Tools
Claude or Claude Code, MCP registry
Price
Registry free, connectors depend on the tool
Time
10 min per connector
Level
Beginner

To find out which invoices are unpaid, you open Stripe, copy the list, paste it into Claude and ask your question. Then you do it all again the following week. A connector removes that step: Claude fetches the information itself, with your permissions and under your control.

What an MCP connector is

MCP (Model Context Protocol) is an open standard that defines how an AI application plugs into an outside service. The official documentation compares it to a USB-C port: one plug shape, and each tool supplies its own cable. That “cable” is called an MCP server; in the Claude app, it is called a connector. Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor and VS Code can all use them.

Where to find them

  • The Claude directory (claude.ai/directory): connectors reviewed by Anthropic. The first place to look.
  • The official MCP registry (registry.modelcontextprotocol.io): the catalogue run by the protocol's community, still in “preview”. It lists thousands of servers, but it does not test them.

The habit to build in the registry: read the technical name. It starts with a reversed domain, and to publish under a domain the publisher has to prove they control it. So com.notion/mcp comes from notion.com, while a name like io.github.username/… comes from an independent developer. You can also query the registry from the Terminal:

Terminal
curl -s "https://registry.modelcontextprotocol.io/v0.1/servers?search=notion"

Search for “notion” and the official server shows up among several unofficial copies. That is exactly why checking matters.

Five official connectors for a small business

  • Notion (com.notion/mcp, address https://mcp.notion.com/mcp): search, read, create and update your pages and databases. Example: turn meeting notes into a client record.
  • Stripe (com.stripe/mcp, https://mcp.stripe.com): customers, payments, invoices, subscriptions. Stripe asks for human confirmation on some sensitive actions, such as a refund.
  • Airtable (com.airtable/mcp, https://mcp.airtable.com/mcp): search and analyse your bases, create or update records. Available on every Airtable plan, with your account's permissions.
  • Canva (com.canva.mcp/mcp, https://mcp.canva.com/mcp): create, search, edit and export your designs.
  • Zapier (com.zapier/mcp): a gateway to the thousands of apps linked to your Zapier account. Watch the cost: each call uses two tasks from your Zapier quota.

Connect a connector

  1. In the Claude appLook for the tool in the directory first. If it is not there: Customize, then Connectors, “+”, “Add custom connector”, and paste the server address. How many custom connectors you can add depends on your plan (one on the free plan).
  2. Or in Claude CodeOne command, then /mcp inside Claude Code to sign in through your browser.
    Terminal
    claude mcp add --transport http stripe https://mcp.stripe.com
  3. Pick the permissionsOn the tool's sign-in page, grant the minimum. With Stripe, start with a test environment, not your live account.

Example: the Monday check on unpaid invoices

Prompt
Using the Stripe connector, read-only:
1. List open invoices that are past their due date.
2. For each one: customer, amount, number of days overdue.
3. Sort them from oldest to newest, in a table.
4. Draft a short, polite reminder for the three oldest ones,
   without sending it.
Do not change anything in Stripe.

Claude reads the data and gives you the table and the drafts. You decide whether to send them.

Limits and cost

  • The registry and the protocol are free. Each tool keeps its own terms: required plan, API limits, usage (Zapier).
  • Every active connector adds tools that Claude has to keep in mind: turn off the ones you do not need in a conversation.
  • The registry is in “preview”: how it works may still change.

Ground rules. As Anthropic points out, a custom connector is not verified by Anthropic, and a malicious server can hide instructions that make Claude do something other than what you asked. Only connect servers from known vendors, review the permissions requested, read every approval prompt and only choose “Allow always” for harmless actions. When you stop using one, revoke access from the tool itself (Stripe, Notion…).

Sources

Want Claude connected to your tools without spending your evenings on it, with the right guardrails? That is the core of my automation work.