Tutorial led by Chan Meng — Senior AI/ML Engineer, open-source contributor, and former ByteDance developer. Chan has built 30+ live applications and specialises in AI-powered solutions. She is also a panel speaker at this event and the developer behind this website.
What you will build
Connect
Link an AI tool to your Slack workspace so it can read messages
Fetch
Pull messages from any channel you choose
Summarise
AI reads the messages and gives you a clear, actionable summary
Two paths to choose from
This tutorial offers two ways to achieve the same result. Pick the one that suits you best.Path A: Claude Desktop
~10 minutes · Easiest setupDownload Claude Desktop, connect your Slack workspace with one click, and start asking for summaries. No terminal or coding involved.
Path B: Gemini CLI + MCP
~30 minutes · More hands-onInstall Gemini CLI, create a Slack App, and configure a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server. You will learn more about how AI tools connect to services.
How it works
Path A: Claude Desktop Path B: Gemini CLI + MCP Both paths connect an AI assistant to your Slack workspace. The AI reads the messages from your chosen channel, analyses the conversation, and produces a structured summary — all in seconds.What you will learn
- Connect an AI tool to a real service (Slack) to access live data
- Write clear prompts that produce useful, structured summaries
- Customise summary formats for different needs (catch-up, meeting notes, highlights)
- Ask follow-up questions about conversations you haven’t read
- Work with AI as a productivity tool for everyday tasks
No coding required. The AI handles everything — your job is to describe what kind of summary you want. If you can explain what you need to a colleague, you can do this.
Tools
Claude Desktop
Anthropic’s free AI assistant app. Connect it to Slack and chat directly. Used in Path A.
Gemini CLI
Google’s free AI assistant that runs in your terminal. Supports MCP connections to external services. Used in Path B.
Slack API
Lets your tools read messages from Slack channels. You will create a simple Slack App with read-only access.
Node.js
Required to install Gemini CLI and the Slack MCP server. Only needed for Path B.
Cost
| Tool | Cost |
|---|---|
| Claude Desktop | Free |
| Gemini CLI | Free (1,000 requests/day) |
| Node.js | Free |
| Slack API | Free |
| Total | $0 |
Prerequisites
A laptop with internet
Windows or macOS. No special hardware needed.
About 45 minutes
Take your time — there’s no rush. You can pause and come back anytime.
A Slack workspace
Any workspace where you are a member. This could be a work, community, or personal workspace.
Ready to get started? Head to Set up your tools to get everything ready.