Retrieves message history from a Slack channel, DM, or thread. Supports pagination and filtering.
AI agents call conversations_history to retrieve information from Slack MCP Server without modifying anything — typically the context-gathering step in research, monitoring, and reporting workflows, before the agent takes action elsewhere.
This tool retrieves historical messages from Slack channels, DMs, or threads without creating, modifying, or deleting any data. It is a pure query operation with no side effects, making it a Read category tool. Severity is low because unauthorized message access is limited to already-posted content within the workspace, and the tool has no destructive or financial capabilities.
From the tool's definition Tool name 'conversations_history' and description 'Retrieves message history' explicitly indicates data retrieval with no modification capability. Supports 'pagination and filtering' which are read-only operations.
Attacks that exploit this kind of access
Retrieves message history from a Slack channel, DM, or thread. Supports pagination and filtering. It is categorised as a Read tool in the Slack MCP Server MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.
Register the Slack MCP Server MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for conversations_history: allow, deny, rate-limit, or require approval. Point your MCP client at the PolicyLayer proxy URL and the rule is enforced on every call, before it reaches Slack MCP Server. Nothing to install.
conversations_history is a Read tool with low risk. Read-only tools are generally safe to allow by default.
Yes. Add a rate_limit block to the conversations_history rule in your PolicyLayer policy. For example, setting max: 10 and window: 60 limits the tool to 10 calls per minute. Rate limits are tracked per agent session and reset automatically.
Set action: deny in the PolicyLayer policy for conversations_history. The AI agent will receive a policy violation error and cannot call the tool. You can also include a reason field to explain why the tool is blocked.
conversations_history is provided by the Slack MCP Server MCP server (oregpt/agenticledger_mcp_slack). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.
Every MCP server has a record like this.
Type a name, get the same breakdown: verified identity, auth posture, risk grade, capabilities, recommended policy.
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