Exciting news for Slack Explorer MCP users! We’ve just rolled out Streamable HTTP support, a significant enhancement designed to make accessing historical Slack context with AI tools easier than ever, especially for non-technical users.

Previously, interacting with Slack Explorer MCP often required a local Docker setup, which could be a hurdle for many. With this new update, the process is streamlined. By hosting Slack Explorer MCP somewhere, you can now seamlessly connect from popular AI platforms like ChatGPT and Claude Code via Remote MCP, eliminating the need for complex local environment configurations. This means a smoother, more intuitive experience for everyone looking to leverage AI for historical Slack context.

Our goal with Streamable HTTP support was to democratize access. We observed that the previous stdio communication method, while functional, presented a barrier for individuals who aren’t familiar with running Docker containers. Now, with a hosted solution, users can simply connect their AI tools without worrying about local installations, opening up Slack Explorer MCP to a much broader audience.

From a technical standpoint, implementing this feature presented an interesting challenge. While stateless HTTP services are generally simpler to deploy, Slack Explorer MCP relies on caching Slack’s user list for optimal performance. This necessitated a stateful implementation, managing an in-memory cache per session with an intelligent expiry mechanism. To ensure efficient resource management, goroutines are employed for periodic cleanup of expired entries, preventing memory leaks and maintaining system stability.

In summary, the addition of Streamable HTTP support to Slack Explorer MCP marks a leap forward in accessibility and ease of use. We’re thrilled to offer a more straightforward way for all users, regardless of their technical background, to integrate AI into their Slack workflow for discovering historical context.