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. You only need the scopes corresponding to that conversation type, found below in Required scopes.

Facts

Method access

HTTP
JavaScript
Python
Java
HTTP
GEThttps://slack.com/api/conversations.list
Bolt for Java
app.client().conversationsList
Powered by Bolt
Bolt for Python
app.client.conversations_list
Powered by Bolt
Bolt for JavaScript
app.client.conversations.list
Powered by Bolt

Content types

application/x-www-form-urlencoded
  • Rate limits

    Tier 2
  • Arguments

    Required arguments

    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

    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=

    Set to true to exclude archived channels from the list.

    Default
    false
    Example
    true

    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 under 1000.

    Default
    100
    Example
    20

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

    Example
    T1234567890

    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.

    ErrorDescription
    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.

    WarningDescription
    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.

    Arguments

    Need a token? Create and install a Slack app to begin.
    This will make a real API request. Beware of using it with live workspaces.

    API response


    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()