Connectors are what give Claude access to your existing tools — your calendar, your Slack workspace, your Google Drive, your project management system, and more. Without connectors, Claude is limited to what is inside your Cowork folder and whatever you type into the chat. With connectors, Claude becomes an operator that can pull data, send messages, create tasks, and manage your schedule across your entire tool stack.
MCP (Model Context Protocol) is the underlying technology that makes this possible — and it is the reason your connectors work not just on your desktop, but also on your phone. Understanding both concepts will save you a lot of confusion later.
Think of connectors as bridges between Claude and your other tools. Each connector gives Claude permission to read from and write to a specific service. When you connect Google Calendar, Claude can see your schedule, create events, and find open time slots. When you connect Slack, Claude can search messages, read channels, and send messages on your behalf.
Available connectors include (and new ones are added regularly):
The exact list of available connectors changes as Anthropic adds new integrations. Check your Claude Desktop settings to see what is currently available.