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Claude connectors let Claude work with your other apps: search and draft emails in Gmail, read files in Google Drive, check and create events in Google Calendar, and use many more services listed in Anthropic’s directory. You add them under Customize, then Connectors, and sign in to each app. Anthropic says web connectors are available to all users, including the Free plan, and Claude asks for your approval by default before actions such as sending an email or sharing a file.
This is a hands-on guide for students and office workers. It shows how to connect Claude to Google Workspace, what each connection can and cannot do, and how to add your own connector. It also covers the safety settings to check first. All details are from Anthropic’s Help Center, read on 13 November 2026. If you want the idea behind connectors first, read what an MCP server is, because connectors are built on the Model Context Protocol.
What can Claude connectors do?
A connector gives Claude permission to read data from an app and, where allowed, take actions in it. Claude inherits your permissions, so it cannot see anything in the connected app that your own account cannot (Claude Help Center: connectors). The Google Workspace connectors are the most useful place to start. Anthropic lists these abilities (Claude Help Center: Google Workspace connectors):
| App | Claude can | Limits |
|---|---|---|
| Gmail | Search and read emails, draft emails, send, reply and forward (with your approval by default), manage labels and threads | Cannot read attachment contents, only their details; some advanced filters unsupported |
| Google Calendar | View events, create, update and delete events, find shared free time, respond to invitations, set up recurring meetings | Only calendars your account can access |
| Google Drive | Search and read Docs, Sheets, Slides, PDFs and Office files; upload and organise files; share, move or trash files (with approval by default) | Extracts text only, so images inside documents are not read |
Many other services, from project tools to finance data providers, are in Anthropic’s connector directory. Each one has a page explaining what it reads and writes.
How do you add a connector in Claude?
Anthropic’s Help Center gives two ways to reach the connector list:
- From a chat: click the “+” at the lower left (or type “/”), hover over Connectors, and choose Manage connectors.
- From settings: go to Customize, then Connectors, and click “+” next to Connectors.
Then select the connector, read what it can access, click Connect, and sign in to that app. Connectors you set up on the web or desktop app appear on the mobile app the next time you log in. In a chat, turn individual connectors on or off from the “+” menu, so Claude only looks where you want it to.
At work: on Claude Team and Enterprise plans, an Owner must enable a connector for the organisation before you can sign in to it. If your company uses Google Workspace and has blocked Claude, a Google admin has to mark Claude as a trusted app first.
What are good first uses?
Start with tasks that only read data, and add actions once you trust the results. These prompts work well with Gmail, Calendar and Drive connected:
| Task | Prompt |
|---|---|
| Inbox summary | “Summarise unread emails from the last two days that need a reply from me. List sender, topic and what they want.” |
| Meeting prep | “What meetings do I have tomorrow? For each, find related emails and Drive files and give me three bullet points.” |
| Find a document | “Find the latest version of the vendor agreement in my Drive and list the payment terms.” |
| Draft, not send | “Draft a polite reply to the last email from the auditor asking for a one-week extension. Do not send it.” |
| Study planner | “Create calendar events for my revision plan: two hours each weekday evening for the next four weeks.” |
For spreadsheet work, the Excel add-in is usually better than a Drive connector. See how to use AI in Excel. For the basics of setting up Claude itself, including projects and plans, see our Claude AI guide.
How do you add a custom connector?
You can connect Claude to any remote MCP server, such as an official server published by a company you use. In Customize, then Connectors, click Add, hover over Custom and choose Web. Then name the connector, paste the server’s URL, and complete the sign-in it asks for. Developers building their own will find the details in Anthropic’s connector documentation. Anthropic notes three things about custom connectors:
- Claude reaches the server from Anthropic’s cloud, so the server must be reachable over the public internet.
- Custom connectors are not verified by Anthropic. Use only servers from organisations you trust.
- Free users can add one custom connector.
Our MCP guide lists examples of official servers from Indian companies, and explains how to check that a server is genuine.
Are Claude connectors safe?
They are as safe as the apps you connect and the actions you approve. Anthropic’s own advice is to connect only services you trust and need, to review what a connector can access, and to disconnect services you no longer use. It also notes that connected services handle data under their own terms. Four habits keep you in control:
- Keep approvals on. Leave Claude asking before it sends, shares, moves or deletes anything.
- Turn connectors off in chats that do not need them, especially when you are working with content from strangers, such as forwarded emails or downloaded files, which can contain hidden instructions.
- Use a work account only with your employer’s approval. Client data has rules of its own. Accountants should read AI for accountants.
- Disconnect when you are done with a project or job.
Connectors, MCP or automation: which do you need?
| You want to | Use |
|---|---|
| Ask Claude about your email, calendar or files | A connector from the directory |
| Let Claude use a service that is not in the directory | A custom connector with that service’s MCP server |
| Run the same steps automatically every time something happens | An automation tool. See n8n for beginners |
| Learn all of this in a structured course (CAs) | ICAI’s AICA, which covers connectors. See ICAI’s AI course |
Frequently asked questions
Are Claude connectors free?
Anthropic says web connectors are available to all users, including the Free plan. Free users can add one custom connector. Usage still counts toward your plan’s limits.
Can Claude send emails from my Gmail?
Yes, with the Gmail connector, but by default it asks for your approval before sending, replying or forwarding. It can also draft emails for you to send yourself.
Can Claude read Gmail attachments?
No. Anthropic says the Gmail connector can see attachment details but not attachment contents. Save the file to Drive or upload it to the chat instead.
Why can’t I connect Google Drive at work?
Your Google Workspace admin may have blocked Claude, or, on a Claude Team or Enterprise plan, an Owner may not have enabled the connector yet. Ask your administrator.
Do connectors work on the Claude mobile app?
Yes. Connectors you set up on the web or desktop app appear on mobile the next time you log in.
What is the difference between a connector and an MCP server?
A connector is how Claude uses an MCP server. Directory connectors are ready-made and listed by Anthropic. Custom connectors point to any remote MCP server by its URL.
Still deciding?
If you want to turn AI tools into a skill employers pay for, a counsellor can help you plan what to learn and in what order. Book online career counselling or call 9212008787.
