Claude connectors: linking an assistant to your tools and data safely
Connectors let an assistant read from and act in the systems your team already uses. They make AI far more useful, and they raise the stakes for permissions.
By the Halden editorial team
Why connectors matter
Context is what makes answers useful.
An assistant that can only see what you paste is limited. Connected to your documents, tickets, messages or code, it can answer questions about your real work, draft with the right background and prepare actions for review.
Connectors are commonly built on shared standards, which lets many tools plug into the same assistant.
Permissions first
The assistant inherits access, so design it.
Before connecting anything, decide who the assistant acts for and what that person may see. Tidy shared drives and workspaces first: an assistant will surface anything its user can reach, including files that were never meant to be broadly visible.
- Use least privilege.
- Separate read access from write access.
- Keep sensitive systems out of scope until controls are proven.
Pilot well
Pick one workflow and one connector.
For example, connect a document store and ask the assistant to answer policy questions with citations, or connect a ticketing tool for summaries. Compare the answers with what an expert would say and note anything it missed or overreached on.
Run it
Ownership, logging and review.
Name an owner for each connector, record what is connected and why, and review usage on a schedule. Revoke what is not needed. Follow your provider's documentation for current setup and admin controls.
A next step
Turn this into a decision for your organization.
Explore how AI Implementation works with leaders and teams, or start with a short reflection on where you are today.