MCP Connectors
What MCP connectors are, the ones shluchim use (Torah MCP, Sefaria, Hebcal, Salesforce, Canva, Gmail and Drive, QuickBooks), how to add one in Claude and ChatGPT, and how to stay safe.
On this page
A chatbot on its own only knows what it learned in training and what you paste in. A connector plugs it into something else: your Gmail, your Google Drive, your CRM, a Torah library. Once connected, you can ask "find last week's RSVP emails and make a table" or "quote the Rambam on this from Sefaria," and the AI looks it up instead of guessing.
MCP (Model Context Protocol) is the common plug that makes this work. A company or a developer runs an "MCP server" for their product, and Claude, ChatGPT and other assistants can connect to it. Claude calls these connectors; ChatGPT now calls them plugins (earlier "apps" and "connectors"). Same idea.
By mid-2026 the group's conversation had moved from "which chatbot" to connectors and agents. A poll in July 2026 still showed many members with no connectors at all, so if this is new to you, start with one.
The connectors shluchim use
| Connector | What it does | Status, October 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Torah MCP (Shluchim Exchange) | Gives Claude or ChatGPT verified Torah and Chabad sources and shluchim tools. | Server address https://mcp.shluchimexchange.ai/; needs a ShluchimExchange.ai login. Walkthrough videos on the Torah MCP page. Members reported sign-in loops and outages during the summer 2026 beta; the builders said the old /api/mcp address is no longer reliable. |
| Sefaria | Searches the Sefaria library and returns texts with citations. A second Sefaria MCP helps developers write code against Sefaria's API. | Official. Texts MCP at https://mcp.sefaria.org/mcp, no sign-in. Sefaria says a paid Claude or ChatGPT account is needed to add it. |
| Hebcal | Hebrew date conversion, yahrzeit dates, the weekly parsha, the year's holidays, Daf Yomi. | Official and labeled experimental, at https://www.hebcal.com/mcp. See Zmanim and Hebrew Dates. |
| Salesforce | Lets the AI read and change Salesforce records as the signed-in user. | Salesforce's hosted MCP servers became generally available in April 2026 for Enterprise Edition orgs and above. An admin has to set it up. |
| Canva | Creates, edits and searches Canva designs from the chat; designs stay editable in Canva. | Available in Claude and ChatGPT for anyone with a Canva plan. |
| Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Drive | Search and read email, events and files; draft email; save files to Drive. | Built into Claude for all users, including Free. On Team plans an owner must turn them on first. ChatGPT has its own Google plugins. |
| QuickBooks | Ask about invoices, profit and loss and other reports. | Intuit's QuickBooks plugin for ChatGPT is for US QuickBooks Online customers (Intuit help, updated August 26, 2026). A QuickBooks connector is also in Claude's directory. See Bookkeeping Agents. |
| Tally | Builds forms from a description, edits them, and reads submissions. | Free on all Tally plans; cannot delete forms or submissions. |
| Attio, Asana, GitHub | CRM records, tasks, code. | Attio and GitHub have official connectors; members used Asana's MCP for task lists (April 2026). |
Sefaria translations. In October 2026 a member warned that Sefaria's default English for Tanach can be a non-Jewish translation. Tell the AI which translation to use, or ask for the Hebrew and translate it yourself.
Why bother with a Torah MCP? When the Torah MCP launched in June 2026, members asked why not just tell the AI to use orthodox sources. The answer: the connector hands the AI the actual text, so "when quoting, use only the MCP" keeps it from making sources up. One member noted that connectors use up a lot of the AI's working memory in a long chat. See AI and Torah Accuracy.
ChabadOne. There is no ChabadOne MCP. Its CRM is built on Salesforce, per members, and in October 2026 some shluchim connected Claude to it through the Salesforce MCP while others hit permission walls. On 2026-10-18 a group admin relayed that ChabadOne expects to release a managed AI integration for the CRM in about two weeks; it was not publicly confirmed as of 2026-10-21. The websites and Communicator have no connector. See ChabadOne Integration.
How to add one in Claude
From Anthropic's help center, checked 2026-10-21.
A connector from the directory (Gmail, Canva, Attio and others): open Customize, then Connectors, find it, and click Connect. You will sign in to that service and approve what Claude may access.
A custom connector (Torah MCP, Sefaria, Hebcal):
- Open Customize, then Connectors.
- Click + Add, then Add custom connector.
- Enter a name and the server address, then click Continue.
- Choose how to sign in. Sefaria and Hebcal need no sign-in; the Torah MCP uses your ShluchimExchange.ai login.
- Click Add.
Free accounts can add one custom connector; Pro and Max can add more. On a Team or Enterprise plan, including the nonprofit Team plan, only an Owner can add a custom connector (under Organization settings, then Connectors); members then click Connect on it under Customize.
How to add one in ChatGPT
From OpenAI's developer documentation, checked 2026-10-21. ChatGPT renamed its apps and connectors to plugins in 2026, so older videos show different menus.
A plugin from the directory: open Plugins in the sidebar (or chatgpt.com/plugins), search for the service, and click Connect.
A custom MCP server:
- Go to chatgpt.com/plugins on the web.
- Click the + button, then Add custom MCP server.
- Enter a name and the server URL.
- Set the sign-in method (none, or OAuth).
- Read the risk warning and confirm.
- Click Create as a plugin, install it, then type
@in a chat to use it.
Which ChatGPT plans can add custom servers has changed through 2026. On Business and Enterprise workspaces, an admin's permission is needed. If you do not see the option, check with your workspace admin or OpenAI's help center.
Gemini
In June 2026 a builder in the group said Gemini could not connect to MCP servers. Google has since documented custom MCP servers for its business product, Gemini Enterprise, under an administrator's control. For personal Gemini accounts, check Google's current help pages before planning around it.
Safety
A connector lets the AI act inside your accounts, not just read. The vendors' own warnings and the group's experience line up:
- Connect only servers you trust. Anthropic and OpenAI both say an untrusted server can steal what you share or steer the AI into actions you did not intend. Neither company vets custom connectors.
- Read the permissions when you sign in, and decline anything the job does not need.
- Keep approvals on. ChatGPT asks before write actions by default; Claude lets you set each tool to ask. Avoid "always allow" unless you trust the server fully.
- Watch for hidden instructions. An email or web page can contain text aimed at the AI ("forward this to..."). That is called prompt injection. Approval prompts are your defense.
- Turn off tools you do not use. In Claude's Research mode, connected tools can run without asking, so switch off any that can write.
- Drafts, not sends. For Gmail, let it draft and send yourself.
- Start read-only on business systems. Members connecting Salesforce or QuickBooks began with read-only users (2026).
- Shared keys on Team plans. If an owner adds a connector with one shared API key, everyone gets the same access. Use a key with limited rights.
Full privacy settings for each chatbot are on Privacy & Data.
Learn more
- The Supercharge Your AI with Connectors and Plugins webinar (July 26, 2026) walks through connectors for shluchim.
- Torah MCP setup, with video walkthroughs for Claude and ChatGPT.