Claude's connector catalog is large, but it is not infinite. Sometimes the tool you want will not be on the list. It might be a niche SaaS product, an internal company tool, or a new app that Anthropic has not built a first-party connector for yet.

The good news is that Claude lets you add a custom MCP connection. You do not need to wait for Anthropic to ship an official connector. If the tool you want has an MCP server available, you can plug it into Claude yourself.

Quick refresher: MCP stands for Model Context Protocol. It is the open standard that helps AI agents communicate with apps. When a tool has an MCP server, it means there is software or a URL that translates between Claude and that app.

Many modern SaaS products are starting to support MCP, and there is also a growing community of unofficial MCP servers built by developers.

Adding a Custom MCP Connector

Here is the flow inside Cowork:

1. Open Cowork.
2. Go to Settings → Connectors.
3. Scroll to the bottom of the connector list.
4. Click Add custom connector.
5. Fill in the required fields. The most important one is the MCP server URL, which you will usually find in the tool's documentation.
6. Add an API key or auth token if the MCP server requires one.
7. Click Connect.

Claude will test the connection. If it works, you will see a green check, and the connector will appear in your list alongside Gmail, Calendar, and your other connectors.

From that point on, Claude can use the custom tool in Cowork just like a built-in connector.

A Few Things to Know

You can find MCP servers by searching for "[tool name] MCP server" or by checking the tool's documentation or integrations page.

You can also browse the MCP server registry at modelcontextprotocol.io.

Some MCP servers are official, meaning they are built and maintained by the company behind the tool. Others are community-built. Use your judgment with community servers, because quality and security can vary.

Custom connectors use the same permission system as built-in connectors. You approve what they can do, and you can revoke access at any time. Use the same rule as before: keep read-only actions on Always allow, and keep writing or deleting actions on Requires approval.

If a tool does not have an MCP server yet, you will need to wait, ask the company to build one, or look for a community alternative.

When to Use a Custom MCP Connector

Use a custom MCP connector when:

• The tool you need is not in Claude's built-in connector catalog.
• You have found an MCP server for it.
• You are comfortable adding a URL and, if needed, an API key.

Custom MCP connections will become more useful over time as more tools add MCP support. The number of apps that need custom workarounds should keep shrinking.