Claude Code in Slack

Delegate coding tasks directly from your Slack workspace. Anthropic is retiring this earlier version for Team and Enterprise workspaces in favor of Claude Tag; it remains the setup path on Pro and Max plans.

Claude Code in Slack brings the power of Claude Code directly into your Slack workspace. When you mention @Claude with a coding task, Claude automatically detects the intent and creates a Claude Code cloud session, allowing you to delegate development work without leaving your team conversations.

This integration is built on the existing Claude for Slack app but adds intelligent routing to Claude Code cloud sessions for coding-related requests. Each session runs under your own Claude account, using your connected repositories and your plan limits.

Use cases

• Bug investigation and fixes: Ask Claude to investigate and fix bugs as soon as they're reported in Slack channels.
• Quick code reviews and modifications: Have Claude implement small features or refactor code based on team feedback.
• Collaborative debugging: When team discussions provide crucial context (for example, error reproductions or user reports), Claude can use that information to inform its debugging approach.
• Parallel task execution: Kick off coding tasks in Slack while you continue other work, receiving notifications when complete.

Prerequisites

Before using Claude Code in Slack, ensure you have the following:

Setting up Claude Code in Slack

How it works

Automatic detection

In Code + Chat routing mode, when you mention @Claude in a Slack channel or thread, Claude automatically detects whether your message is a coding task. Coding tasks go to a Claude Code cloud session. Anything else gets a regular chat reply. In Code only mode, every @mention goes to Claude Code.

You can also explicitly tell Claude to handle a request as a coding task, even if it doesn't automatically detect it.

Context gathering

From threads: When you @mention Claude in a thread, it gathers context from all messages in that thread to understand the full conversation.

From channels: When mentioned directly in a channel, Claude looks at recent channel messages for relevant context.

This context helps Claude understand the problem, select the appropriate repository, and inform its approach to the task.

Session flow

1. Initiation: You @mention Claude with a coding request
2. Detection: Claude analyzes your message and detects coding intent
3. Session creation: A new Claude Code session is created on claude.ai/code
4. Progress updates: Claude posts status updates to your Slack thread as work progresses
5. Completion: When finished, Claude @mentions you with a summary and action buttons
6. Review: Click "View Session" to see the full transcript, or "Create PR" to open a pull request

User interface elements

Message actions

• View Session: Opens the full Claude Code session in your browser where you can see all work performed, continue the session, or make additional requests.
• Create PR: Creates a pull request directly from the session's changes.
• Retry as Code: If Claude initially responds as a chat assistant but you wanted a coding session, click this button to retry the request as a Claude Code task.
• Change Repo: Lets you select a different repository if Claude chose incorrectly.

Repository selection

Claude automatically selects a repository based on context from your Slack conversation. If multiple repositories could apply, Claude may display a dropdown allowing you to choose the correct one.

Access and permissions

User-level access

Workspace-level access

Slack workspace administrators control whether the Claude app is available in their workspace:

Channel-based access control

Installing the app doesn't add Claude to any channels. Claude responds to @mentions only in channels where it has been added; invite it with /invite @Claude. It works in both public and private channels. Admins can control who uses Claude Code by managing which channels Claude is invited to and who has access to those channels. This adds a layer of access control beyond workspace-level permissions.

What's accessible where

In Slack: You'll see status updates, completion summaries, and action buttons. The full transcript is preserved and always accessible.

At claude.ai/code: The complete Claude Code session with full conversation history, all code changes, and file operations. Sessions stay in your Claude Code history at claude.ai/code, where you can continue past sessions, reference them, or create pull requests.

For Enterprise and Team accounts, sessions created from Claude in Slack are automatically visible to the organization. See cloud session sharing for more details.

Best practices

Writing effective requests

• Be specific: Include file names, function names, or error messages when relevant.
• Provide context: Mention the repository or project if it's not clear from the conversation.
• Define success: Explain what "done" looks like. Should Claude write tests? Update documentation? Create a PR?
• Use threads: Reply in threads when discussing bugs or features so Claude can gather the full context.

When to use Slack vs. web

Use Slack when: Context already exists in a Slack discussion, you want to start a task asynchronously, or you're collaborating with teammates who need visibility.

Use the web directly when: You need to upload files, want real-time interaction during development, or are working on longer, more complex tasks.

Troubleshooting

"Claude Code is not enabled for your account"

This error means your Claude account has no cloud environment yet. Sign in at claude.ai/code once with the same account you connected to Slack and finish web onboarding, which creates your default cloud environment or asks you to create it. The error clears on your next mention. Each user must do this individually.

Sessions not starting

1. Verify your Claude account is connected in the Claude App Home
2. Check that cloud sessions are enabled for your account
3. Ensure you have at least one GitHub repository connected to Claude Code

Sessions from a Claude Tag channel fail to start

This entry applies to workspaces using Claude Tag, where Claude works in channels as your organization's shared identity, not as any member's account. If you created the channel's cloud environment at claude.ai/code, it belongs to your personal account, and Claude can't start channel sessions in a personal environment. Claude Code fails the session immediately, and retrying doesn't help.

If you're an Owner and the environment is your own, share it with the organization from the environment selector. Otherwise, an Owner recreates it as an organization-shared environment from the Cloud environments page in admin settings.

You can apply it in two ways:

• Set it as the organization default at claude.ai/admin-settings/claude-code.
• Set it on the channel in the Claude Tag admin settings.

If you're not an Owner, send this entry to one.

Repository not showing

1. Connect the repository at claude.ai/code
2. Verify your GitHub permissions for that repository
3. Try disconnecting and reconnecting your GitHub account

Wrong repository selected

1. Click the "Change Repo" button to select a different repository
2. Include the repository name in your request for more accurate selection

Authentication errors

1. Disconnect and reconnect your Claude account in the App Home
2. Ensure you're signed into the correct Claude account in your browser
3. Check that your Claude plan includes Claude Code access

Current limitations

• GitHub only: repositories must be on GitHub.
• One PR at a time: each session can create one pull request.
• Cloud session access required: users need access to cloud sessions; without it, Claude replies with standard chat responses.

Related resources