Slack remote MCP connector

  • Updated

The Slack remote Model Context Protocol (MCP) connector in Optimizely Opal lets Opal interact directly with your Slack workspace. Opal helps you find team conversations, share updates, and act on decisions without switching between applications.

The Slack remote (MCP) connector is in beta.

These tools let Opal search messages, files, users, and channels, send and draft formatted messages, read channel and thread history, manage canvases, and retrieve user profiles. Use them to bring team context into your agents and workflows so you can act on Slack decisions and updates directly.

The Slack remote MCP is managed by Slack. For details, see Slack MCP server in the Slack documentation.

First, an Opal administrator must connect the Slack remote MCP to Opal. After connecting the MCP server, individual Opal users and agent builders can log in to Slack to access their information from Opal. Administrators only need to connect the Slack remote MCP once.

Connect the Slack remote MCP to Opal

The first person to connect a third-party service to Opal should be an administrator of that service. Administrator access installs the complete set of tools, so Opal adds every available tool. If a non-administrator connects the service first, Opal installs only the tools that account can access.

Opal administrators connect and grant access to Slack from Opal. After granting access, administrators select which tools to enable in Opal and optionally customize their display names.

Add Slack connection

As an Opal administrator, complete the following steps:

  1. Go to Connectors in Opal.
  2. (Optional) Enter Slack in the search bar to filter the connectors list.

  3. Click Connect on the Slack tile. 

  4. Review and configure the Slack connector.

  5. Click Allow.

A confirmation message displays and you can close the pop-up window.

Configure Opal tools

After adding the Slack connection, Opal prompts you to select which tools to enable and optionally customize their display names.

As an Opal administrator, complete the following steps:

  1. Deselect any tools you do not want to add to Opal.
  2. (Optional) Update any tool's display name.

  3. Click Finish. 

The Slack tile displays Connect on the Connectors tab for Opal users to authenticate with their personal accounts.

To update the available tools or names, see Update tools.

Authenticate with Slack

Each Opal user and agent builder logs in to Slack individually to access their Slack data from Opal. User-level authentication ensures you access only the data your Slack account is authorized to view.

Before you begin, confirm that an Opal administrator has connected the Slack remote MCP to Opal. Until an administrator connects it, the Slack tile displays Contact admin instead of Connect and you cannot select it.

To authenticate, complete the following steps in Opal:

  1. Go to Connectors.
  2. (Optional) Enter Slack in the search bar to filter the connectors list.
  3. Click Connect on the Slack tile. 
  4. Log in to Slack.

After you connect to Slack, the Slack connector tools your administrator added become available in Opal Chat, agents, and workflows.

Slack connector tools

The Slack connector tools are available in Opal after an administrator connects the Slack remote MCP to Opal and you log in to Slack. The available tools depend on which tools your administrator enabled. For a full list of available tools and actions, see Slack MCP server in the Slack documentation.

Update tools

To rename, add, or remove tools, an Opal administrator must delete the Slack tools registry and re-add it. To do so, complete the following steps:

  1. Follow the steps in Delete a tool registry.
  2. Add Slack connection.
  3. Configure Opal tools.

If you use Opti ID, administrators can turn off generative AI in the Opti ID Admin Center. See Turn generative AI off across Optimizely applications.