Open-source Slack MCP alternatives
The Slack MCP server is a community project with open source, so you can already read how it reaches history, DMs, and search without a workspace bot. If you are comparing it on that basis, every option below publishes its code too, which lets you audit exactly what an agent can touch before you grant access.
Ordered roughly by how widely each is used, these range from document and task tools to a second chat server. Most run locally, a couple also offer a hosted endpoint, and every one lets you pin a version and patch behaviour yourself.
The 8 best open-source alternatives
Notion's server is open source and searches, reads, and writes pages and databases over OAuth, so a team can audit the connector even though Notion runs the endpoint, for work that lives in docs rather than chat.
Set up Notion →Doist publishes the Todoist server, which creates, finds, updates, and completes tasks, projects, labels, and reminders. The repo is readable end to end before you wire it to a task list.
Set up Todoist →Schema-first and fully open, the Airtable server inspects a base, then reads, searches, and writes records, fields, and comments, so reading the code before granting write access is straightforward.
Set up Airtable →Docs, pages, tables, and rows are reachable through the open-source Coda server for reading and editing, with the source right there to confirm exactly which calls it makes.
Set up Coda →- TrelloCommunity
For board-style tracking, the open-source Trello server covers boards, lists, cards, checklists, labels, members, and attachments, a simple and inspectable model you can read in full.
Set up Trello → Local Markdown is the point of Obsidian, and its open-source server reads, searches, and edits the vault through the Local REST API plugin, so you can see which calls it makes and keep files on your disk.
Set up Obsidian →The one true chat alternative here: built on Telethon and fully open, the Telegram server reads chats, manages groups and contacts, and sends or edits messages and media, for when the community is on Telegram.
Set up Telegram →Atlassian's official server is open source on GitHub and covers Jira and Confluence, reading, searching, creating, and updating issues and pages. The repo shows exactly what an agent can reach across project tracking and docs.
Set up Atlassian (Jira & Confluence) →
How to choose
Every option here ships its source, so the choice comes down to the workload. Telegram is the only other chat server, the pick when the conversation lives there instead of Slack. The rest fit when the agent's job was never really chat: Notion, Coda, and Obsidian for documents, Todoist and Trello for tasks and boards, Airtable for records, and Atlassian for Jira and Confluence. Read the repo before granting write access in each case.
FAQ
- Is the Slack MCP server open source?
- Yes. The widely used Slack server is a community project with open source, so you can read how it accesses history, DMs, and search, run it yourself, and pin a version. Every alternative on this page publishes its source too.
- Why choose an open-source MCP server for team data?
- You can read exactly which API calls the server can make, pin or patch the version, and keep credentials on infrastructure you control. The trade-off is that you operate it yourself rather than relying on a vendor to keep it running.