Claude on its own is already powerful. Claude with connectors is a different tool entirely. Connectors are bridges that let Claude talk to your real accounts and take real actions inside other apps. These are the 5 to install first.
The plan · 5 steps
How Connectors Work
Connectors let Claude pull real data from your accounts and take actions inside other platforms without you leaving the chat. Once a connector is active, Claude uses it automatically when you ask for something relevant. No need to activate it each time.
How to install any connector
Open Claude (desktop app or claude.ai). Click your profile icon and go to Settings. Open Connectors. Browse the available list or click + to add a custom one. Click Connect and authorize your account when prompted.
All five connectors below take about 10 minutes total to set up.
Canva. Design directly from chat
The Canva connector turns Claude into a graphic designer inside your own Canva account. You describe the design in plain English and Claude builds it using your brand kit, templates, colors, and fonts.
What you can do:
- Instagram carousels from a topic and slide count
- Presentations and pitch decks from an outline
- Social media posts, stories, banners, thumbnails
- Brand kits applied consistently across every design
- Flyers, one-pagers, infographics, ads
Example prompts:
Rick's tip
connect your Canva account with your brand kit already set up so Claude automatically pulls your colors, fonts, and logos into every design.
Meta Ads. Run ads from the chat
The Meta Ads connector gives Claude direct access to your Facebook and Instagram ad account. It can pull performance data, surface trends you would never spot scrolling through Ads Manager, and even create and launch campaigns straight from the conversation.
MCP setup (2 minutes):
- MCP URL: mcp.facebook.com/ads
- In Claude go to Settings > Connectors
- Click + > Add Custom Connector
- Name it Meta Ads, paste the URL, and authorize with your Facebook Business account
What you can do:
- Pull campaign data and metrics across all active campaigns
- Find hidden trends in what is working and what is not
- Create new campaigns from a description of audience, budget, and creative
- Optimize spend by killing losers and scaling winners
- Generate clean performance reports for clients or your team
Example prompts:
Booking.com. Book travel from chat
The Booking.com connector lets Claude search hotels in real time, compare prices, read reviews, and book your stay without opening a browser. Tell it where you want to go, the dates, budget, and preferences, and it handles the rest.
What you can do:
- Real-time availability and pricing for any destination
- Side-by-side comparison ranked by price, rating, location, amenities
- Review summaries so you do not have to scroll through hundreds
- Book stays directly through the conversation
- Plan multi-city trips with the best hotel for each leg
Example prompts:
Higgs Field. Generate images, video, and UGC ads
Higgs Field gives Claude access to 30+ AI image and video generation models (Flux, Kling, Minimax, Veo, and more) without you switching tools. Describe what you want and Claude generates it through Higgs Field.
MCP setup (2 minutes):
- MCP URL: https://mcp.higgsfield.ai
- Create an account at higgsfield.ai and add credits
- In Claude go to Settings > Connectors > + > Add Custom Connector
- Name it Higgs Field, paste the URL, and authorize
What you can do:
- Generate product photos, social graphics, marketing visuals, concept art
- Generate short video clips, product demos, and social video
- Create UGC-style AI ads
- Access multiple models depending on the style you need
- Iterate in conversation: adjust style, lighting, angle, composition, regenerate
Example prompts:
Gmail. Manage your entire inbox from chat
The Gmail connector lets Claude read, write, and send emails on your behalf. Summarize your inbox, draft replies in your voice, clear out subscriptions, find specific emails, and send messages, all from the chat. This is the connector that saves most people the most time.
What you can do:
- Summarize unread email sorted by priority
- Draft replies in your voice based on the original email
- Send new emails or replies directly from chat
- Search emails by sender, subject, date, or content
- Identify and unsubscribe from newsletter clutter
- Sort and label emails into categories
Example prompts:
Rick's tip
Claude always asks for approval before sending. It drafts the message and shows it to you first. Confirm, edit, or reject before anything leaves your inbox.
Install Order
Start with Gmail. It is the biggest immediate impact for almost everyone. Add Canva if you create visual content. Add Meta Ads if you run paid campaigns. Add Booking.com before your next trip. Add Higgs Field if you need AI-generated images or video.
Open Claude, go to Settings > Connectors, and install your first one. Gmail is the fastest win. Try it, then come back for the rest.