Adding a custom connector to Claude: how it works and what to check first
A connector is how Claude reaches something outside the conversation.
Some only read, some can change things, and the difference matters a great deal when the thing on the other end is a live ad account. This page covers how to add one, what separates a connector you can trust from one you cannot, and how the setup differs between the Claude app and Claude Code.
What you can do
A connector is an address, not an installation
A remote connector is a URL that Claude calls when it needs something it cannot do on its own. Nothing installs on your machine and nothing runs on your infrastructure. You paste the address once, approve the accounts it may reach, and it is available in every conversation after that.
Read only and write capable are different products
This is the distinction most comparison articles skip. A read only connector can answer questions about your data. A write capable one can change the underlying system. Both are useful, but only one of them replaces the work, and only one of them needs an approval gate.
Hosted connectors skip the credential problem
Self hosted MCP servers ask you to obtain platform credentials yourself, which for Google Ads means applying for a developer token and waiting for approval. A hosted connector handles that layer, so your setup is a sign in rather than a project.
Check what happens before a change is applied
The question to ask any write capable connector is what stands between an instruction and a live change. Look for a dry run preview, an explicit confirmation step, and a log you can read afterwards. If a connector applies changes the moment it understands them, that is a design choice you should make knowingly.
One connector can cover several accounts
Adding a connector per platform gets unwieldy fast. Opus Growth authorizes Google Ads, Microsoft Advertising, TikTok Ads and LinkedIn Ads plus Search Console, Analytics, Tag Manager, YouTube and Business Profile behind a single address, each with its own encrypted token.
The same address works beyond Claude
Because the Model Context Protocol is app agnostic, a well built remote connector works in ChatGPT developer mode, in Cursor and in Codex without a second account or a second configuration.
Set it up in 60 seconds
- 1
Add it in the Claude app
Open Settings, go to Connectors, choose Add custom connector, and paste the connector address. For Opus Growth that is https://mcp.opus-growth.com/mcp. Claude will show you the tools it exposes before you use any of them.
- 2
Add it in Claude Code
There is no settings screen in the terminal, so registration is one line: claude mcp add --transport http opus-growth https://mcp.opus-growth.com/mcp. A single OAuth approval links the account, and the agent that already reads your codebase gains the tools.
- 3
Authorize only what you need, then test on something reversible
Approve one account first rather than all of them. Then ask for a read, check the number against something you already know, and only after that ask for one small change so you can see the preview and approval flow with your own eyes.
Ask in plain English
›What connectors do I have available right now, and what can each of them actually do?
›Connect my Google Ads account, then show me the accounts you can see before we change anything.
›Read last week's spend from Google Ads and last week's sessions from GA4 and tell me if they agree.
›Add these five queries as negative keywords at the campaign level, but show me the preview first.
›Which of my connected platforms has the worst cost per conversion this month?
›Check my Search Console for pages that lost clicks in the last 28 days and tell me which ones also run ads.
Frequently asked questions
It is a remote address Claude calls to reach a system outside the conversation, built on the Model Context Protocol. You add it once in Settings under Connectors, approve which accounts it may reach, and Claude can then use the tools that connector exposes. Nothing is installed locally and nothing runs on your own servers.
In the Claude app, open Settings, go to Connectors, choose Add custom connector and paste the server address. In Claude Code, run claude mcp add --transport http <name> <url> in your terminal instead. For Opus Growth the address is https://mcp.opus-growth.com/mcp and the only other step is signing in with the account that owns the data.
Claude lists the tools a connector exposes before you use them, and the names are usually explicit: a tool called create_search_campaign clearly writes, one called performance_report clearly reads. If you cannot tell from the tool list, ask the connector directly in the chat what it can change, and ask what happens between your instruction and a live change.
Neither is inherently safer, they move the risk to different places. Self hosting means you hold the credentials and control the code, and you also carry the patching, the token renewals and the uptime. A hosted connector means you trust the provider with token storage, and in exchange the credential and infrastructure work disappears. What matters more than either is whether writes are gated behind a preview and an explicit approval.
Remote MCP connectors are app agnostic, so a well built one works in Claude, in ChatGPT developer mode connectors, in Cursor and in Codex. The Opus Growth address is the same in all of them, and the account authorization carries across, so you do not repeat setup per assistant.
Yes, and you should. Authorize one account rather than everything at once, and remember that each platform you approve gets its own encrypted token, so approving Google Ads does not grant anything on TikTok or LinkedIn. You can disconnect any single platform from your panel without affecting the others.
Adding it is free and the trial does not ask for a card. You get 75 credits that never expire, enough to run a genuine audit. Paid plans start at $49 per month, and the Agency plan at $99 per month adds manager account handling for people running several client accounts.
It tells you, rather than guessing. The tools are explicit about what they cover, so a request outside them comes back as a clear limitation instead of a silent partial action. This matters more than it sounds: a connector that quietly does something adjacent to what you asked is worse than one that says no.
Explore more
Add the connector, authorize one account, and ask it a question you already know the answer to.