2.1 Connectors

Time: ~20 minutes

What You'll Learn

• What connectors are and why they matter
• How to set up your first connector in Cowork
• How Claude reads and writes data from tools you already use

Key Concepts

What Are Connectors?

Connectors link Claude to the tools you already use every day — Slack, Notion, Google Calendar, Asana, Linear, Jira, HubSpot, Microsoft 365, Figma, and more. They use something called MCP (Model Context Protocol) under the hood, but you never need to think about that. All you need to know: once a connector is set up, Claude can pull information from your tools and push updates back.

"What meetings do I have this week?"

"Post a summary of this document to the #marketing channel in Slack"

Setting Up a Connector

You set up connectors right inside Claude. Open your settings or click the + button next to the chat box to browse available connectors. Pick the tool you want to connect, authorize it, and you're done. No terminal, no code, no installation.

"Help me connect my Google Calendar"

Two-Way Communication

Connectors aren't read-only. Claude can both pull data from your tools and push updates back. Check your calendar, then create an event. Read a Notion page, then update it. This two-way flow is what makes Cowork genuinely useful for real work.

In Your Scenario

You'll connect your first tool and immediately put it to work. Claude will pull live data from that tool into your conversation — no copy-pasting, no switching tabs. Whatever scenario you're working in, this is the moment Claude goes from helpful assistant to actual coworker.

Real-World Applications

• Pull your week's calendar into a planning session
• Read and update Notion docs or Jira tickets without leaving the conversation
• Send Slack messages or check channels for updates
• Create tasks in Asana or Linear based on your conversation
• Pull CRM data from HubSpot to prep for a sales call

Skills You'll Use Later

• Connecting tools (the foundation for plugins in 2.2)
• Understanding what Claude can access (helps with customization in 2.4)
• Two-way communication patterns (powers your real workflow in 2.5)

How to Start

start lesson 2.1