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slack-search

anthropics/knowledge-work-plugins

Find messages, files, channels, and people in Slack with effective search strategies and modifiers.

What is slack-search?

This skill provides guidance for searching Slack to locate messages, conversations, files, and people. Use it when you need to find information in Slack or gather context before answering questions about what's happening in your workspace.

Search public channels without requiring user consent using slack_search_public
Search all channels including private, DMs, and group DMs with slack_search_public_and_private (requires consent)
Find channels by name or description using slack_search_channels
Find people by name, email, or role using slack_search_users
Apply location, user, content, date, and text matching filters to narrow results
Search for specific file types including images, documents, PDFs, spreadsheets, and Canvases

How to install slack-search

npx skills add https://github.com/anthropics/knowledge-work-plugins --skill slack-search

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How to use slack-search

1.Start with a simple keyword or natural language question to begin your search
2.Add filters like in:channel-name, from:username, or date ranges if you get too many results
3.If results are too few, remove filters and try synonyms or related terms
4.Break complex questions into multiple smaller searches targeting different aspects
5.Use slack_read_thread to get full context for threaded messages in your results
6.Use slack_read_channel with timestamps to read surrounding messages for additional context

Use cases

Good for

Locate a specific message or conversation thread when a user asks you to find information
Search for files of a particular type shared within a date range or channel
Find contributions from specific team members on a topic by combining user and keyword filters
Gather context about a project or decision by searching across multiple channels and date ranges
Identify who a user is or find their contact information by searching user profiles

Who it's for

Knowledge workers needing to find information across Slack conversations
Teams managing projects or decisions documented in Slack
Anyone gathering context or research from Slack before answering questions

slack-search FAQ

Can I use Boolean operators like AND, OR, NOT in Slack search?

No, Boolean operators are not supported. Use spaces for implicit AND and the minus sign (-) to exclude terms.

How do I search for files of a specific type?

Use the content_types="files" parameter with type filters like type:pdfs, type:images, type:documents, type:spreadsheets, or type:canvases.

Why don't very recent messages appear in my search results?

Slack search is not real-time. Very recent messages (last few seconds) may not appear in search results. Use slack_read_channel to get the most recent messages.

Do I need special permission to search private channels?

Yes, searching private channels requires user consent. Use slack_search_public_and_private for this, while slack_search_public does not require consent.

How do I search within a specific date range?

Use date filters like before:YYYY-MM-DD, after:YYYY-MM-DD, on:YYYY-MM-DD, or during:month (e.g., during:january).

Full instructions (SKILL.md)

Source of truth, from anthropics/knowledge-work-plugins.

name: slack-search description: Guidance for effectively searching Slack to find messages, files, channels, and people

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.