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 channel

• in:<#C123456> — Search in channel by ID

• -in:channel-name — Exclude a channel

• in:<@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 messages

• has:pin — Pinned messages

• has:link — Messages containing links

• has:file — Messages with file attachments

• has::emoji: — Messages with a specific reaction

Date Filters

• before:YYYY-MM-DD — Messages before a date

• after:YYYY-MM-DD — Messages after a date

• on:YYYY-MM-DD — Messages on a specific date

• during:month — Messages during a specific month (e.g., during:january )

Text Matching

• "exact phrase" — Match an exact phrase

• -word — Exclude messages containing a word

• wild* — Wildcard matching (minimum 3 characters before * )

File Search

To search for files, use the content_types="files" parameter with type filters:

• type:images — Image files

• type:documents — Document files

• type:pdfs — PDF files

• type:spreadsheets — Spreadsheet files

• type: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.