Claude MCP: How to Add a Custom Connector in 2026
Claude connects to any remote MCP server, on every plan including Free. The feature is called a custom connector, it lives under Customize rather than Settings where most guides still point you, and Free accounts get exactly one. Paste an HTTPS URL, authenticate, and the server’s tools become things Claude can call mid-conversation.
The part worth knowing before you start is where the connection comes from. Claude reaches your server from Anthropic’s cloud, not from your laptop, which decides whether your server will work at all.
Where the custom connector setting actually lives
On an individual Pro or Max plan:
- Open Customize → Connectors.
- Click ”+”, then Add custom connector.
- Paste the remote MCP server URL.
- Optionally open Advanced settings to supply an OAuth Client ID and Client Secret.
- Click Add.
On Team or Enterprise, members cannot do this themselves. An Owner or Primary Owner first goes to Organization settings → Connectors, clicks Add, hovers Custom, and selects Web. Once the Owner has added it, each member opens Customize → Connectors, finds the entry (usually tagged “Custom”), and clicks Connect to authenticate individually. That split is deliberate: it keeps Claude limited to data each person already has rights to.
To remove one, go back to Customize → Connectors and use Remove or the three-dot menu. There is no edit. Changing a URL means removing the connector and adding it again.
Which plans, and the Free plan catch
Custom connectors using remote MCP work on Claude, Claude Desktop, and Cowork, across Free, Pro, Max, Team, and Enterprise. Free users are limited to one custom connector. That single slot is a real constraint if you were planning to wire up several services, and it is the main reason to think about which server does the most work for you.
Local MCP servers configured through claude_desktop_config.json are a separate mechanism on a separate path. They use your machine’s network, and they are not available in Cowork or on claude.ai.
Your server has to be reachable from Anthropic, not from you
This is the failure that wastes the most time. When you add a custom connector, the connection originates from Anthropic’s cloud infrastructure, and that holds on every client including Claude Desktop and Cowork, even though those run on your computer.
So a server on a private corporate network, behind a VPN, or sitting behind a firewall will not connect, no matter how reliably you can reach it from your own browser. If the server is internal, you have to allowlist Anthropic’s IP ranges for inbound connections. A public HTTPS endpoint has none of this trouble.
Turning connectors on inside a conversation
Adding a connector does not switch it on everywhere. Use the ”+” button at the lower left of the chat, then Connectors, and toggle the ones you want for that conversation. Tools you leave off cannot be invoked, which is the cheapest way to keep an unrelated server from being called by mistake.
If you use Research, note that it can invoke tools from your connectors automatically without asking each time. Before pointing Research at a connector, disable anything on that server that performs write actions.
What an MCP connection will not do for you
MCP servers wait to be asked. The protocol has no scheduler and no event mechanism, and its maintainers acknowledge that change detection today means polling. An MCP connection can answer a question. It cannot notice something on its own. Carly's workflows are what do that part.
This is the ceiling people hit about a week in. The connector answers beautifully when you ask. It notices nothing when you do not. An invoice arriving, a booking coming in, a record changing in your CRM: none of that reaches Claude unless you open a conversation and raise it yourself.
Give Claude a connector that acts on its own
Carly is a remote MCP server built for exactly the half MCP leaves out. It holds your accounts, runs workflows on real events, and exposes all of it to Claude through one connector, which matters more than usual when the Free plan gives you a single slot.
- Add your accounts to Carly. Sign in at carlyassistant.com, open Integrations, pick the service, click Connect, and authorize. Click Connect again for the next one and keep going for as many as you want. Carly connects to thousands of apps, so mail, calendars, files, and your CRM all sit behind the same connector.
- Add Carly to Claude. Open Customize → Connectors, click ”+”, choose Add custom connector, and paste
https://carlyassistant.com/mcp/. It is a public HTTPS endpoint, so the reachability problem above does not apply. - Ask, and let it work while you are gone. One conversation now spans every connected account, and the workflows you set up keep running when no chat window is open.
Free Zapier-style workflows; AI agents from $35/month. Connecting Carly to Claude costs nothing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Claude support MCP on the free plan?
Yes. Custom connectors using remote MCP are available on Free, Pro, Max, Team, and Enterprise, though Free accounts are limited to one custom connector.
Why can’t I find Settings then Connectors in Claude?
Because the path is Customize → Connectors, not Settings. Older guides point at Settings and it no longer leads there.
Why won’t my MCP server connect to Claude?
Most often because it is not reachable from the public internet. Claude connects from Anthropic’s cloud rather than your device, so a server behind a VPN or corporate firewall fails even when you can reach it locally. Allowlist Anthropic’s IP ranges, or host it publicly over HTTPS.
Can I add a custom connector on a Team plan?
Not as a member. An Owner adds it once under Organization settings → Connectors, and then each member connects to it individually from Customize → Connectors.
Can a Claude MCP connector run something automatically?
No. MCP has no scheduler and no event mechanism, so a connector only responds when you ask inside a conversation. Connect Carly if you want work that starts when the event does.
More: How to install an MCP server in 7 AI clients · MCP servers: the complete list · What is MCP? · Claude Code MCP · ChatGPT MCP · Connect multiple Gmail accounts to Claude
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