By default, Claude Cowork has no idea what’s in your email, your calendar, or your Slack. It’s completely blind to your work. That’s not a bug — it’s just how it ships out of the box. Claude Cowork connectors are what change that.
Connectors give Claude direct, real-time access to the apps you use every day. Once connected, you can ask Claude to check your inbox, find a gap in your calendar, or summarize a Slack thread — without copying and pasting a single thing.
This guide walks through every part of the connector system: how to find it, how to install Gmail and Google Calendar step-by-step, how to control what each connector is allowed to do, and how to add a custom connector via MCP if you need something that isn’t in the built-in store.
What Are Claude Cowork Connectors?
Claude Cowork connectors are integrations that give Claude real-time access to external apps and services. Without a connector, Claude can only work with information you paste directly into the chat. With a connector, it can reach into Gmail, Google Calendar, Notion, Slack, and hundreds of other tools on its own.
Under the hood, connectors use the Model Context Protocol (MCP) — an open standard that lets AI tools communicate with external services securely. You authorize each connector once via OAuth (a standard sign-in flow), and Claude can only access what your account already has permission to see. It doesn’t get elevated access.
There are two main categories: pre-built connectors (from the store, like Gmail or Slack) and custom connectors (any service you connect yourself via a remote MCP server URL). Both types work the same way once installed.
How to Find Your Connector Settings in Claude Cowork
There are three ways to get to your connector settings. All three lead to the same screen — just choose whichever is fastest for you.
Option 1: From the Prompt Screen
Click the plus (+) icon next to the message input field. You’ll see options for adding files, connectors, and more. Scroll down to the connectors section and you’ll see all your currently active connectors listed with toggle switches.
You can turn individual connectors on or off directly from this panel before you write a prompt. If you’re about to ask Claude a question about your calendar but don’t want it searching your Drive at the same time, just toggle Drive off here.
Option 2: From the Customize Menu
On the main screen, click the briefcase icon on the left sidebar. This opens the Customize panel. At the top of that panel, you’ll see two tabs: Skills and Connectors. Click Connectors to get to the full settings screen.
You can also get here through the plus icon by clicking ‘Manage connectors’ instead of scrolling through the toggle list.
Option 3: Through Plugins
If you have any plugins installed, each plugin has its own set of recommended connectors built in. Go to the Customize menu, click Plugins, and open any plugin to see the connectors it relies on. You can install those connectors directly from the plugin view.
For a deeper look at how plugins and connectors work together, see the Claude Cowork Plugins guide.
The 3 Sections Inside Your Connector Dashboard
Once you’re on the connectors screen, the layout is split into three sections. Understanding each one makes it much easier to manage your setup.
Web Connectors
These are the cloud-based services you’ve actively connected: Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Drive, Notion, Slack, and so on. If a connector is listed here, it’s authorized and ready to use.
Each connector shows basic info about what it can access. You can click into any of them to see tool details and adjust permissions (more on that below).
Desktop Connectors
The main desktop connector is Claude in Chrome. This gives Claude the ability to open your Chrome browser and take actions on websites that don’t have a dedicated built-in connector.
This is useful for tools like WordPress, internal dashboards, or any web app that doesn’t appear in the connector store. Claude in Chrome handles those situations by navigating the browser directly on your behalf.
Not Connected
This section shows connectors you’ve previously set up but then disconnected, or connectors that are required by a plugin you’ve installed but haven’t authorized yet. You’ll often see a note like ‘This connector is required for the following plugin.’
If a connector shows up here unexpectedly, it just means the authorization expired or was manually removed. You can reconnect it from this section in a few clicks.
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How to Browse and Install a Connector from the Store
The connector store has hundreds of pre-built integrations. Here’s how to navigate it and install one from scratch.
Step 1: Open the Connector Store
From the connectors screen, click the plus (+) icon. You’ll see two options: Add a Custom Connector (for services not in the store) or Browse Connectors (the full marketplace). Click Browse Connectors.
Step 2: Filter and Search
The store gives you several ways to narrow down what you’re looking for. You can sort by Default, Popular, Trending, New, or Alphabetical. You can filter by connector type: Interactive (tools you interact with like Canva or Figma), Desktop (like file system access), or Web (cloud services like Gmail).
You can also filter by category: Code, Communication, Data, Design, Development, Health, Life Services, Productivity, and more. And if you already know what you want, just type it in the search bar.
Step 3: Connect the App
Once you find the connector you want, click the plus (+) icon next to it. A setup modal will appear. For most apps, the process is just a few clicks: confirm the connection, choose your account from the sign-in popup, review the permissions, and click Continue.
When the flow completes, you’ll see a confirmation message and the connector will appear in your web connectors list. The whole thing typically takes under a minute for standard OAuth-based apps like Gmail or Google Calendar.
How to Connect Gmail to Claude Cowork (Step-by-Step)
Gmail is the most popular connector in Claude Cowork. Once connected, you can ask Claude to search your inbox, check if someone replied to a specific email, draft responses, and more — all without opening a browser tab.
Here’s the exact setup process:
- Go to the connector settings screen using any of the three methods described above.
- Click the plus (+) icon and select Browse Connectors.
- Find Gmail in the list (it’s usually near the top of the default sort). Click the plus icon next to it.
- A modal appears: ‘Connect Claude to Gmail.’ Click Continue.
- A Google sign-in popup opens. Select the Gmail account you want to connect.
- Review the permissions (read emails, manage drafts, etc.) and click Continue.
- Click ‘Open Claude.’ The connector is now active.
Once connected, Gmail will appear in your active web connectors list. The next time you write a prompt that involves email, Claude will automatically know to check Gmail.
For a full walkthrough of what you can do once Gmail is connected, check out the Claude Cowork email automation guide — it covers drafting, searching, and automating your inbox in detail.
How Claude Cowork Connector Permissions Work
Every connector has a permissions panel that controls exactly what Claude is allowed to do with it. This is one of the most important settings to understand before you start using connectors regularly.
To access it, click into any connected app from your connector list. You’ll see the tools broken into two groups.
Read-Only Tools
These are actions like reading emails, listing calendar events, or searching files. By default, all read-only tools are set to Always Allow — meaning Claude can use them without asking you first.
You can change individual read-only tools to Needs Approval if you want Claude to check in before accessing something. The connector’s status will update from ‘Always Allow’ to ‘Custom’ to reflect this.
Write and Delete Tools
These are actions like creating drafts, deleting files, sending messages, or modifying calendar events. By default, these are set to Needs Approval — Claude will ask for your confirmation in the chat before taking any write or delete action.
You can also set write/delete tools to Blocked entirely. Once blocked, that action simply cannot happen within Claude Cowork, regardless of what you ask it to do.
The three permission levels work like this:
- Always Allow — Claude takes the action immediately with no confirmation required
- Needs Approval — Claude describes the action in the chat and waits for you to confirm before proceeding
- Blocked — the action is disabled entirely, Claude cannot perform it even if you ask
Each connector has its own set of tools and defaults. Slack has an interactive tool section for drafting messages in addition to its read and write categories. Google Drive has no write/delete tools by default. Reviewing these settings per-connector gives you granular control over what Claude can and can’t do.
Viewing Connector Details
Click the three-dot menu next to any connector and select View Details to see more information: the version number, the author, documentation links, the connector URL, and a full list of the individual tools included (like ‘create draft,’ ‘read message,’ ‘search messages’ for Gmail).
This is useful if you want to understand exactly what capabilities a connector exposes before deciding on permission levels.
How to Add a Custom Connector via MCP
If the app you need isn’t in the connector store, you can add it as a custom connector using a remote MCP server URL. This is the manual route, and it’s more technical — but it works for anything that has an MCP-compatible server.
Here’s the process:
- Go to the connector settings and click the plus (+) icon.
- Select ‘Add a Custom Connector.’
- Give the connector a name (this is just for your own reference).
- Enter the Remote MCP Server URL. This is provided by the service or developer who built the MCP integration.
- Under Advanced Settings, enter the OAuth Client ID and Client Secret if the server requires authentication.
- Click Add. The connector will appear in your list once the connection is verified.
Custom connectors are most useful for internal tools, niche business apps, or services that haven’t yet made it into the official store. That said, the store is growing fast and most mainstream tools are being added regularly, so check there first before going the custom route.
How to Use Connectors in a Real Claude Cowork Prompt
Once a connector is set up, using it is straightforward. Just write a natural language prompt — Claude figures out when to use the connector based on what you’re asking.
Here’s an example with Gmail. Suppose you sent an email to a potential collaborator on Friday and want to check if they replied. You’d write something like:
“Did I get a response to the email I sent to [Name] on Friday?”
Claude will recognize this is an email question, use the Gmail connector to search your inbox, and return a clear answer — including the date, what was said, and whether any reply is still outstanding. You’ll see a ‘Sources’ link at the bottom of Claude’s response that takes you directly to the thread in Gmail.
You don’t have to tell Claude to ‘use Gmail’ — it knows when to reach for a connector based on the nature of your question. And if you want to limit which connectors Claude uses for a specific prompt, just toggle them off in the plus icon menu before you send.
How to Connect Google Calendar to Claude Cowork
Google Calendar is the second most popular connector after Gmail. The setup process is identical to Gmail — and once connected, Claude can check your schedule, find free time, and even help you plan your week.
- From the connector settings, click the plus icon and Browse Connectors.
- Search for ‘Calendar’ or scroll to find Google Calendar.
- Click the plus icon next to it and follow the OAuth sign-in flow.
- Choose your Google account, review the five calendar permissions, and click Continue.
- Click ‘Open Claude.’ Google Calendar is now connected.
Once connected, you can ask things like ‘What does my Tuesday look like?’ or ‘Find me a 30-minute gap Thursday afternoon’ and Claude will pull your real calendar data to answer.
Keep in mind that by default, write/delete actions for Google Calendar (like creating or editing events) are set to Needs Approval. Claude will show you what it’s about to do before making any changes.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a Claude Cowork connector?
A Claude Cowork connector is an integration that links Claude to an external app or service. Connectors use the Model Context Protocol (MCP) and standard OAuth authentication so Claude can read, search, and interact with your data across tools like Gmail, Slack, Notion, and Google Calendar — all from within the Cowork interface.
How many connectors can I add to Claude Cowork?
There is no stated limit on the number of connectors you can install. The built-in store has hundreds of pre-built options, and you can add additional custom connectors via a remote MCP server URL. Most users run between 3 and 8 active connectors based on their everyday tools.
Can I control what Claude is allowed to do with my connected apps?
Yes — every connector has a permissions panel where you can set each action to Always Allow, Needs Approval, or Blocked. Read-only actions default to Always Allow. Write and delete actions default to Needs Approval, meaning Claude will confirm with you before taking any action that modifies or deletes data.
What’s the difference between a connector and a plugin in Claude Cowork?
A plugin is a bundle that combines skills (instruction files that shape Claude’s behavior) with one or more connectors (the tool integrations). Installing a plugin often installs recommended connectors automatically. A connector on its own just authorizes access to an app — a plugin adds the workflows and behaviors built around it.
What if my app isn’t in the Claude Cowork connector store?
You can add any app as a custom connector as long as it has an MCP-compatible remote server. Click the plus icon in connector settings, choose ‘Add a Custom Connector,’ and enter the MCP server URL and any OAuth credentials. The connector store is expanding quickly, so it’s worth checking there first before setting up a custom one.
Next Steps: Start With Gmail and Google Calendar
Connectors are the fastest way to go from a general-purpose AI assistant to one that actually knows what’s going on in your work. Start with the two highest-impact ones: Gmail and Google Calendar. Both install in under a minute and immediately unlock a category of questions Claude couldn’t answer before.
Once those are running, explore the connector store for anything else you use regularly — Notion, Slack, Google Drive, and dozens of others are all there waiting. Check the permission settings for each one so you’re clear on what Claude can and can’t do automatically.
If you want to go deeper on what Claude Cowork can do overall, the Claude Cowork tutorial covers every major feature across 12 sections.
