conversations.list

Lists all channels in a Slack team.

Notices

Information about required scopes
This Conversations API method's required scopes depend on the type of channel-like object you're working with. To use the method, you'll need at least one of the channels:, groups:, im: or mpim: scopes corresponding to the conversation type you're working with.

Facts

Method access

HTTP

JavaScript

Python

Java

HTTP

GEThttps://slack.com/api/conversations.list

Bolt for Java

app.client().conversationsList

Bolt for Python

app.client.conversations_list

Bolt for JavaScript

app.client.conversations.list

Required scopes

Bot tokenschannels:readgroups:readim:readmpim:read

User tokenschannels:readgroups:readim:readmpim:read

Legacy bot tokensbot

Content types

application/x-www-form-urlencoded

Rate limits

Tier 2

Arguments

Required arguments

token

token

·Required

Authentication token bearing required scopes. Tokens should be passed as an HTTP Authorization header or alternatively, as a POST parameter.

Example

xxxx-xxxxxxxxx-xxxx

Optional arguments

cursor

string

·Optional

Paginate through collections of data by setting the cursor parameter to a next_cursor attribute returned by a previous request's response_metadata. Default value fetches the first "page" of the collection. See pagination for more detail.

Example

dXNlcjpVMDYxTkZUVDI=

exclude_archived

boolean

·Optional

Set to true to exclude archived channels from the list.

Default

false

Example

true

limit

number

·Optional

The maximum number of items to return. Fewer than the requested number of items may be returned, even if the end of the list hasn't been reached. Must be an integer no larger than 1000.

Default

100

Example

20

team_id

string

·Optional

encoded team id to list channels in, required if token belongs to org-wide app

Example

T1234567890

types

string

·Optional

Mix and match channel types by providing a comma-separated list of any combination of public_channel, private_channel, mpim, im

Default

public_channel

Example

public_channel,private_channel

Usage info

This Conversations API method returns a list of all channel-like conversations in a workspace. The "channels" returned depend on what the calling token has access to and the directives placed in the types parameter.

The team_id is only relevant when using an org-level token. This field will be ignored if the API call is sent using a workspace-level token.

When paginating, any filters used in the request are applied after retrieving a virtual page's limit. For example, using exclude_archived=true when limit=20 on a virtual page that would contain 15 archived channels will return you the virtual page with only 5 results. Additional results are available from the next cursor value.

Returns a list of limited channel-like conversation objects.

To get a full conversation object, call the conversations.info method.

Use conversations.members to retrieve and traverse membership.

See conversation object for more detail on returned fields.

Some fields in the response, like unread_count and unread_count_display, are included for DM conversations only.

Pagination

This method uses cursor-based pagination to make it easier to incrementally collect information. To begin pagination, specify a limit value under 1000. We recommend no more than 200 results at a time.

Responses will include a top-level response_metadata attribute containing a next_cursor value. By using this value as a cursor parameter in a subsequent request, along with limit, you may navigate through the collection page by virtual page.

See pagination for more information.

Example responses

Common successful response

Typical success response with only public channels

{
    "ok": true,
    "channels": [
        {
            "id": "C012AB3CD",
            "name": "general",
            "is_channel": true,
            "is_group": false,
            "is_im": false,
            "created": 1449252889,
            "creator": "U012A3CDE",
            "is_archived": false,
            "is_general": true,
            "unlinked": 0,
            "name_normalized": "general",
            "is_shared": false,
            "is_ext_shared": false,
            "is_org_shared": false,
            "pending_shared": [],
            "is_pending_ext_shared": false,
            "is_member": true,
            "is_private": false,
            "is_mpim": false,
            "updated": 1678229664302,
            "topic": {
                "value": "Company-wide announcements and work-based matters",
                "creator": "",
                "last_set": 0
            },
            "purpose": {
                "value": "This channel is for team-wide communication and announcements. All team members are in this channel.",
                "creator": "",
                "last_set": 0
            },
            "previous_names": [],
            "num_members": 4
        },
        {
            "id": "C061EG9T2",
            "name": "random",
            "is_channel": true,
            "is_group": false,
            "is_im": false,
            "created": 1449252889,
            "creator": "U061F7AUR",
            "is_archived": false,
            "is_general": false,
            "unlinked": 0,
            "name_normalized": "random",
            "is_shared": false,
            "is_ext_shared": false,
            "is_org_shared": false,
            "pending_shared": [],
            "is_pending_ext_shared": false,
            "is_member": true,
            "is_private": false,
            "is_mpim": false,
            "updated": 1678229664302,
            "topic": {
                "value": "Non-work banter and water cooler conversation",
                "creator": "",
                "last_set": 0
            },
            "purpose": {
                "value": "A place for non-work-related flimflam, faffing, hodge-podge or jibber-jabber you'd prefer to keep out of more focused work-related channels.",
                "creator": "",
                "last_set": 0
            },
            "previous_names": [],
            "num_members": 4
        }
    ],
    "response_metadata": {
        "next_cursor": "dGVhbTpDMDYxRkE1UEI="
    }
}

Alternate response

Example response when mixing different conversation types together, like im and mpim

{
    "ok": true,
    "channels": [
        {
            "id": "G0AKFJBEU",
            "name": "mpdm-mr.banks--slactions-jackson--beforebot-1",
            "is_channel": false,
            "is_group": true,
            "is_im": false,
            "created": 1493657761,
            "creator": "U061F7AUR",
            "is_archived": false,
            "is_general": false,
            "unlinked": 0,
            "name_normalized": "mpdm-mr.banks--slactions-jackson--beforebot-1",
            "is_shared": false,
            "is_ext_shared": false,
            "is_org_shared": false,
            "pending_shared": [],
            "is_pending_ext_shared": false,
            "is_member": true,
            "is_private": true,
            "is_mpim": true,
            "is_open": true,
            "updated": 1678229664302,
            "topic": {
                "value": "Group messaging",
                "creator": "U061F7AUR",
                "last_set": 1493657761
            },
            "purpose": {
                "value": "Group messaging with: @mr.banks @slactions-jackson @beforebot",
                "creator": "U061F7AUR",
                "last_set": 1493657761
            },
            "priority": 0
        },
        {
            "id": "D0C0F7S8Y",
            "created": 1498500348,
            "is_im": true,
            "is_org_shared": false,
            "user": "U0BS9U4SV",
            "is_user_deleted": false,
            "priority": 0
        },
        {
            "id": "D0BSHH4AD",
            "created": 1498511030,
            "is_im": true,
            "is_org_shared": false,
            "user": "U0C0NS9HN",
            "is_user_deleted": false,
            "priority": 0
        }
    ],
    "response_metadata": {
        "next_cursor": "aW1faWQ6RDBCSDk1RExI"
    }
}

Common error response

Typical error response

{
    "ok": false,
    "error": "invalid_auth"
}

Errors

This table lists the expected errors that this method could return. However, other errors can be returned in the case where the service is down or other unexpected factors affect processing. Callers should always check the value of the ok params in the response.

Error	Description
`invalid_cursor`	Value passed for `cursor` was not valid or is no longer valid.
`invalid_limit`	Value passed for `limit` is not understood.
`invalid_types`	Value passed for `type` could not be used based on the method's capabilities or the permission scopes granted to the used token.
`method_not_supported_for_channel_type`	This type of conversation cannot be used with this method.
`missing_argument`	A required argument is missing.
`missing_scope`	The token used is not granted the specific scope permissions required to complete this request.
`team_access_not_granted`	The token used is not granted the specific workspace access required to complete this request.
`access_denied`	Access to a resource specified in the request is denied.
`account_inactive`	Authentication token is for a deleted user or workspace when using a `bot` token.
`deprecated_endpoint`	The endpoint has been deprecated.
`ekm_access_denied`	Administrators have suspended the ability to post a message.
`enterprise_is_restricted`	The method cannot be called from an Enterprise.
`invalid_auth`	Some aspect of authentication cannot be validated. Either the provided token is invalid or the request originates from an IP address disallowed from making the request.
`method_deprecated`	The method has been deprecated.
`not_allowed_token_type`	The token type used in this request is not allowed.
`not_authed`	No authentication token provided.
`no_permission`	The workspace token used in this request does not have the permissions necessary to complete the request. Make sure your app is a member of the conversation it's attempting to post a message to.
`org_login_required`	The workspace is undergoing an enterprise migration and will not be available until migration is complete.
`token_expired`	Authentication token has expired
`token_revoked`	Authentication token is for a deleted user or workspace or the app has been removed when using a `user` token.
`two_factor_setup_required`	Two factor setup is required.
`accesslimited`	Access to this method is limited on the current network
`fatal_error`	The server could not complete your operation(s) without encountering a catastrophic error. It's possible some aspect of the operation succeeded before the error was raised.
`internal_error`	The server could not complete your operation(s) without encountering an error, likely due to a transient issue on our end. It's possible some aspect of the operation succeeded before the error was raised.
`invalid_arg_name`	The method was passed an argument whose name falls outside the bounds of accepted or expected values. This includes very long names and names with non-alphanumeric characters other than `_`. If you get this error, it is typically an indication that you have made a very malformed API call.
`invalid_arguments`	The method was either called with invalid arguments or some detail about the arguments passed is invalid, which is more likely when using complex arguments like blocks or attachments.
`invalid_array_arg`	The method was passed an array as an argument. Please only input valid strings.
`invalid_charset`	The method was called via a `POST` request, but the `charset` specified in the `Content-Type` header was invalid. Valid charset names are: `utf-8` `iso-8859-1`.
`invalid_form_data`	The method was called via a `POST` request with `Content-Type` `application/x-www-form-urlencoded` or `multipart/form-data`, but the form data was either missing or syntactically invalid.
`invalid_post_type`	The method was called via a `POST` request, but the specified `Content-Type` was invalid. Valid types are: `application/json` `application/x-www-form-urlencoded` `multipart/form-data` `text/plain`.
`missing_post_type`	The method was called via a `POST` request and included a data payload, but the request did not include a `Content-Type` header.
`ratelimited`	The request has been ratelimited. Refer to the `Retry-After` header for when to retry the request.
`request_timeout`	The method was called via a `POST` request, but the `POST` data was either missing or truncated.
`service_unavailable`	The service is temporarily unavailable
`team_added_to_org`	The workspace associated with your request is currently undergoing migration to an Enterprise Organization. Web API and other platform operations will be intermittently unavailable until the transition is complete.

Warnings

This table lists the expected warnings that this method will return. However, other warnings can be returned in the case where the service is experiencing unexpected trouble.

Warning	Description
`missing_charset`	The method was called via a `POST` request, and recommended practice for the specified `Content-Type` is to include a `charset` parameter. However, no `charset` was present. Specifically, non-form-data content types (e.g. `text/plain`) are the ones for which `charset` is recommended.
`superfluous_charset`	The method was called via a `POST` request, and the specified `Content-Type` is not defined to understand the `charset` parameter. However, `charset` was in fact present. Specifically, form-data content types (e.g. `multipart/form-data`) are the ones for which `charset` is superfluous.

API response

URL

POST body

Submit your arguments to see the API response

Calling conversations.list

Java

JavaScript

Python

Java

import com.slack.api.Slack;
import com.slack.api.methods.SlackApiException;
import com.slack.api.model.Conversation;
import org.slf4j.LoggerFactory;

import java.io.IOException;
import java.util.List;
import java.util.concurrent.ConcurrentHashMap;
import java.util.concurrent.ConcurrentMap;

public class ConversationsList {

    static final ConcurrentMap<String, Conversation> conversationsStore = new ConcurrentHashMap<>();

    /**
     * Fetch conversations using the conversations.list method
     */
    static void fetchConversations() {
        // you can get this instance via ctx.client() in a Bolt app
        var client = Slack.getInstance().methods();
        var logger = LoggerFactory.getLogger("my-awesome-slack-app");
        try {
            // Call the conversations.list method using the built-in WebClient
            var result = client.conversationsList(r -> r
                // The token you used to initialize your app
                .token(System.getenv("SLACK_BOT_TOKEN"))
            );
            saveConversations(result.getChannels());
        } catch (IOException | SlackApiException e) {
            logger.error("error: {}", e.getMessage(), e);
        }
    }

    /**
     * Put conversations into an object
     */
    static void saveConversations(List<Conversation> conversations) {
        for (Conversation conversation : conversations) {
            conversationsStore.put(conversation.getId(), conversation);
        }
    }

    public static void main(String[] args) throws Exception {
        fetchConversations();
    }

}

JavaScript

Code to initialize Bolt app
// Require the Node Slack SDK package (github.com/slackapi/node-slack-sdk)
const { WebClient, LogLevel } = require("@slack/web-api");

// WebClient instantiates a client that can call API methods
// When using Bolt, you can use either `app.client` or the `client` passed to listeners.
const client = new WebClient("xoxb-your-token", {
  // LogLevel can be imported and used to make debugging simpler
  logLevel: LogLevel.DEBUG
});
// You probably want to use a database to store any conversations information ;)
let conversationsStore = {};

async function populateConversationStore() {
  try {
    // Call the conversations.list method using the WebClient
    const result = await client.conversations.list();

    saveConversations(result.channels);
  }
  catch (error) {
    console.error(error);
  }
}

// Put conversations into the JavaScript object
function saveConversations(conversationsArray) {
  let conversationId = '';
  
  conversationsArray.forEach(function(conversation){
    // Key conversation info on its unique ID
    conversationId = conversation["id"];
    
    // Store the entire conversation object (you may not need all of the info)
    conversationsStore[conversationId] = conversation;
  });
}

populateConversationStore();

Python

Code to initialize Bolt app
import logging
import os
# Import WebClient from Python SDK (github.com/slackapi/python-slack-sdk)
from slack_sdk import WebClient
from slack_sdk.errors import SlackApiError

# WebClient instantiates a client that can call API methods
# When using Bolt, you can use either `app.client` or the `client` passed to listeners.
client = WebClient(token=os.environ.get("SLACK_BOT_TOKEN"))
logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
# You probably want to use a database to store any conversations information ;)
conversations_store = {}

def fetch_conversations():
    try:
        # Call the conversations.list method using the WebClient
        result = client.conversations_list()
        save_conversations(result["channels"])

    except SlackApiError as e:
        logger.error("Error fetching conversations: {}".format(e))


# Put conversations into the JavaScript object
def save_conversations(conversations):
    conversation_id = ""
    for conversation in conversations:
        # Key conversation info on its unique ID
        conversation_id = conversation["id"]

        # Store the entire conversation object
        # (you may not need all of the info)
        conversations_store[conversation_id] = conversation

fetch_conversations()

Was this page helpful?