Slack Message Scraper

Extract messages from Slack channels using browser tokens. Supports public channels, private channels, DMs, group messages, threads, reactions, and file attachments. No OAuth app installation required.

How It Works

This actor uses the Slack Web API with browser tokens (the same approach used by slackdump) to extract messages from any Slack channel you have access to. You provide your browser token and cookie, and the actor handles pagination, rate limiting, and user resolution automatically.

Two actions are available:

• Scrape Messages -- Extract messages from a specific channel, with optional thread replies, user details, and date filtering
• Scrape Channel List -- List all channels accessible to your account (public, private, DMs, group messages)

Authentication Setup

The actor requires two credentials from your Slack browser session:

1. Get your Slack Token (xoxc-...)

1. Open Slack in your web browser at https://app.slack.com
2. Open DevTools (F12 or Ctrl+Shift+I)
3. Go to Application > Local Storage > https://app.slack.com
4. Search for a value starting with xoxc-
5. Copy the entire value

2. Get your Slack Cookie (xoxd-...)

1. In the same DevTools window, go to Application > Cookies > https://app.slack.com
2. Find the cookie named d
3. Copy its value (starts with xoxd-)

Finding a Channel ID

1. Open the channel in Slack
2. Right-click the channel name and select Copy link
3. Paste the whole link into channelId -- the channel ID is read out of it for you. You can also paste just the ID (e.g., C01ABCDEF from https://workspace.slack.com/archives/C01ABCDEF)

Channel IDs start with C (channel), G (private group) or D (direct message). A channel name such as #general will not work, and neither will a workspace ID starting with T. Run the actor once with Scrape Channel List to get the ID of every conversation your account can reach.

Input Parameters

Parameter	Type	Required	Default	Description
action	string	Yes	-	Scrape Messages or Scrape Channel List
token	string	Yes	-	Slack browser token (xoxc-...)
cookie	string	Yes	-	Slack d cookie (xoxd-...)
channelId	string	For messages	-	Channel ID (e.g., C01ABCDEF) or the channel link from Copy link
maxItems	integer	No	100	Maximum messages to extract (0 = no limit)
includeThreadReplies	boolean	No	false	Fetch all replies for threaded messages
includeUserDetails	boolean	No	true	Resolve user IDs to display names
oldestTimestamp	string	No	-	Only fetch messages after this date -- YYYY-MM-DD, a full ISO timestamp, or a Slack message ts
latestTimestamp	string	No	-	Only fetch messages before this date -- same formats as above

If a value cannot be used -- a channel name where an ID belongs, a date the actor cannot read, a token and cookie swapped between the two fields -- the run says exactly which one and what to do about it, on the run status and in the output. It never comes back as a green run with an empty table.

Output Fields

Each message record includes:

Field	Type	Description
channel_id	string	Slack channel ID
channel_name	string	Channel name
channel_type	string	public_channel, private_channel, im, mpim, or group
channel_purpose	string	The channel's stated purpose, as set in Slack
channel_is_archived	boolean	Whether the channel has been archived
channel_is_member	boolean	Whether your account is a member of the channel
message_ts	string	Slack message timestamp (unique ID)
thread_ts	string	Parent message timestamp (if threaded reply)
text	string	Message text content
user_id	string	Author's Slack user ID
user_name	string	Author's display name
user_real_name	string	Author's real name
message_type	string	Message type (message, bot_message, etc.)
subtype	string	Message subtype (channel_join, file_share, etc.)
reactions	array	Emoji reactions (e.g., "thumbsup:3")
reply_count	integer	Number of thread replies
files	array	Attached files (name, size, URL)
is_edited	boolean	Whether the message was edited
permalink	string	Direct link that opens this message in Slack
timestamp_iso	string	ISO 8601 timestamp

Scrape Channel List returns the same columns, filled in for the channel itself: channel_purpose, channel_is_archived and channel_is_member describe the channel, permalink opens it, timestamp_iso is when it was created, and reply_count carries its member count.

Use Cases

• Workspace backup -- Archive channel history before leaving a workspace
• Compliance archival -- Export messages for legal or regulatory retention
• Knowledge base extraction -- Feed Slack conversations into AI training data or documentation
• Migration -- Export messages when moving from Slack to another platform
• Analytics -- Analyze communication patterns, response times, or topic trends

Rate Limiting

The actor respects Slack's published per-method rate limits and paces each one to its own ceiling, so it goes as fast as Slack allows and no faster. Very large channel histories -- especially with thread replies turned on -- still take time, because those limits are Slack's, not ours. Give a whole-workspace export a generous run timeout.

Terms of Service

This tool is intended for users extracting their own workspace data for backup, migration, or archival purposes. Users are responsible for complying with their organization's policies and Slack's Terms of Service. The actor only accesses data that the authenticated user already has permission to view.

Need More Features?

If you need additional data fields, custom output formats, or a scraper for another platform, file an issue or get in touch. We customize scrapers to fit specific requirements.