ActionSlackUpdated May 2026

How do I fetch recent messages from a Slack channel?

Short answer: Drop the "Slack → Get Channel History" action anywhere in your workflow, map the inputs from upstream nodes, and publish.

Use this action All 45 Slack actions

Inputs

The fields this action accepts.

Every field can be mapped from an upstream trigger, AI step, table row, or hard-coded literal.

Field	Type	Required	Description
Channel ID channel	string	Required	Channel ID. e.g. "C1234567890"
Limit limit	string	Optional	Number of messages (max 1000)
Oldest oldest	string	Optional	Only messages after this Unix timestamp
Latest latest	string	Optional	Only messages before this Unix timestamp

Sample request

{
  "channel": "C1234567890",
  "limit": "100",
  "oldest": "e.g. 1700000000.000000",
  "latest": "e.g. 1700100000.000000"
}

Returns

{
  "ok": true,
  "has_more": false,
  "messages": [
    {
      "ts": "1700000000.000100",
      "text": "Hello team!",
      "type": "message",
      "user": "U123"
    }
  ]
}

Use these fields in downstream nodes for routing, logging, or error handling.

Triggered by

Apps that pair well as the trigger for Get Channel History.

Any of these apps can fire this action as part of a workflow.

Gmail → Slack

1 Gmail triggers

Google Sheets → Slack

2 Google Sheets triggers

FAQ

Questions about Get Channel History.

What does the Get Channel History action do in Slack?

Retrieves recent messages from a Slack channel with pagination. Used for AI summarization, audit, or daily-digest generation.

What inputs does Get Channel History require?

Required: Channel ID. Every input accepts a static value or a variable from any upstream node in your workflow.

Can I use dynamic inputs from earlier workflow nodes?

Yes. Any field on this action can pull values from upstream nodes, whether that's a form response, a trigger payload, an AI output, or a lookup result.

What happens if Slack returns an error?

The workflow pauses on the failed node, the error message is captured in the run log, and you can retry the run with one click. Auto-retry policies are configurable per workflow with exponential backoff up to 5 attempts.

Does Get Channel History support batch operations?

Yes. Run Get Channel History inside a Loop node to process arrays. Tiny Command handles Slack's rate limits automatically so you don't have to throttle manually.

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