How to Add a Claude Custom Connector

Updated October 31, 2026

A Claude custom connector is a remote MCP server you add to Claude by its URL. Go to Customize → Connectors, click + Add, choose Add custom connector, paste the URL, follow the dialog through to Add, then click Connect and sign in. Every Claude plan can do it, though Free accounts get one.

The URL is the install. For most servers you won't download anything or paste a key, because the server signs you in through your browser.

Claude reaches custom connectors from Anthropic's cloud, not from your computer, so the URL has to work from the public internet. If yours won't connect, check that first.

What you need first

A remote MCP server URL. It starts with https://, the server's developer gives it to you, and it often ends in /mcp. If all you have is a command like npx some-server, that's a local server, and it belongs in the Claude Desktop config file instead.

You also need the right role. On Free, Pro, Max and Ultra you add it yourself. On Team, adding one is limited to Owners and Primary Owners; on Enterprise, Owners, Primary Owners and custom roles that include "Manage access to Libraries" can.

Steps for Pro, Max and Free

1. Go to Customize → Connectors. (This link opens the dialog directly: https://claude.ai/new?modal=add-custom-connector#customize/connectors.)
2. Click + Add, then Add custom connector.
3. Enter a name and the remote MCP server URL, then click Continue.
4. Claude checks the server and shows the authentication settings it found. Review them and click Continue.
5. Choose an Authentication option, an OAuth client option and any request headers.
6. Click Add.
7. Click Connect, sign in on the server's page and click Allow (or Authorize).

What the options on step 5 mean

Authentication has three choices. "Sign in now" logs you in straight away. "Sign in when needed" waits until Claude first uses a tool. "No sign in" is for public servers with no accounts, and picking it hides the OAuth client setting.

The OAuth client setting decides how Claude introduces itself to the server's login system. "Use Claude's published identity" is the recommended choice. "Register automatically" and "Use your own OAuth client" are for servers that need something different, like a client ID the server's owner gave you.

That maps onto the MCP spec, which signs remote users in with OAuth 2.1 and gives clients a few ways to get an ID. The remote MCP server guide walks through the flow if you're curious what happens behind the Allow button.

Request headers are for servers that use a fixed API key or bearer token instead of a login. Claude sends what you enter with every request. Most servers built for Claude don't need them.

Steps for Team and Enterprise

An Owner adds it once for the whole organization:

1. Go to Organization settings → Connectors.
2. Click Add, hover over Custom and select Web.
3. Enter a name and the server URL, then click Continue.
4. Review the detected authentication settings and click Continue.
5. Choose the Authentication option, OAuth client option and any headers.
6. Click Add.

Each member then goes to Customize → Connectors, finds the connector (usually labeled Custom) and clicks Connect. Everyone signs in as themselves, so each person's Claude gets only that person's access.

Once it's added, it's an ordinary connector. Switching it on per chat and using it on mobile work the same as any directory connector, and the connectors guide covers both.

A worked example: Kitepod for a WordPress site

Kitepod pairs a WordPress plugin with a free hosted MCP endpoint at https://kitepod.com/mcp, and logs you in through OAuth 2.1.

On the WordPress side, upload the plugin under Plugins → Add New → Upload (WordPress 6.4 or later, PHP 7.4 or later), press Connect on its screen in wp-admin, log in, and choose the WordPress account the assistant will work as. Claude can't do more than that account is allowed to.

Then in Claude, it's the steps above with Kitepod's details:

1. Customize → Connectors → + Add → Add custom connector.
2. Name it Kitepod, paste https://kitepod.com/mcp and click Continue.
3. Review the authentication settings Claude found and click Continue.
4. Choose the options and click Add.
5. Click Connect, log in to your Kitepod account and approve with Allow.

Then ask it something small to check it works:

You never created an application password or handed Claude one. The token Claude holds is for Kitepod only. There's more on what Claude can do with a site on the WordPress MCP page.

If you'd rather add servers from a terminal, Claude Code does it with claude mcp add, and the Claude MCP overview has the terminal route.

What goes wrong

"Couldn't connect" for a server on your machine or office network. Claude connects to custom connectors from Anthropic's cloud, on the web, the desktop app and mobile alike. A server on localhost, a home network, or behind a VPN or firewall won't connect unless you allowlist Anthropic's IP addresses. Put it on a public HTTPS address, or keep it local and use it from Claude Desktop or Claude Code.

You pasted the wrong URL. Custom connectors can't be edited. Remove it and add it again with the right details.

Free plan, second connector. Free accounts are limited to one custom connector. Remove the old one or upgrade.

The Add button isn't there on a Team plan. Members can't add custom connectors. An Owner adds it under Organization settings, then you click Connect.

Research ran a tool without asking. During advanced research, connector tools run without further approval. If a connector can write or delete things, turn those tools off before you start.

Finer points

How do I add an MCP server to Claude?

For a remote server with a URL, add it as a custom connector using the steps above. For a local server you start with a command, use Claude Desktop's config file or Claude Code. The Claude MCP overview compares the four places MCP works.

Can I add a local MCP server as a custom connector?

Not directly. Custom connectors are reached from Anthropic's cloud, so the server has to be on the public internet.

Is a custom connector safe?

That depends entirely on the server behind it. Anthropic says it hasn't verified custom connectors, so add servers only from people you trust, read the access you're granting when you log in, and keep an eye on tools that start behaving differently.

Do custom connectors cost money?

Adding one is included on every plan. The server may charge separately. Kitepod, for example, is free.

How do I change a custom connector's URL?

You can't edit it. Remove it under Customize → Connectors and add it again.

If the dialog can't find a way to sign in to your server, the server's own docs are the next stop, not Claude's.