You can add new tools to Claude in under a minute using Claude Connectors — no coding, no downloads, just a URL. Connectors let Claude search the web, generate images, analyze SEO data, and much more — directly in your Claude conversation.
This guide walks through exactly how to do it in Claude chat (claude.ai), Claude Desktop, and Cowork. If you want to know which tools are worth adding first, see our roundup of the best MCP tools for Claude.
Claude Connectors are links to external tool servers that Claude can call during your conversation. When you add a connector, Claude gains access to every tool that server provides — instantly, without any setup on the tool side.
The technology behind this is called the Model Context Protocol (MCP), an open standard created by Anthropic that lets AI assistants connect to external capabilities through a single, consistent interface. You can read a plain-English explanation of what MCP is in our post What is MCP?
The short version: one connector URL gives Claude a whole new set of abilities. Claude figures out when to use them based on what you ask — you never have to manually select a tool or run any commands.
Connectors are supported across the main ways people use Claude:
Claude chat (claude.ai) — the web browser version of Claude. Works on any device with a browser. No app needed.
Claude Desktop — the Mac and Windows app available at claude.ai/download. Same connector support as the web version.
Cowork — the agentic mode inside Claude Desktop where Claude can run multi-step tasks on its own. Connectors you add to Claude Desktop are automatically available in Cowork too. Requires a Pro, Max, Team, or Enterprise Claude plan.
Claude Code — the developer CLI tool. This uses connectors differently and involves the terminal. If you are a developer looking to set up MCP in Claude Code, that setup is covered separately in our Claude MCP CLI guide.
This post focuses entirely on the no-code method: adding connectors through the Claude settings UI.
ToolRouter gives Claude access to over 165 tools through a single connector URL. Here is how to add it.
- Open Claude at claude.ai (or open the Claude Desktop app)
- Click your profile icon in the top-right corner
- Click Settings
- Click Connectors in the left sidebar
- Click Add custom connector
- Enter the name:
ToolRouter - Enter the URL:
https://api.toolrouter.com/mcp - Click Save
That is it. Claude now has access to 165+ tools including web search, image generation, SEO analysis, data extraction, and more.
If you prefer a one-click option, you can connect directly at toolrouter.com/connect — it handles the setup automatically.
Claude will confirm the connector is active. From that point forward, every conversation in that Claude session has access to all the tools ToolRouter provides. Claude decides when to use them — if you ask a question that needs a web search, Claude will search the web. If you ask for an image, Claude will generate one.
You do not need to mention tools by name or give any special instructions. Just ask naturally.
Give your AI superpowers — connect once and access every tool.
Get started for free→Once ToolRouter is connected, here are real prompts you can type directly into Claude:
- "Search the web for the latest news on [topic]" — Claude finds current articles and summarizes them with sources
- "Generate an image of [description]" — Claude creates a full image from your description
- "Audit the SEO on [website URL]" — Claude analyzes title tags, meta descriptions, page speed, and other ranking factors
- "Extract the data from this webpage: [URL]" — Claude pulls structured data from any public page
- "Research [topic] across 10 sources and give me a summary" — Claude runs a deep research sweep and compiles a structured report
These all work in plain conversational language. You are not running commands — you are just talking to Claude the same way you always do, and Claude now has the tools to act on what you ask.
Here is what changes when you add a connector like ToolRouter:
| What you want to do | Without a connector | With ToolRouter connected |
|---|
| Get today's news on a topic | Claude can't — its knowledge has a cutoff date | Claude searches the web in real time |
| Generate an image | Not available natively in Claude chat | Claude generates images from any description |
| Audit a website's SEO | Claude can give general advice only | Claude runs a live technical audit on any URL |
| Extract data from a webpage | Claude can't access live URLs | Claude fetches and parses the page content |
| Research a topic in depth | Claude draws on training data only | Claude searches across multiple live sources |
| Get product or company info | Limited to what Claude was trained on | Claude pulls current, real-world data |
According to Anthropic's MCP documentation, MCP has been adopted by over 10,000 developers building tool integrations since its release. The gap between a connected Claude and an unconnected one is significant — and it only takes a URL to close it.
A 2025 survey by McKinsey found that AI tools delivering measurable business value were three times more likely to have access to real-time data and external integrations than those that did not. Connectors are the direct way to give Claude that access.
To see what is connected: Open Settings → Connectors. Every active connector is listed there with its name and URL.
To remove a connector: Click the connector in the list, then click the remove or delete option. Claude will no longer have access to that server's tools.
To add more connectors: You can add multiple connectors to Claude. Each one you add gives Claude access to whatever tools that server exposes. They all work at the same time — Claude picks the right tool from whichever connector has what it needs.
There is no limit to how many connectors you can have active. That said, having one reliable connector with broad tool coverage (like ToolRouter) is usually more useful than many narrow ones.
Cowork is Claude's agentic mode inside Claude Desktop. In Cowork, Claude can work through multi-step tasks on its own — planning, using tools, checking results, and iterating — without you needing to stay in the conversation.
If you have a Pro, Max, Team, or Enterprise Claude plan, you can switch to Cowork mode inside Claude Desktop. Any connectors you have already added will work in Cowork automatically. This means Claude can run a full research sweep, generate assets, and audit a website all in one autonomous session — you set the task, Claude does the work.
According to Anthropic, agentic AI usage — where Claude takes actions across multiple steps — is the fastest-growing category of Claude use in 2026. Connectors are what make that possible.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are Claude Connectors free to use?
Adding a connector to Claude costs nothing. The connector setup itself is just entering a URL into Claude's settings — no payment required at that step. Whether individual tools within a connector cost anything depends on the connector provider. ToolRouter uses a credit system for tools that call external APIs, but many tools run without any charges at all.
What is the difference between a connector and a plugin?
Connectors are the current standard. They use the MCP protocol, which is an open specification supported by Anthropic and built into Claude natively. Plugins were an earlier, more limited concept used by other AI assistants — they required more custom integration and were often platform-specific. Connectors via MCP are more flexible, more widely supported, and work across Claude chat, Desktop, and Cowork.
Can I add multiple connectors?
Yes. You can add as many connectors as you like in Claude's settings. Each one appears in the Connectors list and is active for all your conversations. If two connectors offer similar tools, Claude will pick based on what seems most relevant to your request.
What happens when I ask Claude to do something that needs a tool?
Claude recognizes from your message that a tool would be useful and calls it automatically. You do not need to ask Claude to "use the web search tool" — just ask your question naturally. Claude sees that it needs current information, selects the appropriate tool from whatever connectors are active, calls it, and incorporates the result into its response. If no relevant tool is available, Claude will tell you rather than guessing.
Is it safe to add connectors to Claude?
Claude Connectors connect your Claude session to external servers. You should only add connectors from sources you trust. ToolRouter is built specifically for Claude and follows Anthropic's MCP standard, so tool calls go through a defined, auditable interface — Claude cannot take actions outside what each tool is designed to do. As with any external service, it is worth reviewing what a connector can access before you add it. For Anthropic's own guidance on MCP security, see the [MCP documentation](https://modelcontextprotocol.io/introduction). --- The fastest way to get started is to add ToolRouter now at [toolrouter.com/connect](/connect). One URL, 165+ tools, and Claude gets meaningfully more capable at the things you actually need to do.
