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Claude

Course · Intermediate · Claude pathway, stage 3 of 5

Claude connectors and tools
for everyday work

Understand what connectors and tools do, choose and connect an approved service, retrieve information with sources you can check, and know the difference between reading information and taking action.

Platform: Claude
Level: Intermediate
Duration: 1 day
Format: Live online
Dates & price: Sent when you register interest

Register interest See the modules

See what you’ll create

Watch the work take shape.

Prepared examples of the exercises in this course. Each one shows the starting material, the AI-assisted step, the human review and the finished result you can open and read.

Main example · 43 seconds · narrated, sound off until you choose

An approved connector feeds a source-backed briefing

Starting material A request and an approved connector
Instruction Ask for sources and dates
Retrieving Access follows your own permissions
Retrieved Four documents, each with a date
Human review One source is out of date
Read, not act Nothing sent or changed
Finished work Every point traced to a source

Read the transcript

Starting material. In this example, someone needs a briefing on a project, using an approved, read-only demonstration connector.
Instruction. They ask for a one-page briefing, with the source and date for every point.
Retrieving. Claude asks the connector for relevant documents. It can only read what this person is allowed to see.
Retrieved. Four documents come back, each with its source and date.
Human review. The learner notices that one plan is out of date, and leaves it out.
Read, not act. Nothing is sent and nothing is changed. Reading information is different from taking action.
Finished work. The finished briefing traces every point to its source. You can read it in full below.

Prepared demonstration with fictional details. It is not a recording of Claude and not live AI output. Background footage was generated with Higgsfield and the narration uses a synthetic Higgsfield voice; the soft tones were synthesised separately. Every word, number and line of code on screen is rendered from the example below. Higgsfield is not part of the course.

Where it starts: A request for a briefing and an approved, read-only demonstration connector.
What you practise: Scoping a request, reading what the connector retrieved, tracing each point to a source and leaving out superseded documents.
What the result contains: Each point with its source and date
A note of sources left out, and why
Confirmation that nothing was changed or sent
What a person still checks: That every point matches its source
Which version of a document is current
Anything that conflicts between sources
Where it sits in the course: Module: Retrieving information and checking sources

Short loops · silent, a few seconds each

A connector returns relevant informationRead-only access. Then: Each result with a source and date.GIF version (783 KB)

Reading versus actingA reply is drafted. Then: Sending is declined.GIF version (877 KB)

Still images · for a quick look or a static alternative

Before and after, illustrative: A request and an approved connector beside the finished work. Full details are in the walkthrough below. — Before and after · static view

The completed example · select to read it in full

Inspect every step · pause, replay or show the completed state

You practise this in the course

An approved connector retrieves documents for a source-backed briefing

Starting material
Request
- Brief me on the Harbour Lane fit-out
- Connector: Demo Drive (demonstration)
- Access: read-only
Prompt or instruction
Instruction
Using the Demo Drive connector, find the latest documents about the Harbour Lane fit-out and give me a one-page briefing. List the source and date for every point, and tell me if any sources disagree.
AI-assisted work
1. Project plan v3Demo Drive · 2 Oct
2. Budget trackerDemo Drive · 29 Sep
3. Site meeting notesDemo Drive · 1 Oct
4. Project plan v2Demo Drive · 12 Aug · older
Human review
- Every point has a source and date (Checked)
- Plan v2 superseded by v3: left out (Action needed)
- Nothing was sent or changed (Checked)
Finished deliverable
Harbour Lane · briefing
- Fit-out: week 6 of 10 (plan v3)
- Budget: 4% under (tracker)
- Open: lift delivery date (notes)
- 3 sources used, 1 left out

You start with: A request for a briefing and an approved, read-only demonstration connector.
What you practise: Scoping a request, reading what the connector retrieved, tracing each point to a source and leaving out superseded documents.
The finished output contains: Each point with its source and date
A note of sources left out, and why
Confirmation that nothing was changed or sent
Still needs human checking: That every point matches its source
Which version of a document is current
Anything that conflicts between sources
Related course: Claude Connectors and Tools for Everyday Work · Module: Retrieving information and checking sources

Account note: In the course you use your own Claude account and services you are allowed to use, with non-confidential information. At work, your organisation decides which connectors and tools are allowed.

Download the sample (PDF, 22 KB)

You practise this in the course

Reading information versus taking action: a reply drafted but not sent

Starting material
Demo Mail · thread
- Supplier asks for the revised date
- Revised date is in plan v3
- Reply needed today
Prompt or instruction
Instruction
Draft a reply to the supplier with the revised delivery date from plan v3. Do not send it: I will review the draft first.
AI-assisted work
ToSupplier (demonstration)
SubjectRevised delivery date
- Thanks for checking in.
- Revised delivery: 17 November
- Site access from 7 am
- I’ll confirm the bay number
Human review
- Date matches plan v3 (Checked)
- Send action: declined (Checked)
- Draft kept for review (Checked)
Finished deliverable
Read Act
Mail thread Read –
Project plan Read –
Send reply – Declined

You start with: A supplier’s question in a demonstration mail service and the current project plan.
What you practise: Recognising tools that change or send information, declining an action and keeping the draft for review.
The finished output contains: A draft reply using the date from the current plan
The send action declined
A clear split between what was read and what was not done
Still needs human checking: The date against the current plan
Who should send the reply, and when
Approval settings for send tools
Related course: Claude Connectors and Tools for Everyday Work · Module: Actions, safety and troubleshooting

Account note: In the course you use your own Claude account and services you are allowed to use, with non-confidential information. At work, your organisation decides which connectors and tools are allowed.

Download the sample (PDF, 21 KB)

Prepared demonstration Prepared demonstrations with fictional names and figures. They show the kind of work practised, not live AI output, and your own results will depend on your material.

Who it's for

Non-technical professionals and team champions who want Claude to work with information in the services their organisation already uses.

Experience needed: Comfortable using Claude for everyday tasks. No technical skills needed.

Problems it solves

If this sounds familiar

Copying information from five different apps into one chat
Not knowing what Claude can see in a connected service
Uncertainty about whether Claude will send or change something
Summaries that cannot be traced back to a source

Outcomes

By the end you can

Explain what connectors and tools do and when to use them
Choose an appropriate integration and check access first
Connect, configure and disconnect an approved service
Retrieve information and trace every point to a source
Tell read-only tasks apart from actions that change or send information
Troubleshoot common access problems

Modules

How the day runs

4 modules, taught live with hands-on practice in each. Select a module to see its topics.

Connectors and tools explained
Choosing and connecting
Retrieving information and checking sources
Actions, safety and troubleshooting

1Connectors and tools explained

4 topics

What connectors and tools are, in plain English
Directory connectors, desktop extensions and custom connectors
How access follows your own permissions in each service
What changes when your organisation manages connectors

2Choosing and connecting

4 topics

Selecting the right integration for a task
Checking access and approval before you connect
Connecting an approved service and signing in
Setting tools to allowed, ask first or blocked

3Retrieving information and checking sources

4 topics

Asking for information with a clear scope
Reading what was retrieved and where it came from
Building a source-backed briefing
Spotting outdated, missing or conflicting sources

4Actions, safety and troubleshooting

4 topics

Read-only tasks versus actions that change or send information
Approving, declining and reviewing actions
Troubleshooting sign-in and access problems
Disconnecting services you no longer need

Practical exercises

What you practise

Exercise 1
Map your integrations
List the services you use and decide which tasks need read access and which would take action.
Exercise 2
Connect an approved service
Connect a service you are allowed to use, review its tools and set which ones ask before acting.
Exercise 3
Source-backed briefing
Gather sample information through the connector and produce a briefing with every point traced to a source.
Exercise 4
Retrieve, don’t send
Draft a reply from retrieved information, then decline the send action and keep the draft for review.

What you will create

Real work, finished during the session

Sample previews · illustrative content, not final course material · Watch examples take shape

BriefingSource-backed briefing

Sources: Three documents via the connector
Format: Point, source, date
Check: Outdated source flagged

A one-page briefing where every point links to the document it came from.

MapIntegration map

Read: Search, summarise, compare
Act: Send, create, update
Rule: Act tools ask first

Your services, the tasks for each and the access each task needs.

ReferenceTroubleshooting guide

Sign-in: Expired or revoked access
Scope: Folder or channel not shared
Policy: Tool blocked by an admin

What to check when a connector does not return what you expect.

You leave with

A source-backed briefing from a connected service
An integration map for your role
A read-versus-act checklist
A troubleshooting quick reference

Platform and delivery

Where you learn

Claude

Taught on Claude. One day, live online. Register interest for the next dates and the price. This course is stage 3 of the Claude learning pathway. About Claude training

Requirements

Before you come

Account

A Claude account. Directory connectors are available on all plans, and custom connectors are limited on free accounts. On Team and Enterprise plans an administrator decides which connectors are available and how their tools are permitted. You use your own Claude account and connect services you are already allowed to use, with non-confidential information only. Check with your administrator before the session if your organisation manages connectors.

Equipment

A laptop with a current browser, your own Claude account, and access to at least one service you are allowed to connect (for example a shared drive or calendar).

Experience

Comfortable using Claude for everyday tasks. No technical skills needed.

Data

Use only non-confidential material in exercises. We show you how to check your organisation's AI policy and what not to paste into an assistant.

Dates and pricing

How to book

Public sessions

Register interest and we'll email you the next available dates, session times and the price. Nothing is booked until you confirm.

Register interest

Private team sessions

Teams of six or more can book a private session, with exercises adapted to your own work and tools.

About team training

Questions

Before you register

Will I connect my organisation’s systems?

You use your own Claude account and connect only services you are already allowed to use, working with non-confidential information. If your organisation manages connectors, check with your administrator first. You also leave with a checklist for connecting approved services at work.

Which plan do I need?

Directory connectors work on all Claude plans. On Team and Enterprise plans an administrator chooses which connectors are available.

Can Claude send emails or change records through a connector?

Some connectors include tools that can change or send information. You learn to recognise them, to set them to ask first, and to decline actions you don’t want. Claude also cannot do anything your own account isn’t allowed to do in that service.

Is this the same as MCP?

Connectors are built on the Model Context Protocol (MCP). This course is about using them; Claude MCP: Connect and Configure covers the technical side.

How long is the course?

One day, live online. Register interest and we’ll email you the next available dates and the price.

Claude ConnectorsRegister interest

Finished example · prepared demonstration

An approved connector retrieves documents for a source-backed briefing

You practise this in the course

Request: One-page briefing on the Harbour Lane fit-out (fictional)
Connector: Demo Drive, a demonstration service, read-only
Sources: Three used, one left out

Point	Source	Date
Fit-out is in week 6 of 10	Project plan v3	2 Oct
Spending is 4% under budget	Budget tracker	29 Sep
Lift delivery date not yet confirmed	Site meeting notes	1 Oct

Left out

Project plan v2 (12 Aug): superseded by version 3.

Not done

No files were changed and nothing was sent. Only read-only tools were used.

Fictional names and figures. Prepared to show the kind of output, not live AI output.

You start with: A request for a briefing and an approved, read-only demonstration connector.
What you practise: Scoping a request, reading what the connector retrieved, tracing each point to a source and leaving out superseded documents.
The prompt used: Using the Demo Drive connector, find the latest documents about the Harbour Lane fit-out and give me a one-page briefing. List the source and date for every point, and tell me if any sources disagree.
The finished output contains: Each point with its source and date
A note of sources left out, and why
Confirmation that nothing was changed or sent
Still needs human checking: That every point matches its source
Which version of a document is current
Anything that conflicts between sources
Related course: Claude Connectors and Tools for Everyday Work · Module: Retrieving information and checking sources

Account note: In the course you use your own Claude account and services you are allowed to use, with non-confidential information. At work, your organisation decides which connectors and tools are allowed.

Download this sample (PDF, 22 KB)

Finished example · prepared demonstration

Reading information versus taking action: a reply drafted but not sent

You practise this in the course

ToSupplier (demonstration)

SubjectRevised delivery date

Thanks for checking in. The revised delivery date is 17 November, with site access from 7 am.

I’ll confirm the loading bay number by Friday.

Step	Type	Result
Read the supplier’s message	Read	Done
Read project plan v3	Read	Done
Send the reply	Action	Declined: kept as a draft

Fictional names and figures. Prepared to show the kind of output, not live AI output.

You start with: A supplier’s question in a demonstration mail service and the current project plan.
What you practise: Recognising tools that change or send information, declining an action and keeping the draft for review.
The prompt used: Draft a reply to the supplier with the revised delivery date from plan v3. Do not send it: I will review the draft first.
The finished output contains: A draft reply using the date from the current plan
The send action declined
A clear split between what was read and what was not done
Still needs human checking: The date against the current plan
Who should send the reply, and when
Approval settings for send tools
Related course: Claude Connectors and Tools for Everyday Work · Module: Actions, safety and troubleshooting

Account note: In the course you use your own Claude account and services you are allowed to use, with non-confidential information. At work, your organisation decides which connectors and tools are allowed.

Download this sample (PDF, 21 KB)