Connectors
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A connector is an authorized doorway between Cowork and one of your accounts — Gmail, Slack, Calendar, Notion, Drive, or one of dozens of others. Each connector is a separate authorization. Cowork can only access the accounts you specifically grant, one at a time.
Core Concept
Out of the box, Cowork can read and write files on your local machine. Connectors extend that to the apps you actually live in - your inbox, your calendar, your Slack, your Drive, your CRM. Until Cowork is plugged into those apps, it's operating in a very small room. Connectors open the walls.
Every connector is authorized separately. Adding Slack does not authorize Gmail. Removing one does not affect the others. This is the trust model - you decide, one app at a time, what Cowork can touch.
How It Works (Step-by-Step)
Step 1 - Understand the model
A connector is an authorized doorway between Cowork and one specific account. You log into the app once through Claude's OAuth flow, Cowork gets a key, and from then on it can read and act in that app the way you would. One connector, one account, one set of permissions.
Step 2 - Know what's in the library
The library covers most of what a knowledge worker uses every day.
New connectors get added constantly, so this list is representative, not exhaustive.
Step 3 - Start with three or four
Don't connect everything at once. Pick the three or four apps you spend the most time in. For most people that's inbox, chat, files, calendar. That alone changes what you can hand to Cowork.
Step 4 - Add a connector in thirty seconds
Three steps.
Settings → Connectors. Browse the list.
Click Connect. OAuth flow pops up (same one you've used a hundred times). Sign in, approve.
Some connectors ask which workspace, which account, which folders. Pick narrowly.
Even faster path - ask Cowork inline.
"Hey Claude, I want to connect my Gmail so I can ask you to find and process emails. Can you initiate the flow?"
Cowork surfaces the Connect button in the chat. Same OAuth flow. No hunting.
Step 5 - Recognize what it unlocks
With connectors in place, workflows that were annoying in Chat become instant.
- Gmail - triage your inbox, draft replies, archive newsletters, surface the threads that need you.
- Slack - read a channel, summarize it, post on your behalf.
- Calendar - pull your week and prep you for what's next.
- Drive / Notion - read the doc you point it at. No more copy-paste.
Step 6 - Understand safety and control
Three things worth knowing.
- Authorization is per-connector, not global.
- You can revoke any connector anytime, in Settings, one click.
- Cowork still asks for approval before doing anything consequential with a connected app - posting to Slack, sending an email, creating a calendar event.
You are always in control of what walks through the door.
Step 7 - Default to the connector, not the alternative
If a connector exists for the task, use it. It's faster, cleaner, and more reliable than the alternatives. Reserve computer use (Claude taking over your cursor) or custom connectors for when there genuinely isn't a native option.
Why This Matters
Without connectors, Cowork is a fancy local file editor. With connectors, it's a teammate that can read your inbox, know your calendar, catch what happened in Slack last night, and pull the deck out of Drive that you're referencing. Every workflow in Sections 3 through 5 assumes you've plugged in at least three or four.
What Should Be Possible After This
- Explain what a connector is in one sentence.
- Name three or four connectors you'll set up for your own work.
- Add a connector via Settings, or ask Cowork to initiate the flow inline.
- Revoke a connector.
- Recognize the "connector-first" rule when planning a workflow.
Thanks for your feedback!
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Connectors
A connector is an authorized doorway between Cowork and one of your accounts — Gmail, Slack, Calendar, Notion, Drive, or one of dozens of others. Each connector is a separate authorization. Cowork can only access the accounts you specifically grant, one at a time.
Core Concept
Out of the box, Cowork can read and write files on your local machine. Connectors extend that to the apps you actually live in - your inbox, your calendar, your Slack, your Drive, your CRM. Until Cowork is plugged into those apps, it's operating in a very small room. Connectors open the walls.
Every connector is authorized separately. Adding Slack does not authorize Gmail. Removing one does not affect the others. This is the trust model - you decide, one app at a time, what Cowork can touch.
How It Works (Step-by-Step)
Step 1 - Understand the model
A connector is an authorized doorway between Cowork and one specific account. You log into the app once through Claude's OAuth flow, Cowork gets a key, and from then on it can read and act in that app the way you would. One connector, one account, one set of permissions.
Step 2 - Know what's in the library
The library covers most of what a knowledge worker uses every day.
New connectors get added constantly, so this list is representative, not exhaustive.
Step 3 - Start with three or four
Don't connect everything at once. Pick the three or four apps you spend the most time in. For most people that's inbox, chat, files, calendar. That alone changes what you can hand to Cowork.
Step 4 - Add a connector in thirty seconds
Three steps.
Settings → Connectors. Browse the list.
Click Connect. OAuth flow pops up (same one you've used a hundred times). Sign in, approve.
Some connectors ask which workspace, which account, which folders. Pick narrowly.
Even faster path - ask Cowork inline.
"Hey Claude, I want to connect my Gmail so I can ask you to find and process emails. Can you initiate the flow?"
Cowork surfaces the Connect button in the chat. Same OAuth flow. No hunting.
Step 5 - Recognize what it unlocks
With connectors in place, workflows that were annoying in Chat become instant.
- Gmail - triage your inbox, draft replies, archive newsletters, surface the threads that need you.
- Slack - read a channel, summarize it, post on your behalf.
- Calendar - pull your week and prep you for what's next.
- Drive / Notion - read the doc you point it at. No more copy-paste.
Step 6 - Understand safety and control
Three things worth knowing.
- Authorization is per-connector, not global.
- You can revoke any connector anytime, in Settings, one click.
- Cowork still asks for approval before doing anything consequential with a connected app - posting to Slack, sending an email, creating a calendar event.
You are always in control of what walks through the door.
Step 7 - Default to the connector, not the alternative
If a connector exists for the task, use it. It's faster, cleaner, and more reliable than the alternatives. Reserve computer use (Claude taking over your cursor) or custom connectors for when there genuinely isn't a native option.
Why This Matters
Without connectors, Cowork is a fancy local file editor. With connectors, it's a teammate that can read your inbox, know your calendar, catch what happened in Slack last night, and pull the deck out of Drive that you're referencing. Every workflow in Sections 3 through 5 assumes you've plugged in at least three or four.
What Should Be Possible After This
- Explain what a connector is in one sentence.
- Name three or four connectors you'll set up for your own work.
- Add a connector via Settings, or ask Cowork to initiate the flow inline.
- Revoke a connector.
- Recognize the "connector-first" rule when planning a workflow.
Thanks for your feedback!
