What is a connector in ChatGPT, Claude or Grok?
Open the settings in ChatGPT, Claude or Grok and you will find a section called Connectors. It is where these chat apps learn to reach outside themselves: your calendar, your files, or your business messages. If you have been told to "add a custom connector", this guide explains what that means, what happens when you do, and how to stay in control of it.
In one sentence
A connector is a link you add inside a chat app such as ChatGPT, Claude or Grok that lets it use an outside service, and a custom MCP connector is one you add yourself by pasting that service's web address. Once you sign in and approve it, the app can use that service's tools when you ask it to in a chat.
In more detail
On its own, a chat app can only read and write text in the chat window. It cannot see your WhatsApp, send an email or check your bookings. A connector gives it a door to one outside service. Behind the door is a list of tools, such as "list my conversations" or "reply in this chat", and the app can use them when your request calls for it.
Many connectors are built in and ready to switch on, for things like cloud storage. A custom connector is one you add for a service the app does not list by default. You give it a name and paste the service's address, known as an MCP server address. MCP stands for Model Context Protocol, the shared standard that lets any AI app talk to any service in the same way.
Adding a connector usually ends with a sign-in. The app sends you to the service's own page, you sign in there and approve access, and the service hands the app a pass that only it can use. You never paste your password into the chat app. This sign-in step is called OAuth, and it is the same idea as "sign in with Google" on a website.
Once the connector is on, the app does not act on its own. Chat apps such as ChatGPT, Claude and Grok use a connector when you ask them to in a chat. They do not sit watching your inbox between conversations. If you want something that answers customers around the clock, you need an always-on agent instead, which can use the same service in the background.
You stay in charge of a connector. You can switch it off in a chat, remove it in settings, or withdraw its access from the service's side. Here is what using one looks like day to day. Names and details are examples.
An example
| Who | Message |
|---|---|
| Owner (to ChatGPT, with the Spaces connector on) | Any new WhatsApp messages since this morning? |
| ChatGPT (uses the Spaces tools) | Three new chats. Daniel asked about Saturday availability, Mia asked for your prices for a bathroom refit, and Kofi sent a photo of a leaking tap. |
| Owner | Reply to Daniel that Saturday morning is free, and give Mia our bathroom price from the brief. |
| ChatGPT | Done. Both replies sent. Do you want me to hand Kofi's chat to you, since it may be urgent? |
How to add a custom connector
Each app puts it in a slightly different place, and the menu names change from time to time. These are the current routes for the three main chat apps.
| App | Where to add it | How you sign in |
|---|---|---|
| Claude | Customize, then Connectors, then Add custom connector. On a Team or Enterprise plan, an owner adds it under Organization settings | Choose Sign in, then sign in to the service and approve |
| ChatGPT | Settings, then Apps & Connectors, then Advanced, and turn on Developer mode; then create the connector | Choose OAuth, then sign in and approve, and turn the connector on in a chat |
| Grok | grok.com/connectors, then New Connector, then Custom. On Business and Enterprise plans an admin adds it first | Sign in to the service and approve access |
If a menu has moved, the app's own help page has the latest steps. The idea is always the same: name it, paste the address, sign in and approve.
Connector, MCP server and agent: how they fit together
- The MCP server is the service's side: an address on the internet that offers a list of tools.
- The connector is the app's side: the saved link in ChatGPT, Claude or Grok that points at that address.
- The agent is the app using those tools to do something for you, such as reading a message and replying.
So "add a custom connector" means "tell your chat app where the service's MCP server is, and give it permission to use it".
Staying in control
- Only add connectors for services you know and chose yourself. Never add one because a message or a web page told you to.
- Read what you are approving at the sign-in step. It should name the service and what the app may do.
- Give the connector the least it needs. If you only want help drafting replies, it does not need to connect new accounts.
- Switch the connector off in chats where you do not need it.
- Remove it, and withdraw access from the service, if you stop using it or change apps.
What if something goes wrong?
- The tools do not appear in a chat: check the connector is switched on for that chat, and in ChatGPT that it was turned on after adding it.
- The sign-in page does not open: check you pasted the full address, with nothing extra at the end, and try adding the connector again.
- The app says it does not have permission: the agent may have been given read-only access. Change what it may do in the service, then ask again.
- You changed your mind about access: remove the connector in the app and withdraw access in the service, and the pass stops working.
Common misunderstandings
- Thinking the app now watches your messages all day. Chat apps act when you ask; they do not run in the background.
- Thinking the connector gives the app your password. With OAuth sign-in, the app gets a pass from the service, never your password.
- Thinking every plan can add custom connectors. Which plans can add them depends on the app and changes over time.
- Thinking one connector covers every app. Each chat app has its own connector. You add one in each app you use.
- Thinking the connector decides the limits. The service behind it decides what is allowed and how fast.
Why it matters for your business
- It is how you give the AI app you already pay for access to your business messages, without new software to learn.
- Sign-in through the service means you never hand your password to the chat app.
- Knowing chat apps act only when asked helps you choose between a chat app and an always-on agent.
- You can switch a connector off or remove it at any time, so trying one is low commitment.
- The same service works across apps, so you can move from one chat app to another without starting again.
How Spaces handles it
Spaces is added as a custom connector named Spaces, with the address https://api.spacesos.com/mcp. In Claude, ChatGPT and Grok you add it in the connector settings, sign in to Spaces and approve access once. Claude also lets you use an API key in the request headers instead of signing in, if you prefer.
Every AI agent that signs in has its own permissions, accounts and daily share, which you set under Your agent in the Spaces dashboard. You can pause one agent or remove it for good, and its sign-in stops working, without touching the others. The account limits always apply on top, whatever the connector asks for.
Because Claude, ChatGPT and Grok act when you ask in a chat, they are a good fit for owners who check in a few times a day. For replies around the clock, connect an always-on agent such as Claude Code, Codex, OpenClaw or Hermes to the same Spaces account.
In short
A connector is the link inside a chat app that lets it use an outside service, and a custom MCP connector is one you add by pasting the service's address. Add only the ones you chose, approve them through the service's own sign-in, and remember a chat app uses them when you ask, not on its own.
FAQ
Is a connector the same as MCP?
Not quite. MCP is the shared standard that lets AI apps talk to services. A connector is the saved link inside a particular app, such as ChatGPT, that uses MCP to reach one service.
Do I need to be technical to add a custom connector?
No. You give it a name, paste a web address and sign in. It usually takes a couple of minutes. The menus move occasionally, so the app's help page is useful if something is not where you expect.
Does the chat app see my password?
No. With sign-in through the service, you sign in on the service's own page and the app receives a pass from it. You can withdraw that pass at any time.
Will ChatGPT or Claude reply to customers while I sleep?
No. Chat apps act when you ask in a chat; they do not watch your inbox between conversations. For replies around the clock, use an always-on agent.
Can I use the same service in more than one app?
Yes. You add a connector in each app you use, and each one signs in separately. In Spaces, each agent gets its own permissions and daily share.
How do I remove a connector?
Delete it in the app's connector settings, and withdraw its access from the service too. In Spaces, you can remove an agent under Your agent, and its sign-in stops working.
What can the connector do once it is added?
Only what the service offers and what you approved. For Spaces, that means the tools for your connected accounts, such as reading conversations and replying, within the permissions you gave that agent and the limits on each account.
Can every ChatGPT, Claude or Grok plan add custom connectors?
It depends on the app and the plan, and it changes over time. On team plans, an owner or admin often adds the connector for everyone. Check the app's own help page for the current position.