diff --git a/backend/onyx/db/slack_channel_config.py b/backend/onyx/db/slack_channel_config.py
index a3b84533e6a..523909f22b9 100644
--- a/backend/onyx/db/slack_channel_config.py
+++ b/backend/onyx/db/slack_channel_config.py
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@
 from onyx.db.persona import mark_persona_as_deleted
 from onyx.db.persona import upsert_persona
 from onyx.db.prompts import get_default_prompt
+from onyx.tools.built_in_tools import get_search_tool
 from onyx.utils.errors import EERequiredError
 from onyx.utils.variable_functionality import (
     fetch_versioned_implementation_with_fallback,
@@ -47,6 +48,10 @@ def create_slack_channel_persona(
 ) -> Persona:
     """NOTE: does not commit changes"""
 
+    search_tool = get_search_tool(db_session)
+    if search_tool is None:
+        raise ValueError("Search tool not found")
+
     # create/update persona associated with the Slack channel
     persona_name = _build_persona_name(channel_name)
     default_prompt = get_default_prompt(db_session)
@@ -60,6 +65,7 @@ def create_slack_channel_persona(
         llm_filter_extraction=enable_auto_filters,
         recency_bias=RecencyBiasSetting.AUTO,
         prompt_ids=[default_prompt.id],
+        tool_ids=[search_tool.id],
         document_set_ids=document_set_ids,
         llm_model_provider_override=None,
         llm_model_version_override=None,
diff --git a/backend/onyx/tools/built_in_tools.py b/backend/onyx/tools/built_in_tools.py
index dd67f5b16f7..31adab6c418 100644
--- a/backend/onyx/tools/built_in_tools.py
+++ b/backend/onyx/tools/built_in_tools.py
@@ -104,13 +104,10 @@ def load_builtin_tools(db_session: Session) -> None:
     logger.notice("All built-in tools are loaded/verified.")
 
 
-def auto_add_search_tool_to_personas(db_session: Session) -> None:
+def get_search_tool(db_session: Session) -> ToolDBModel | None:
     """
-    Automatically adds the SearchTool to all Persona objects in the database that have
-    `num_chunks` either unset or set to a value that isn't 0. This is done to migrate
-    Persona objects that were created before the concept of Tools were added.
+    Retrieves for the SearchTool from the BUILT_IN_TOOLS list.
     """
-    # Fetch the SearchTool from the database based on in_code_tool_id from BUILT_IN_TOOLS
     search_tool_id = next(
         (
             tool["in_code_tool_id"]
@@ -119,6 +116,7 @@ def auto_add_search_tool_to_personas(db_session: Session) -> None:
         ),
         None,
     )
+
     if not search_tool_id:
         raise RuntimeError("SearchTool not found in the BUILT_IN_TOOLS list.")
 
@@ -126,6 +124,18 @@ def auto_add_search_tool_to_personas(db_session: Session) -> None:
         select(ToolDBModel).where(ToolDBModel.in_code_tool_id == search_tool_id)
     ).scalar_one_or_none()
 
+    return search_tool
+
+
+def auto_add_search_tool_to_personas(db_session: Session) -> None:
+    """
+    Automatically adds the SearchTool to all Persona objects in the database that have
+    `num_chunks` either unset or set to a value that isn't 0. This is done to migrate
+    Persona objects that were created before the concept of Tools were added.
+    """
+    # Fetch the SearchTool from the database based on in_code_tool_id from BUILT_IN_TOOLS
+    search_tool = get_search_tool(db_session)
+
     if not search_tool:
         raise RuntimeError("SearchTool not found in the database.")