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Spark Assistant for Slack - MCP Server

by hamas
README.md
# Spark Assistant for Slack - MCP Server

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for interacting with Slack workspaces, customized for **Spark Assistant**. This server provides tools to list channels, post messages, reply to threads, add emoji reactions, retrieve channel history, inspect user profiles, and test Slack API authentication.

---

## ⚡ Quick Start

1. **Install dependencies and build:**
   ```bash
   npm install
   npm run build
   ```

2. **Configure Environment Variables:**
   Copy `.env.example` to `.env` and fill in your Slack credentials:
   ```bash
   cp .env.example .env
   ```
   ```env
   SLACK_BOT_TOKEN=xoxb-your-slack-bot-token
   SLACK_TEAM_ID=T00000000
   ```

3. **Run the Server:**
   ```bash
   # Standard stdio mode (for Claude Desktop / Antigravity / Cursor / Windsurf)
   node dist/index.js

   # HTTP mode on port 3000
   node dist/index.js --transport http --port 3000
   ```

---

## 🛠️ Available Tools

1. **`slack_auth_test`**
   - Test bot token authentication and retrieve connected workspace and bot user details
   - Returns: Workspace name, team ID, bot user ID, and auth URL

2. **`slack_list_channels`**
   - List public and private channels that the bot is a member of, or pre-defined channels in the workspace
   - Optional inputs: `limit` (default: 100, max: 200), `cursor` (pagination)

3. **`slack_post_message`**
   - Post a new message to a Slack channel or direct message user
   - Required inputs: `channel_id`, `text`

4. **`slack_reply_to_thread`**
   - Reply to a specific message thread in Slack
   - Required inputs: `channel_id`, `thread_ts`, `text`

5. **`slack_add_reaction`**
   - Add an emoji reaction to a message
   - Required inputs: `channel_id`, `timestamp`, `reaction` (emoji name without colons)

6. **`slack_get_channel_history`**
   - Get recent messages from a channel
   - Required inputs: `channel_id` | Optional: `limit` (default: 10)

7. **`slack_get_thread_replies`**
   - Get all replies in a message thread
   - Required inputs: `channel_id`, `thread_ts`

8. **`slack_get_users`**
   - Get list of workspace users with basic profile information
   - Optional inputs: `cursor`, `limit` (default: 100, max: 200)

9. **`slack_get_user_profile`**
   - Get detailed profile information for a specific user
   - Required inputs: `user_id`

## Slack Bot Setup

To use this MCP server, you need to create a Slack app and configure it with the necessary permissions:

### 1. Create a Slack App
- Visit the [Slack Apps page](https://api.slack.com/apps)
- Click "Create New App"
- Choose "From scratch"
- Name your app and select your workspace

### 2. Configure Bot Token Scopes
Navigate to "OAuth & Permissions" and add these scopes:
- `channels:history` - View messages and other content in public channels
- `channels:read` - View basic channel information
- `chat:write` - Send messages as the app
- `reactions:write` - Add emoji reactions to messages
- `users:read` - View users and their basic information
- `users.profile:read` - View detailed profiles about users

### 3. Install App to Workspace
- Click "Install to Workspace" and authorize the app
- Save the "Bot User OAuth Token" that starts with `xoxb-`

### 4. Get Your Team ID
Get your Team ID (starts with a `T`) by following [this guidance](https://slack.com/help/articles/221769328-Locate-your-Slack-URL-or-ID#find-your-workspace-or-org-id)

### 5. Add Bot to Channels (Optional)
For the bot to access private channels or to post messages, you may need to invite it to specific channels using `/invite @your-bot-name`

## Features

- **Multiple Transport Support**: Supports both stdio and Streamable HTTP transports
- **Modern MCP SDK**: Updated to use the latest MCP SDK (v1.13.2) with modern APIs
- **Comprehensive Slack Integration**: Full set of Slack operations including:
  - List channels (with predefined channel support)
  - Post messages
  - Reply to threads
  - Add reactions
  - Get channel history
  - Get thread replies
  - List users
  - Get user profiles

## Installation

### Local Development
```bash
npm install
npm run build
```

### Global Installation (NPM)
```bash
npm install -g @zencoderai/slack-mcp-server
```

### Docker Installation
```bash
# Build the Docker image locally
docker build -t slack-mcp-server .

# Or pull from Docker Hub
docker pull zencoderai/slack-mcp:latest

# Or pull a specific version
docker pull zencoderai/slack-mcp:1.0.0
```

## Configuration

Set the following environment variables:

```bash
export SLACK_BOT_TOKEN="xoxb-your-bot-token"
export SLACK_TEAM_ID="your-team-id"
export SLACK_CHANNEL_IDS="channel1,channel2,channel3"  # Optional: predefined channels
export AUTH_TOKEN="your-auth-token"  # Optional: Bearer token for HTTP authorization (Streamable HTTP transport only)
```

## Usage

### Command Line Options

```bash
slack-mcp [options]

Options:
  --transport <type>     Transport type: 'stdio' or 'http' (default: stdio)
  --port <number>        Port for HTTP server when using Streamable HTTP transport (default: 3000)
  --token <token>        Bearer token for HTTP authorization (optional, can also use AUTH_TOKEN env var)
  --help, -h             Show this help message
```

### Local Usage Examples

#### Using the slack-mcp command (after global installation)
```bash
# Use stdio transport (default)
slack-mcp

# Use stdio transport explicitly
slack-mcp --transport stdio

# Use Streamable HTTP transport on default port 3000
slack-mcp --transport http

# Use Streamable HTTP transport on custom port
slack-mcp --transport http --port 8080

# Use Streamable HTTP transport with custom auth token
slack-mcp --transport http --token mytoken

# Use Streamable HTTP transport with auth token from environment variable
AUTH_TOKEN=mytoken slack-mcp --transport http
```

#### Using node directly (for development)
```bash
# Use stdio transport (default)
node dist/index.js

# Use stdio transport explicitly
node dist/index.js --transport stdio

# Use Streamable HTTP transport on default port 3000
node dist/index.js --transport http

# Use Streamable HTTP transport on custom port
node dist/index.js --transport http --port 8080

# Use Streamable HTTP transport with custom auth token
node dist/index.js --transport http --token mytoken

# Use Streamable HTTP transport with auth token from environment variable
AUTH_TOKEN=mytoken node dist/index.js --transport http
```

### Docker Usage Examples

#### Using Docker directly
```bash
# Run with stdio transport (default)
docker run --rm \
  -e SLACK_BOT_TOKEN="xoxb-your-bot-token" \
  -e SLACK_TEAM_ID="your-team-id" \
  zencoderai/slack-mcp:latest

# Run with HTTP transport on port 3000
docker run --rm -p 3000:3000 \
  -e SLACK_BOT_TOKEN="xoxb-your-bot-token" \
  -e SLACK_TEAM_ID="your-team-id" \
  zencoderai/slack-mcp:latest --transport http

# Run with HTTP transport on custom port
docker run --rm -p 8080:8080 \
  -e SLACK_BOT_TOKEN="xoxb-your-bot-token" \
  -e SLACK_TEAM_ID="your-team-id" \
  zencoderai/slack-mcp:latest --transport http --port 8080

# Run with custom auth token
docker run --rm -p 3000:3000 \
  -e SLACK_BOT_TOKEN="xoxb-your-bot-token" \
  -e SLACK_TEAM_ID="your-team-id" \
  -e AUTH_TOKEN="mytoken" \
  zencoderai/slack-mcp:latest --transport http
```

#### Using Docker Compose
Create a `docker-compose.yml` file:

```yaml
version: '3.8'

services:
  slack-mcp:
    # Use published image:
    image: zencoderai/slack-mcp:latest
    # Or build locally:
    # build: .
    environment:
      - SLACK_BOT_TOKEN=xoxb-your-bot-token
      - SLACK_TEAM_ID=your-team-id
      - SLACK_CHANNEL_IDS=channel1,channel2,channel3  # Optional
      - AUTH_TOKEN=your-auth-token  # Optional for HTTP transport
    ports:
      - "3000:3000"  # Only needed for HTTP transport
    command: ["--transport", "http"]  # Optional: specify transport type
    restart: unless-stopped
```

Then run:
```bash
# Start the service
docker compose up -d

# View logs
docker compose logs -f slack-mcp

# Stop the service
docker compose down
```

## Transport Types

### Stdio Transport
- **Use case**: Command-line tools and direct integrations
- **Communication**: Standard input/output streams
- **Default**: Yes

### Streamable HTTP Transport
- **Use case**: Remote servers and web-based integrations
- **Communication**: HTTP POST requests with optional Server-Sent Events streams
- **Features**: 
  - Session management
  - Bidirectional communication
  - Resumable connections
  - RESTful API endpoints
  - Bearer token authentication

## Authentication (Streamable HTTP Transport Only)

When using Streamable HTTP transport, the server supports Bearer token authentication:

1. **Command Line**: Use `--token <token>` to specify a custom token
2. **Environment Variable**: Set `AUTH_TOKEN=<token>` as a fallback
3. **Auto-generated**: If neither is provided, a random token is generated

The command line option takes precedence over the environment variable. Include the token in HTTP requests using the `Authorization: Bearer <token>` header.

## Troubleshooting

If you encounter permission errors, verify that:

1. All required scopes are added to your Slack app
2. The app is properly installed to your workspace
3. The tokens and workspace ID are correctly copied to your configuration
4. The app has been added to the channels it needs to access

## Development

### Build
```bash
npm run build
```

### Watch Mode
```bash
npm run watch
```

## API Endpoints (Streamable HTTP Transport)

When using Streamable HTTP transport, the server exposes the following endpoints:

- `POST /mcp` - Client-to-server communication
- `GET /mcp` - Server-to-client notifications (Server-Sent Events streams)
- `DELETE /mcp` - Session termination

## Changes from Previous Version

- **Updated MCP SDK**: Upgraded from v1.0.1 to v1.13.2
- **Modern API**: Migrated from low-level Server class to high-level McpServer class
- **Zod Validation**: Added proper schema validation using Zod
- **Transport Flexibility**: Added support for Streamable HTTP transport
- **Command Line Interface**: Added CLI arguments for transport selection
- **Session Management**: Implemented proper session handling for HTTP transport
- **Better Error Handling**: Improved error handling and logging