AI tools add new connectors all the time, and the menus move often. Check when this article was published, and contact Softwired if you'd like training that reflects today's version of the tools.
The short answer
A connector links an AI tool to another service, such as Gmail, Google Drive, Microsoft 365, Slack or your CRM, so the AI can find and use your information without you copying and pasting. ChatGPT and Gemini usually call it an app. MCP (Model Context Protocol) is an open standard that lets any business build one connector that works across many AI tools. If you only need a document once, uploading the file is simpler.
If connecting AI to your inbox feels like a big step, start with one read-only connector, such as Google Drive, and add more once you're comfortable with what it does.
Three ways to give AI your information
| Method | Best for | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Upload a file | A one-off document | Drop in a PDF contract and ask for the key dates |
| Add to a project | Reference material you reuse | Your style guide and product sheets in a project (see What is a project?) |
| Connect an app | Information that changes, or lives in many places | Search your Drive for last quarter's board papers |
What each tool calls it
| Tool | Name | Key facts (checked 31 October 2026) |
|---|---|---|
| ChatGPT | Apps (inside plugins) | Apps connect ChatGPT to services such as Google Drive and Slack. Projects can link Google Drive files and folders and Slack channels. Plugins can include MCP servers. On Business and Enterprise, admins control which apps are available. |
| Claude | Connectors | Find them in Customize > Connectors. Claude has a directory of ready-made connectors, plus custom connectors built on remote MCP. Custom connectors are on all plans, and Free is limited to one. On Team and Enterprise, only owners add custom connectors, and each person then connects with their own access. |
| Gemini | Connected Apps | Manage them in Customize > Connectors. Gemini connects to Gmail, Calendar, other productivity apps and some third-party apps; the list varies by device and country. Type @ to pick an app. You can add a custom app by linking an MCP server. Keep Activity must be on for most apps on the web. |
| Microsoft 365 Copilot | Work IQ, Copilot connectors and agents | With a Microsoft 365 Copilot licence, Copilot works across your emails, files, meetings and chats; Microsoft calls this Work IQ. Without a licence, Copilot Chat draws on the web plus files you upload. |
| Grok | Connectors | xAI offers built-in connectors, a catalogue and custom MCP connections in Grok. File uploads can be up to 150 MB each. |
| Meta AI | Connected apps | Meta says Meta AI can connect to email and calendar apps, rolling out in select markets. Australian availability: not confirmed. |
What MCP means in plain English
Before MCP, each AI tool needed its own custom integration for each app. MCP gives them a shared standard. A business builds one MCP server for its system, and any AI tool that supports MCP can use it, much as one USB-C cable fits many devices. That's why Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini and Grok now all offer custom connector or MCP options. Anthropic, the company behind Claude, created MCP and released it as an open standard.
For a business, the practical result is that more of your tools can be connected, and your IT provider or a developer can build a connection for a system that lacks one.
How you'd actually use it
Find something in your files
With Google Drive connected: "Find the latest version of our leave policy and summarise what changed from the previous one."
Prepare for a meeting
With email and calendar connected: "I'm meeting our main supplier tomorrow. Pull together our last three email threads and any open actions."
Ask about live data
With a CRM connector: "Which of our ten largest open deals haven't been updated in 30 days?"
Use a file once
Skip the connector and upload a supplier quote, then ask: "List every cost, the payment terms and anything unusual."
Is it safe to connect AI to your email and files?
Claude's help pages say Team and Enterprise members each connect with their own access, unless a connector uses a shared credential. That means the AI sees what you can already see. A few habits keep the risk low:
- Connect only what you need, and remove connectors you no longer use.
- Check what the AI can do, not just read. Some connectors can send, edit or delete, so keep approvals on for those actions.
- Follow your organisation's rules. On business plans, admins usually decide which connectors are allowed.
- Watch for prompt injection: content from connected sources can carry hidden instructions. Treat any action you didn't ask for as a red flag.
- Use business plans for business data. OpenAI says ChatGPT Business, Enterprise and Edu content isn't used for training by default. Check the equivalent setting in any tool you use.
Frequently asked questions
What's the difference between a connector and a plugin?
A connector links to one service. In ChatGPT and Claude, a plugin can bundle several connectors with skills, which are packaged know-how (see Custom GPTs, Gems, skills and plugins explained).
Do I need a developer to use MCP?
Ready-made connectors need no developer. You'd need technical help only to build a new MCP server for a system that doesn't have one.
Is uploading a file safer than connecting an app?
An upload is more limited, because the AI sees only that file. For business data, the plan you're on and its data settings matter more than the method.
Related guides
- What is a project in ChatGPT, Claude and other AI tools?
- What is an AI agent? Cowork, Work and Task explained
- AI tool features explained: a plain-English guide for 2026
Put it to work with AI On Ramp
Connectors are where the value and the risk of AI both rise, so decide what to connect before anyone clicks Connect.
AI On Ramp gets your team using AI with confidence, on their own work and across teams, while you keep its cost and risk under control. We set up the tools, then our consultants sit beside your most advanced AI users and build real in-house workflows with them. Your nominated AI Lead gets the governance tools and our ongoing support to keep the business current as the tools change. We bring deep technical expertise and decades of business change management, and we work face to face from Brisbane and along Australia's east coast. See how AI On Ramp works.
Want to talk through how this applies to your team? Book a call with Softwired.
