Why

When Slack mentions pile up, it's hard to know where to start. Complex requests leave you frozen, unsure what to ask. Writing replies takes forever. Sound familiar?

| Problem | Solution | |:--------|:---------| | "What do they want?" is unclear | Clarify the purpose | | "What should I ask?" is unknown | Identify unknowns + draft confirmation messages | | "How should I reply?" takes time | Edit & structure reply messages | | "What's next?" causes paralysis | Provide next actions |

Before / After

❌ Before
Mention arrives → "What do they want?" → Freeze → Postpone → Forget

✅ After
Mention arrives → Paste thread URL → Purpose, unknowns & next action organized → Start immediately

Who is this for?

• 💭 You read a Slack message multiple times but still don't know where to start
• 📝 Writing replies takes forever because you overthink the wording
• 🔄 You postpone complex requests and end up forgetting them
• 🧠 You have ADHD traits and struggle with task initiation

Use Cases

1. Break down a vague request

"Can you handle the quarterly report?"

What this tool does:

• Clarifies what "handle" means (create? review? present?)
• Identifies unknowns (deadline? format? audience?)
• Generates a confirmation message to ask the right questions
• Breaks the task into 5-minute steps once clarified

2. Structure a messy reply

"Done with the thing. Attached. Check it."

After editing:

"I've completed the quarterly report and attached it. Could you review it when you have a moment? Let me know if any changes are needed."

• Conclusion → Reasoning → Action structure
• Polite but concise tone

3. Resume work after interruption

"What was I working on for that client request?"

What this tool does:

• Searches past Slack threads
• Shows task progress and next steps
• No need to re-read the entire thread

4. Triage multiple mentions

When you have 10+ unread mentions:

• Analyze each thread quickly
• Identify priorities (blocking others? deadline?)
• Generate confirmation messages for unclear ones
• Save as tasks and tackle one by one

Demo

You: Analyze this thread https://xxx.slack.com/archives/C123/p456

Claude: ## Request Analysis

### Summary
- **Purpose**: Create sales report for Q4
- **Deliverable**: PDF report with charts
- **Deadline**: Next Friday

### Unknowns
- ❓ Which metrics to include?
  - Impact: Can't start without this
  - Options: Revenue only / Revenue + costs / Full P&L

### Suggested Confirmation Message
"Thanks for the request! Quick question - should I include just revenue,
or the full P&L breakdown? Also, should I use the same template as Q3?"

### Next Action
📌 Send confirmation message (2 min)

---

You: They said full P&L, same template. Break it down and save.

Claude: ✅ Task saved!

### Q4 Sales Report
1. ☐ Open Q3 template and duplicate (2 min)
2. ☐ Export Q4 data from dashboard (3 min)
3. ☐ Paste revenue numbers (5 min)
4. ☐ Paste cost numbers (5 min)
5. ☐ Update charts (5 min)
6. ☐ Write summary paragraph (5 min)
7. ☐ Export as PDF and send (2 min)

📌 Start with step 1 - just 2 minutes!

Architecture

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  Claude Desktop / Claude Code                               │
│  └── MCP Client                                             │
└──────────────────────────┬──────────────────────────────────┘
                           │ MCP Protocol
┌──────────────────────────▼──────────────────────────────────┐
│  Slack Task MCP Server                                      │
│  ┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │
│  │  MCP Tools                                             │ │
│  │  • get_slack_thread  • save_task     • analyze_request │ │
│  │  • search_slack      • list_tasks    • draft_reply     │ │
│  │                      • complete_step                   │ │
│  └────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ │
│  ┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │
│  │  Agent SDK Layer (AI-powered analysis)                 │ │
│  │  • analyze.js → Request analysis                       │ │
│  │  • draft-reply.js → Reply editing                      │ │
│  └────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ │
└──────────────────────────┬──────────────────────────────────┘
                           │
          ┌────────────────┴────────────────┐
          ▼                                 ▼
   ┌─────────────┐                   ┌─────────────┐
   │  Slack API  │                   │  Claude API │
   │ (User Token)│                   │ (Agent SDK) │
   └─────────────┘                   └─────────────┘

Features

| Tool | Description | Agent SDK | |------|-------------|:---------:| | get_slack_thread | Fetch messages from a Slack thread URL | - | | analyze_request | Analyze requests, identify purpose & unknowns | ✅ | | draft_reply | Edit and structure replies logically | ✅ | | save_task | Save tasks (broken into <5 min steps) | - | | list_tasks | Show active task list | - | | search_tasks | Search tasks by keyword/date | - | | complete_step | Mark a step as complete | - | | search_slack | Search Slack messages by keyword | - |

Quick Start

1. Authenticate with Slack

npx -y @ignission/slack-task-mcp auth login

A browser will open for Slack authentication. Repeat for multiple workspaces.

2. Configure Claude Code / Claude Desktop

Claude Code (Terminal):

claude mcp add slack-task -- npx -y @ignission/slack-task-mcp

Claude Desktop (~/.claude/claude_desktop_config.json):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "slack-task": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@ignission/slack-task-mcp"]
    }
  }
}

3. Restart

Restart Claude Code / Claude Desktop to apply the configuration.

Usage

Basic Workflow

1. get_slack_thread  →  Fetch thread (context DB)
2. analyze_request   →  Generate purpose, unknowns, confirmation drafts
3. draft_reply       →  Edit and structure reply drafts
4. save_task         →  Save as task
5. complete_step     →  Track progress

Examples

Fetch & Analyze a Thread

Analyze this Slack thread:
https://xxx.slack.com/archives/C12345678/p1234567890123456

Save a Task

Break this down into steps under 5 minutes and save it

Edit a Reply

Edit this reply: "Report is done. Attached. Please check."

List Tasks

Show my task list

Complete a Step

Mark step 1 as complete

ADHD-Friendly Design

• Offload from your brain — Save tasks and forget them. Free up working memory.
• Break into <5 min steps — Build small wins
• Easiest step first — Lower the barrier to start
• Clear stopping points — Easy to pause and resume
• Slack as context DB — Ask Claude "what happened with that?"

The Real Value: Stop Carrying Everything in Your Head

❌ Keeping tasks in your head
"Don't forget this" + "That too" + "And this..." → Constant working memory drain → Exhaustion

✅ Offload to MCP
Save task → OK to forget → Brain freed up → Focus on just one thing

Your brain is for thinking, not for storing. Let the tool remember so you don't have to.

Tech Stack

| Technology | Purpose | |------------|---------| | Node.js (ES Modules) | Runtime | | MCP Protocol | Communication with Claude Code/Desktop | | Claude Agent SDK | AI-powered request analysis & reply editing | | Slack Web API | Slack integration (User Token) | | Zod | Schema validation | | Cloudflare Workers | OAuth authentication (token exchange) |

Project Structure

slack-task-mcp/
├── src/
│   ├── index.js         # MCP server entry point
│   ├── cli.js           # CLI commands
│   ├── auth.js          # OAuth authentication (hybrid)
│   ├── credentials.js   # Credential management
│   ├── paths.js         # Path management (XDG compliant)
│   └── agents/          # Agent SDK agents
│       ├── index.js     # Common settings
│       ├── analyze.js   # Request analysis
│       └── draft-reply.js # Reply editing
├── worker/              # Cloudflare Workers (token exchange)
│   ├── index.js
│   └── wrangler.toml
└── package.json

Data Storage

Data is stored following XDG Base Directory Specification:

~/.local/share/slack-task-mcp/
├── credentials/
│   ├── T01234567.json     # Per-workspace credentials
│   └── T98765432.json
└── tasks.json              # Task data

If XDG_DATA_HOME is set, that path will be used instead.

Troubleshooting

Slack API Errors

npx -y @ignission/slack-task-mcp auth status              # Check auth status
npx -y @ignission/slack-task-mcp auth login               # Authenticate new workspace
npx -y @ignission/slack-task-mcp auth logout              # Logout from all workspaces
npx -y @ignission/slack-task-mcp auth logout -w mycompany # Logout from specific workspace

MCP Server Not Recognized

• Verify the config file path is correct
• Restart Claude Code / Claude Desktop

Can't Read Private Channels

• You can only read channels you're a member of

Contributing

Issues and PRs are welcome!

License

ISC