cotera
Logo

Slack Search

Authentication Type: API Key
Description: Search for messages in Slack workspaces. Requires a Slack user token (starts with xoxp-) with search:read scope. This is separate from regular Slack messaging which uses bot tokens.

Search for messages across Slack workspace using user token.

Search Messages

Search for messages in your Slack workspace. Use "in:#channel-name" or "in:channel_id" to search specific channels (e.g., "hello in:#general" or "error in:C095Z8MEXFV"). Supports other operators like from:@username and date ranges. Requires a user token with search:read scope.

Operation Type: Mutation (Write)

Parameters:

  • query string (required): Search query to find messages. To search in a specific channel, use "in:#channel-name" or "in:channel_id". Example: "hello in:#general" or "error in:C095Z8MEXFV"
  • count number (nullable): Number of messages to return (max 100, optional)
  • cursor string (nullable): Pagination cursor for retrieving more results (optional)
  • highlight boolean (nullable): Whether to highlight matching terms in results (optional)
  • page number (nullable): Page number for results (max 100, optional)
  • sort string (nullable): Sort order for results (timestamp or score, optional)
  • sortDir string (nullable): Sort direction (asc or desc, optional)
  • teamId string (nullable): Team ID for org-level tokens (optional)

Returns:

  • ok boolean: Whether the search was successful
  • query string: The search query that was executed
  • messages object: Search results
    • matches array of objects: Array of matching messages
      • channel object: Channel information
        • id string: Channel ID
        • name string: Channel name
        • isPrivate boolean: Whether the channel is private
        • isExtShared boolean: Whether the channel is externally shared
        • isMpim boolean: Whether the channel is a multi-person IM
        • isOrgShared boolean: Whether the channel is org shared
        • isPendingExtShared boolean: Whether the channel has pending external sharing
        • isShared boolean: Whether the channel is shared
        • pendingShared array of strings: Pending shared connections
      • iid string: Internal message ID
      • permalink string: Permalink to the message
      • team string: Team ID
      • text string: Message text content
      • ts string: Message timestamp
      • type string: Message type
      • user string: User ID who sent the message
      • username string: Username who sent the message
    • pagination object: Pagination information
      • first number: First result number
      • last number: Last result number
      • page number: Current page number
      • pageCount number: Total number of pages
      • perPage number: Results per page
      • totalCount number: Total number of results
    • paging object: Paging information
      • count number: Number of results returned
      • page number: Current page
      • pages number: Total pages
      • total number: Total results
    • total number: Total number of matching messages

Example Usage:

{
  "query": "project status in:#general from:@john",
  "count": 25,
  "sort": "timestamp",
  "sortDir": "desc",
  "highlight": true
}

Common Use Cases

Message Discovery:

  • Search for specific conversations across channels
  • Find messages by keywords and phrases with channel filtering
  • Locate information shared by specific team members

Research and Analysis:

  • Find historical discussions about projects or decisions
  • Search for error messages or technical discussions
  • Discover patterns in team communication

Audit and Compliance:

  • Search messages from specific users or time periods
  • Find discussions about particular topics or projects
  • Export message data for compliance or documentation purposes