSocketPassSnykWarn
Installed on
codex71
opencode70
github-copilot70
kimi-cli70
amp70
gemini-cli70
