Out of the box, Claude only knows what you paste into the chat. Connectors change that. They let Claude read from, and in some cases act in, the tools your business already uses, so it can find the email, the file or the record without anyone copying and pasting. This guide explains what they are and how to set them up sensibly.
What a connector does
A connector is a secure link between Claude and another service, such as your email, file storage, calendar, CRM or project management tool. Once connected, Claude can search and read the information it needs to answer a question or complete a task, and some connectors also let it take actions, such as drafting a message or creating a task.1
Connectors work within each person's own access. If someone cannot open a folder or a record themselves, Claude cannot open it for them.
Common connectors for businesses
Anthropic and its partners offer connectors for a growing list of popular tools. The ones we set up most often include:2
- Google Workspace: Gmail, Google Drive and Google Calendar
- Microsoft 365: Outlook, SharePoint and OneDrive
- Team chat such as Slack
- Knowledge and project tools such as Notion, Asana, Jira and Linear
- CRM and sales tools
MCP in plain English
Many connectors are built on the Model Context Protocol, or MCP. MCP is an open standard that describes how an AI assistant talks to another system: what it can look up, and what actions it is allowed to take.34
The practical upshot is that if a tool you rely on has no ready-made connector, one can be built. A custom MCP connector can link Claude to your own database, an industry system or an internal tool, with exactly the permissions you choose.
Setting connectors up safely
- Start with read-only access where possible, and add actions once people trust the results.
- Review what each connector can see before switching it on for a whole team.
- Make sure underlying permissions are tidy. Connectors expose any over-shared folders.
- Keep a rule that a person approves anything sent, posted or changed in another system.
- Only use connectors from sources you trust, and have someone review custom ones.
Admins on business plans can control which connectors are available to the organisation. Use that control, rather than leaving every person to decide alone.1
Where connectors make the biggest difference
- Answering 'what did we agree with this client?' from email and files in seconds
- Preparing for meetings from calendar, CRM and recent messages
- Drafting replies and follow-ups with the right context already included
- Weekly summaries pulled from project tools and team chat
Connectors pair especially well with Projects and Skills: the Project holds your instructions, the Skill holds the process, and the connector brings in the live information.
Sources
Links checked
- 1Claude Help Center. Use connectors to extend Claude's capabilitiessupport.claude.com ↗
- 2Anthropic. Claude connectors directoryclaude.com ↗
- 3Model Context Protocol. Introduction to MCPmodelcontextprotocol.io ↗
- 4Anthropic. Introducing the Model Context Protocolanthropic.com ↗
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We roll Claude out across your business: Claude Team or Enterprise setup, workspaces, access, data settings and connectors to your tools. UK and US.
Claude is a trademark of Anthropic, PBC. Plans and features change over time, so check Anthropic's current documentation for the latest details. This guide is general information, not legal advice.