Chapter L3.3 — Connectors
Level 3 — Daily work. Product details verified on 24/06/2026 against official sources.
Goal
By the end you’ll know what Connectors are, how to link one from the directory, how to activate them in a conversation, and what precautions to keep in mind — both as a user and, in a company, as an administrator.
Prerequisites
- Knowing how to open a chat (see ch. L1.1) and use the tools menu (see ch. L1.3).
- An account on a service you want to connect (Drive, Slack, a task manager…).
What connectors are
A connector gives Claude access to an app or service: reading your data and performing actions inside it. It links Claude to Linear to open issues, to Slack to send messages, to Google Drive to search your files.
The point to grasp clearly is the permission model: Claude inherits your permissions in the connected service. If you can’t see a given file, channel or record at the source, the connector won’t reach it from Claude. A connector doesn’t give you more access than you already have — it only brings it into the conversation.
Web connectors are available to all users on Claude, Cowork, Desktop and Mobile; they also work with Claude Code and via API.
The connectors directory
The available connectors live in the Connectors Directory (claude.ai/ connectors). Each connector has a card with use cases, read/write capabilities and availability. Some carry the Interactive badge: they render live interfaces — dashboards, boards, tools — inside the conversation.
Open the directory in two ways:
- From a chat: the “+” button (or “/”) > “Connectors” > “Manage connectors” > “+”.
- From settings: Customize > Connectors > “+”.
Connecting and activating a service
Connecting a service and using it are two distinct steps.
Connecting (once): from the directory, click the connector, review its capabilities, “Connect”/“Install”, follow the authentication prompts (usually OAuth, meaning you authorize Claude from the service’s site), configure the permissions.
Activating (per conversation): “+” (or “/”) > “Connectors”, then toggle on the services you want for that chat. From there Claude uses them when relevant — and it can propose them on its own, without you having to name them every time.
Tip: if you have many connectors, from “Connectors” > “Tool access” choose how they load. The default Auto is fine for almost everyone; with 10 or more active connectors, On demand leaves more room for the conversation.
In a company: the admin’s role
On Team and Enterprise a connector isn’t usable until an Owner or Primary Owner enables it for the organization (Organization settings > Connectors > “Browse connectors” > “Add to your team”). Enabling does not give anyone access: everyone still authenticates on their own.
The admin can also restrict the actions of a connector for the whole org. From Customize > Connectors, on the connector, the Tool permissions are split by type (read-only, write/delete) and for each you choose Always allow, Needs approval or Blocked. It applies to everyone and can’t be bypassed by an individual.
Table L3.3.1 — Examples of action restrictions.
| Service | Allow | Block |
|---|---|---|
| Search and summarize | Send messages | |
| Drive | Read files | Create/edit |
| Linear | View issues | Create or change them |
These restrictions work together with the service’s permissions: even where Claude can write, you still need permission at the source. Restricting in Claude never grants more than the source system allows — at most it restricts.
Precautions
- Connect only what you trust and what you need. Linking a service means giving Claude access to your data in it.
- Review the requested access during connection, and disconnect what you no longer use (Customize > Connectors).
- Custom connector = not verified by Anthropic. You can add custom connectors (remote MCP), but only connect servers from trusted organizations. We go into custom connectors in detail at Level 6 (ch. L6.2).
- Team/Enterprise: connectors only work in private Projects, and chats with synced content can’t be shared.
In practice: connect Google Drive
In chat, “+” (or “/”) > “Connectors” > “Manage connectors” > “+”.
Search for the connector in the directory and open it.
Read the capabilities, then “Connect” and authorize with your account (OAuth).
Go back to chat, “+”, “Connectors”, and toggle on the service.
Try it:
Search my Drive for the March quote and summarize the main line items for me.
Common mistakes
- “I connected it but it isn’t using it.” Connecting isn’t enough: toggle it on in the chat’s “Connectors” menu.
- Expecting access to everything. Claude only sees what you see in the service.
- (Team) “The connector isn’t there.” An Owner must enable it for the org first; then you authenticate.
- Custom connector that times out. The MCP server is reached from Anthropic’s cloud, not from your device: it must be on the public internet (see ch. L6.2).
Summary
- A connector gives Claude access to an app to read data and act, with your own permissions at the source.
- Connectors live in the Connectors Directory; some are Interactive.
- Connecting (OAuth, once) and activating (toggle, per conversation) are two distinct steps.
- In Team/Enterprise an Owner enables the connector and can restrict its actions for the whole org.
- Connect only what you trust, review the access, disconnect the useless.
Next step
In ch. L3.4 — Documents we use Claude to generate professional files — Word, PowerPoint, Excel, PDF — starting from the right content.
Connector data (directory, OAuth, admin role, action restrictions) from the ledger, verified on 24/06/2026 on support.claude.com/en/articles/11176164. The operational steps were not executed here.