MCP Connectors Setup Guide¶

Quick reference for connecting Claude to external applications and MCP servers.

Overview¶

Claude can connect to external tools and data sources through:

1. Integrations — Built-in connections to cloud services (Google Drive, Gmail, GitHub)
2. Custom Connectors — Remote MCP servers you configure
3. Desktop Extensions — Local MCP servers on your machine (Desktop only)

Part 1: Built-in Integrations¶

Claude offers built-in integrations with popular services.

Available Integrations¶

Enable an Integration¶

From the chat interface: 1. Click the + button in the lower left of the chat window 2. Select the integration you want to connect 3. Complete the authentication flow

From settings: 1. Go to Settings → Connectors 2. Find the integration and click Connect 3. Complete the authentication flow

For Team/Enterprise Plans¶

Organization Owners must first enable integrations: 1. Go to Admin settings → Connectors 2. Click Enable next to the integration 3. Team members can then connect individually through their settings

Part 2: Custom Connectors (Remote MCP Servers)¶

Custom connectors let you connect Claude to remote MCP servers.

Available on: Claude web and Desktop (Pro, Max, Team, Enterprise)

Add a Custom Connector¶

1. Go to Settings → Connectors
2. Click Add custom connector
3. Enter the remote MCP server URL
4. (Optional) Configure OAuth credentials in Advanced settings
5. Complete setup

Enable Connectors in a Conversation¶

1. Click the + button in the chat interface
2. Select Connectors
3. Toggle on the connectors you want to use

Part 3: Desktop Extensions (Local MCP Servers)¶

Desktop Extensions connect Claude to MCP servers running on your local machine.

Available on: Claude Desktop only (not web)

Browse and Install Extensions¶

1. Open Claude Desktop
2. Go to Settings → Extensions
3. Browse available extensions
4. Click to install

Manual Configuration¶

For custom MCP servers, edit the configuration file directly.

Configuration file location:

Example configuration:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "my-server": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/path/to/your/server.js"]
    }
  }
}

After editing, restart Claude Desktop for changes to take effect.

Configure Tool Permissions¶

Each connector has individual tool permissions that control when Claude can use specific capabilities.

Access Tool Permissions¶

1. Go to Settings → Connectors
2. Click on a connected integration (e.g., Notion)
3. View the Tool permissions section

Permission Levels¶

Each tool can be set to one of three permission levels:

Tool Categories¶

Tools are grouped by their capabilities:

Read-only tools — Fetch and search data (lower risk) - Example: notion-fetch, notion-search, notion-get-users - Default: Often set to "Always allow"

Write/delete tools — Create, modify, or delete data (higher risk) - Example: notion-create-pages, notion-update-database, notion-move-pages - Default: Often set to "Ask each time" or custom per-tool

Recommended Approach¶

• Read-only tools: "Always allow" for smoother workflows
• Write/delete tools: "Ask each time" until you're comfortable with how Claude uses them
• Review permissions when first connecting a new integration

Verify Connectors Are Working¶

1. Start a new conversation
2. Click the + button
3. Hover over Connectors to see available servers
4. Your configured connectors should appear in the list

Security Considerations¶

• Only connect to servers from organizations you trust
• Review permission requests during OAuth authentication
• All data transfers use encryption
• Integrations work only in private projects
• Chats with synced content cannot be shared

Troubleshooting¶

Integration not appearing? - Check you have the required plan - For Team/Enterprise, verify the Owner has enabled it - Try disconnecting and reconnecting

Custom connector not connecting? - Verify the MCP server URL is correct - Check the server is running and accessible - Review OAuth credentials if required

Desktop extension not loading? - Check the configuration file syntax (valid JSON) - Verify the path to your server is absolute - Restart Claude Desktop completely (quit, not just close window) - Check logs at ~/Library/Logs/Claude/mcp.log (macOS)

Next Steps¶

• Review the course slide deck for detailed walkthrough
• Explore the MCP server directory for available integrations
• Post in Slack if you encounter issues

Resources¶

• About Custom Integrations Using Remote MCP
• Setting Up Claude Integrations
• Model Context Protocol Documentation
• MCP Quickstart Guide