Egnyte offers its users the ability to connect to external AI connectors in order to bridge the gap between Egnyte and widely used productivity tools.
This guide walks Egnyte admins through connecting Slack as an AI Connector using the Model Context Protocol (MCP). Once configured, users can search channels, read threads and canvases, send and schedule messages, and look up profiles directly from Egnyte's AI Assistant.
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Prerequisites
Install the Egnyte MCP App in Slack
Create the Slack Connector in Egnyte
Configure Tool Permissions
Troubleshooting
Prerequisites
- A Slack workspace with permission to create and install apps (Workspace Owner or Admin, or a workspace that allows members to install apps).
- Egnyte admin privileges (Power User role or higher)
- Access to api.slack.com to create a new Slack app.
- Slack's MCP feature requires a dedicated Slack app in the workspace. The Slack connector is added as a custom connector in Egnyte until it becomes available as a pre-loaded connector in the Egnyte catalog.
- If Egnyte MCP is already available in the Installed Apps list, skip installing Egnyte MCP App in Slack and proceed directly to publishing the Slack connector in Egnyte.
Install the Egnyte MCP App in Slack
The first step is to create a new Slack app and configure it to expose Slack's Model Context Protocol endpoint. This app generates the Client ID and Client Secret that Egnyte will use to authenticate.
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Navigate to api.slack.com/apps and click Create an App.
- Select From scratch. Enter an App Name and select the Slack workspace. Click Create App.
- In the left sidebar, navigate to Agents & AI Apps and enable Model Context Protocol.
- In the left sidebar, navigate to OAuth & Permissions and configure the following:
- Click on Opt In for Proof Key for Code Exchange (PKCE). Provide confirmation by clicking on Opt In.
- Click on Add New Redirect URL and add a temporary Redirect URL (for example, https://www.egnyte.com/) and click Add.
- Users can edit or delete the URL(s) using the Edit or Delete icon. Click on Save URLs. This placeholder is required before Token Rotation can be enabled.
- Click on Opt In to turn on Token Rotation. Provide confirmation by clicking on Opt In.
- On the same OAuth & Permissions page, scroll to Scopes and click on Add an OAuth Scope to add the following scopes:
- Bot Token Scopes (at least one is required):
- channels:read
- Select the desired User Token Scope, such as:
- channels:history
- search:read.public
- search:read.users
- users:read
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users:read.email
User Token Scopes drive what the Egnyte’s AI Assistant can search and read on behalf of the connected user. It is recommended to add only the scopes that the organization is comfortable exposing.
- In the left sidebar, navigate to Basic Information and copy the Client ID and Client Secret. Store these values securely as these will be required later.
- channels:read
- Bot Token Scopes (at least one is required):
- Click on Opt In for Proof Key for Code Exchange (PKCE). Provide confirmation by clicking on Opt In.
Create the Slack Connector in Egnyte
If Egnyte MCP is already available in the Installed Apps list, skip installing Egnyte MCP App in Slack and proceed directly to publishing the Slack connector in Egnyte.
- For Slack AI Connector, select the authentication type as OAuth Client ID. The Client ID and Client Secret generated earlier will be used. Click on Generate Redirect URL and copy the Redirect URL. Navigate to api.slack.com > OAuth & Permissions. Under Redirect URLs, add the generated Egnyte redirect URL, click Add and click on Save URLs. Click on Test Configuration to test the configuration.
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Click on Allow to grant Egnyte access.
Configure Tool Permissions
The following tools are available in the Slack connector for configuration:
- slack_create_canvas - Create a new Slack canvas
- slack_read_canvas - Read the contents of a Slack canvas
- slack_read_channel - Read messages from a Slack channel
- slack_read_thread - Read messages in a thread
- slack_read_user_profile - Look up a Slack user profile
- slack_schedule_message - Schedule a message to be sent later
- slack_search_channels - Search for channels by name
- slack_search_public_messages - Search messages in public channels
- slack_search_public_and_private_messages - Search messages across public and private channels the user has access to
- slack_send_message - Send a message to a channel or user
- slack_update_message - Update a previously sent message
Admins can set permissions for each tool by selecting either Allow unsupervised or Always ask permission.
Slack exposes write tools (slack_send_message, slack_schedule_message, slack_update_message, slack_create_canvas). It is strongly recommended to set these to Always ask permission so users can confirm before the AI posts on their behalf. For Read-only tools, (slack_read_*, slack_search_*) it is safe to set these to Allow unsupervised.
Refer the steps to publish the connector, editing the connector, along with the other Admin actions.
Troubleshooting
Issues in Token Rotation on the Slack App
Slack requires at least one Redirect URL to be configured before Token Rotation can be turned on. Add the temporary URL first, save, and then enable Token Rotation. Admins can replace the URL with the real Egnyte redirect URL while adding the Slack AI Connector on Egnyte.
OAuth Authorization Fails with Invalid Redirect URL Error
Verify that the redirect URL generated by Egnyte has been added exactly as copied to the Slack app's OAuth & Permissions page. Also, ensure that the Save URLs button was clicked. The URL is case-sensitive and must not have trailing spaces.
Missing Scope Error when Tools are Invoked
The Slack app may be missing a required Bot or User scope. Return to OAuth & Permissions in the Slack app and confirm that all scopes listed earlier are present. After adding scopes, the user may need to reconnect the connector for the new scopes to take effect.
Search or Read Tools Return Empty Results
Slack tools respect the connected user's existing Slack permissions and channel memberships. If the user is not a member of a private channel, the AI Assistant cannot read it either. Confirm the user has access in Slack directly.