Claude Connectors & Integrations (2026): The Full Guide
Claude connectors let Claude read and act on data from outside apps — Notion, Asana, Linear, Slack, Gmail, Drive, Jira, and more — from inside a chat. They’re built on the open MCP (Model Context Protocol) standard, and Anthropic’s Connectors Directory ships 50+ ready-to-use ones. They’re powerful for pulling context and doing on-demand work. But there’s one architectural fact that shapes everything: a connector never starts anything itself. It moves when you prompt it or when a scheduled task does — there are no event triggers, Gmail is draft-only, and the Microsoft 365 connector is read-only by default (an admin can enable write tools, but they’re off by default and still have no triggers) — so Claude responds to you; it doesn’t act on its own.
Here’s what Claude connectors are, the notable ones, the catch in detail, and what to use when you need integrations that fire automatically and actually do things.
Two neighbouring pieces of Anthropic’s vocabulary are easy to confuse with connectors and do a different job: Claude Skills supply knowledge rather than access, and Claude Cowork plugins are the packages that bundle skills and connectors together.
What Claude connectors are
A connector links Claude to an external service so it can read from — and in many cases write to — that service during a chat. Under the hood they use MCP, the open standard Anthropic created for connecting models to tools. That openness is the point: any app can expose an MCP server, and Claude can talk to it.
There are a few flavors:
- Directory connectors — 50+ first- and third-party integrations you enable with a click.
- Interactive apps — connectors that render live UIs inside Claude (e.g., Slack, Figma, Canva, Asana), so you can interact with the app visually in the conversation.
- Custom connectors — point Claude at your own MCP server URL. This requires a paid plan.
You manage them in Settings → Connectors in the Claude app or on claude.ai.
All three flavors share one trait worth naming early: they run inside a conversation. That’s the dividing line between connectors and the other ways AI connects to business apps — the rest of them can start work without you in the room.
The notable connectors
A sampling of what’s in the directory — strong across project management, docs, and design:
- Notion — read and update pages and databases; pull notes and docs into a chat as context.
- Asana — manage tasks and projects, with an interactive app UI.
- Linear — read and create issues, triage your backlog.
- Jira & Confluence (Atlassian) — work with issues and wiki pages.
- Intercom — pull conversations and customer context.
- Slack — read channels and messages; interactive app UI.
- Gmail & Google Drive — read/search mail and files; Gmail can draft (not send).
- Figma & Canva — bring designs into the conversation; interactive UIs.
For most people the wins are obvious: “summarize this Notion database,” “draft a Linear issue from this thread,” “what did the customer say in Intercom?” — all without leaving Claude.
The catch: connectors respond, they don’t act
This is the part that decides whether connectors fit your use case. Three limits define them:
- No triggers — the clock or you. A connector runs when you prompt it, or when a Claude Cowork scheduled task reaches it on a timer. What doesn’t exist is “when a new Linear issue is filed, post a summary to Slack” or “when a customer emails, draft a reply and tag it.” Nothing fires on an event in your apps.
- Gmail is draft-only. Claude can write a draft into Gmail but cannot send — Anthropic states it “cannot send emails on your behalf.” See can Claude send emails.
- Microsoft 365 is read-only by default. The M365 connector searches your Outlook mail, calendar, Teams, SharePoint, and OneDrive. Since July 7, 2026 an admin can enable write tools that let Claude send email, manage calendar events, and create and update OneDrive/SharePoint files (Teams stays read-only) — but they’re off by default, gated behind a Microsoft Entra admin’s consent plus org enablement, and add no triggers. See Claude for Microsoft 365.
So connectors are excellent for on-demand work and recurring sweeps: pull context, draft something, make a change while you watch, or have a scheduled task do the same thing every morning. What they aren’t built for is reacting — the “when this happens, do that” pattern that most automation actually is.
Scheduled work is available in ChatGPT and Claude Cowork, but their ordinary schedulers are clock-driven rather than generic listeners for changes in connected business apps. ChatGPT Workspace Agents add API-triggered runs, with another system responsible for detecting the event and making the call.
For integrations that ACT automatically: Carly
When you want integrations that fire on triggers and do the work without you in the chat, you’ve moved past what Claude connectors are for. That’s the design of Carly, an AI executive assistant built to act:
- 200+ integrations across 40+ categories — CRM, email, calendar, project management, accounting, support, messaging, and more. See the full integrations list.
- Fires on events, not just prompts. When an email arrives, a deal moves, or a meeting is requested, Carly acts — no conversation needed.
- It sends and updates, with attachments. Carly drafts and sends email (Gmail and Outlook), labels and folders, manages tasks, updates your CRM, records meetings, and runs RSS briefings.
- Runs 24/7 in the cloud, on events rather than a timer. Nothing waits for the next scheduled sweep; each agent even gets its own email address.
- Builds the workflow for you. Tell it “I’d like to set up a system to triage support email and update HubSpot” in plain English — it interviews you, then builds it with you. No prompt engineering.
AI agents start at $35/month, and steps in a workflow that don’t use AI run free. Browse pre-built workflows to see what trigger-based automation looks like.
Claude connectors vs Carly integrations
| Claude connectors | Carly integrations | |
|---|---|---|
| Number | 50+ in the directory | 200+ across 40+ categories |
| Built on | MCP (open standard) | Managed integrations |
| Read external data | Yes | Yes |
| Write/act | Limited (Gmail draft-only; M365 write tools admin-gated, off by default, no triggers) | Yes — sends, updates, files |
| Fire on triggers/events | No | Yes |
| Runs without you in a chat | Yes — Cowork scheduled tasks, remotely | Yes |
| Fires on triggers, not just a timer | No | Yes (cloud) |
| Send email with attachments | No | Yes (Gmail + Outlook) |
| Pricing | Pro $20 / Max $100–$200 | AI agents from $35/mo |
Claude connectors make Claude a better research and drafting partner inside a chat. Carly integrations make an assistant that runs your tools for you.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are Claude connectors?
Claude connectors link Claude to outside apps — like Notion, Asana, Linear, Slack, Gmail, and Drive — so it can read and (in some cases) write data during a chat. They’re built on the open MCP standard, and Anthropic’s directory has 50+ of them.
Does Claude have a Notion integration?
Yes. The Notion connector lets Claude read and update Notion pages and databases from inside a conversation — useful for summarizing a database or drafting content into a page. A Cowork scheduled task can drive the same connector on a timer; what it won’t do is act when something in Notion changes.
Can Claude connectors run automatically on a trigger?
No. Claude Cowork adds a scheduler, and it runs remotely, so a connector task genuinely fires without you — but on a preset timer, not in response to what lands in your inbox, and Cowork has no inbox of its own. There are still no event triggers. For event-driven automation, use an agent platform like Carly.
What’s the difference between a Claude connector and a custom MCP connector?
Directory connectors are ready-made integrations you enable with a click. Custom connectors point Claude at your own MCP server URL — which requires a paid plan. Both still only work inside a conversation; neither acts on its own.
Can Claude connectors send email or change my Microsoft 365 data?
No. The Gmail connector drafts only (it can’t send), and the Microsoft 365 connector is read-only by default — an admin can enable write tools (added July 2026) that let it send email and update files, but they’re off by default and, like everything here, have no triggers. See can Claude send emails and Claude for Microsoft 365.
What if I want integrations that actually do the work?
Carly offers 200+ integrations across 40+ categories that fire on triggers and act — sending email with attachments, updating your CRM, managing tasks, and more, 24/7 in the cloud across Gmail and Outlook. AI agents start at $35/month.
More: Claude for Microsoft 365 · Can Claude send emails · Claude + Google Calendar · Claude vs Carly · What are AI agents · How to build AI employees
Ready to automate your busywork?
Carly schedules, researches, and briefs you—so you can focus on what matters.
See what people say
"Before Carly, I relied on a Calendly link, but the whole process felt impersonal and not very professional. Carly changed that by handling all the back-and-forth, so I'm no longer stuck in endless email threads trying to line up schedules.
Now Carly reaches out to candidates, shares my real-time availability, lets them pick a slot, then sends a Zoom link and drops it straight into my calendar. She sends reminders to both of us before each call, which has significantly reduced no-shows and last-minute confusion.
On top of scheduling, Carly acts like a full executive assistant, sending me my schedule the night before so I can prepare for each call. It reminds me of the old x.ai assistant, but Carly is noticeably smarter, faster, and better suited to my healthcare recruitment business."
