> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.merchantops.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Use MerchantOps in Slack (Claude Tag)

> Give a Slack channel read-only MerchantOps access through Claude Tag, using a shared server API key.

[Claude Tag](https://claude.ai) lets you @-mention Claude in a Slack channel.
With a plugin and a custom connector pointed at the MerchantOps MCP server,
anyone in that channel can ask Claude about your catalog without signing in
individually.

> [!WARNING]
>
> **Everyone in the channel shares one credential.** The key you create
> authenticates the *channel*, not each person who types in it. Anyone who can
> post in the channel (or in the Slack Connect / bundle it's scoped to) can read
> whatever that key can read. See [What the agent can see](#what-the-agent-can-see)
> below before scoping it to a channel with sensitive membership.

## Prerequisites

* **Claude Enterprise** with **Claude Tag** enabled for your Slack workspace.
* A MerchantOps account with the **Owner** role — only Owners can create
  server API keys. See [Team & roles](https://docs.merchantops.ai/settings/team-and-roles.md).

## Set it up

**1. Create the server API key**

Sign in as an Owner and go to **Settings › API Keys › Create API Key**.
Name it for the channel it will serve (for example `#catalog-ops Claude
        Tag`), and assign it the **`channel_agent_reader`** role only. Copy the
key — it's shown once. See [Server API keys](https://docs.merchantops.ai/settings/api-keys.md) for the
full key-creation flow.

> [!NOTE]
>
> If you don't see `channel_agent_reader` in the role list, ask your
> MerchantOps admin to add it rather than assigning a broader role instead.

**2. Add a MerchantOps plugin**

Add a Claude plugin whose `.mcp.json` points at the MerchantOps MCP
server:

```json theme={null}
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "merchantops": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://mcp.merchantops.ai/mcp"
    }
  }
}
```

Don't put the key in this file — it names the server, not the
credential.

**3. Add a custom connector with a Bearer credential**

In Claude's connector settings, add a custom connector for the
MerchantOps MCP server and configure its credential as **Bearer**, using
the full key you copied:

```
Authorization: Bearer mcp_key_<id>:mcp_secret_<secret>
```

Set **Allowed websites** to the MCP host, `mcp.merchantops.ai`, so the
credential is never sent anywhere else.

**4. Scope it to the right channels**

Enable the connector for the specific channel (or the Claude Tag bundle)
where you want catalog access, not workspace-wide. Scope follows your
Claude Tag / bundle configuration — keep it limited to channels whose
members should all see this data.

## What the agent can see

The `channel_agent_reader` role is **read-only**, scoped to your organization,
covering products, product types, property definitions, pricing, MAP pricing,
catalog batches, jobs, lakehouse data, and documents. Anything the key can
read, Claude can surface to anyone posting in the scoped channel — there's no
per-person filtering inside the channel.

If someone in the channel asks Claude to change a price, update a product, or
run any other write, the request is declined: this role carries no write
permissions on the MerchantOps side.

> [!NOTE]
>
> Because the key represents the channel rather than a person, `whoami` and
> usage history show the organization and key identity — not which teammate
> asked the question.

## Revoking access

Revoke the key from **Settings › API Keys** at any time. The API refuses the
key immediately, but a channel that's still connected can keep working against
the MCP server for up to about a minute afterward, since auth lookups are
cached briefly. Delete the connector or disable the plugin in Slack as well to
fully stop the channel from calling it.

> [card] [Server API keys](https://docs.merchantops.ai/settings/api-keys.md)
>
> Create, scope, rotate, and revoke keys — including `channel_agent_reader`.

> [card] [MerchantOps in Microsoft Teams](https://docs.merchantops.ai/tools/microsoft-teams.md)
>
> The same read-only pattern through Copilot Studio.


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