How to add a custom connector to Claude

Last updated October 31, 2026

A custom connector lets claude.ai, Claude Desktop and the Claude mobile apps use a remote MCP server that you add yourself. You add it on claude.ai in a browser: open Customize, then Connectors, choose "Add custom connector", enter a name and the server's URL, then Connect and sign in to that service. To add Memlo, use the URL https://memlo.ai/mcp and leave the OAuth client ID and secret empty. The connector then appears in every Claude app on the same account.

What you need

• A Claude account. Anthropic's help center says custom connectors are available on the Free, Pro, Max, Ultra, Team and Enterprise plans, and "Free users are limited to one custom connector."
• On a Team plan, only Owners and Primary Owners can add a custom connector for the organization; on Enterprise, Owners, Primary Owners and people with a role that allows it. Each person then connects it.
• The server's URL. For Memlo, a Memlo account too; accounts are by invitation for now, and you can join the waitlist on the home page.

Add the connector

1. On claude.ai, open Customize, then Connectors (https://claude.ai/customize/connectors).
2. Choose "+ Add", then "Add custom connector".
3. Name: Memlo. Remote MCP server URL: https://memlo.ai/mcp.
4. Under OAuth client, choose "Use Claude's published identity (Recommended)". Don't enter a client ID or secret: Claude identifies itself to Memlo's sign-in on its own.
5. Choose Add, then Connect. Sign in to Memlo in the page that opens.
6. The consent page asks "Allow Claude (claude.ai) to use Memlo?". Choose Continue.
7. Start a new chat. If the Memlo tools aren't offered, open the chat's + menu, then Connectors, and switch Memlo on.

On a Team or Enterprise plan

An Owner adds the connector under Organization settings, then Connectors. Each person then chooses Connect under Customize, then Connectors, and signs in with their own Memlo account.

The URL mistake to avoid

The URL must be the server's MCP address, exactly. For Memlo that is https://memlo.ai/mcp. A connector saved as https://memlo.ai, without /mcp, never finishes connecting. Remove the connector and add it again with the right URL.

Claude Desktop and the mobile apps

Anthropic says remote connectors "are configured and brokered through your Claude account," so they work across claude.ai, Claude Desktop, Cowork and the mobile apps. A connector added on claude.ai also appears in Claude Desktop and the Claude mobile apps on the same Claude account. Claude Desktop loads connectors when it starts: quit it completely and open it again (on a Mac, choose Quit from the Claude menu or press Command-Q; on Windows, quit from the icon near the clock). Closing the window isn't enough.

Use it in a chat

Ask in plain words:

• "Use Memlo to tell me who I'm signed in as." Claude calls whoami.
• "Search Memlo for how Acme Pay webhooks retry." Claude calls search_memories and reads the best match.
• "Save to Memlo: the billing service moved to the ledger-api." Claude saves a memory.

To have Claude load your memory at the start of each chat, put this sentence in Claude's custom instructions: "Before anything else, call the Memlo tool get_prime_directive and follow what it returns."

Custom connector or Claude Code?

A custom connector is for claude.ai, Claude Desktop and the mobile apps. Claude Code adds MCP servers itself, with claude mcp add --transport http memlo https://memlo.ai/mcp and then /mcp to sign in. See How to add an MCP server to Claude Code. Both can use the same Memlo account, so a memory saved in a chat is found from the terminal.

Before you add one

Anthropic's help center warns that custom connectors connect Claude to "arbitrary services that have not been verified by Anthropic." Only add servers you trust, check what their tools can do, and be aware that text in emails, web pages or documents can try to steer the model (prompt injection).

Remove or disconnect

• To remove the connector from Claude, remove it under Customize, then Connectors.
• To cut off Claude's access from the Memlo side, open Account settings in the Memlo app and choose Disconnect next to Claude under Connected apps.

Frequently asked questions

What is a Claude custom connector?

It's a remote MCP server that you add to Claude yourself, rather than one from Claude's connector directory. Claude then gets that server's tools in chats.

Can I add a custom connector on the free plan?

Yes, one. Anthropic's help center says "Free users are limited to one custom connector."

Do I need an OAuth client ID and secret?

Not for Memlo. Choose "Use Claude's published identity" and enter no client ID or secret; you sign in with your own Memlo account. Claude also offers "Register automatically" and "Use your own OAuth client" for servers that need them.

Why does my custom connector never connect?

Check that the URL is the server's full MCP address. For Memlo it must end in /mcp. Then remove the connector and add it again.

Does a connector work in Claude Desktop?

Yes. Connectors added on claude.ai appear in Claude Desktop on the same account. Quit Claude Desktop completely and open it again so it loads them.

Sources

Checked on October 31, 2026:

• Get started with custom connectors using remote MCP, Claude Help Center
• Connect Claude Code to tools via MCP, Claude Code docs
• Memlo: the setup page, section "Set up claude.ai or Claude Desktop"