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What this lesson is about

MCP — Model Context Protocol — is the technology that transforms Claude from a clever chat assistant into something far more powerful: a system that can actually operate your business tools on your behalf. In this lesson you will learn what MCP is, how to find and connect tools using the MCP registry, and why this feature is arguably the most valuable capability Claude Code offers to non-technical users.

Core concept: the universal plug adapter

If you have ever travelled internationally, you will know the frustration of arriving in a hotel room with a phone charger that does not fit the local wall socket. The solution is a travel adapter — a small device with a universal connector on one side that accepts your plug, and the correct local plug on the other side that fits the socket. It does not matter whether you are in Japan, Germany, or Brazil; the adapter makes your charger work everywhere.

MCP is Claude’s version of that travel adapter.

Every business tool — Slack, Google Drive, GitHub (a platform for managing software projects), your project management system, your calendar, your database — has its own way of communicating. Historically, getting one piece of software to talk to another required a developer to write custom code for each pair. It was expensive, fragile, and slow.

MCP is a universal standard — an agreed-upon language for how Claude should connect to any external tool. Once a tool has an MCP connector built for it, Claude can plug into it immediately, the same way your phone charger works the moment you snap the travel adapter into place.

You do not need to understand how the adapter works internally. You just need to know how to plug it in.

The critical distinction: knowing versus doing

Before MCP, Claude could answer questions about your tools. You could ask “How do I create a Slack channel?” and Claude would explain the steps. You could ask “What is the best way to organise a Google Drive folder?” and Claude would give you advice. But Claude could not actually do any of it. It was like asking a very knowledgeable friend for instructions — helpful, but you still had to do the work yourself.

MCP changes this entirely.

With an MCP connector installed, Claude can directly:

Read your Slack messages and post replies on your behalf
Create, move, and organise files in your Google Drive
Check your calendar and schedule meetings
Query (search through) your database and return specific records
Open issues (task tickets) in your project management tool
Commit (save and record) changes to a code repository

This is the difference between a consultant who advises you and a capable team member who actually does the work. MCP is what gives Claude hands.

What kinds of tools can be connected via MCP

The MCP ecosystem — the collection of tools and services that have MCP connectors available — is growing rapidly. At the time of writing, connectors exist for a wide range of categories:

Category	Examples
Communication	Slack, Microsoft Teams, Gmail
File storage	Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive
Calendars	Google Calendar, Outlook Calendar
Project management	Asana, Trello, Jira, Linear
Code repositories	GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket
Databases	PostgreSQL, MySQL, Supabase
Customer support	Zendesk, Intercom
Spreadsheets	Google Sheets, Airtable
Note-taking	Notion, Obsidian

If a tool is part of your daily workflow, there is a good chance an MCP connector already exists for it — or one is being developed. The ecosystem is community-driven, meaning developers around the world are continuously building new connectors.

How to find available connectors: the MCP registry

The MCP registry is a directory — think of it like an app store, but for Claude connectors. It lists all the officially supported and community-built MCP servers (a server here simply means a piece of software running in the background that handles the connection between Claude and your tool — you do not need to manage it yourself in most cases).

Where to look

Within Claude Code and on claude.ai, you can search for connectors directly in the interface. Look for a menu or settings panel labelled MCP, Connectors, or Tools. From there you can:

Browse available connectors by category
Search by name (for example, type “Slack” to find the Slack connector)
See what permissions each connector requires before you install it

You can also browse the registry online. Anthropic maintains documentation at docs.anthropic.com and the broader community maintains listings at mcpservers.org — a useful reference when you are looking for something specific.

What to search for

When searching the registry, try both the tool’s brand name and the category. For example:

Search terms to try:
- "Slack"             → finds the Slack MCP connector
- "Google Drive"      → finds the Google Drive connector
- "calendar"          → returns all calendar-related connectors
- "database"          → returns database connectors across providers
- "project management" → returns tools like Asana, Trello, Jira

If your search returns no results for a specific tool, search for the category instead — there may be a connector for a similar tool that covers the same need.

How to install and connect an MCP server

Installing an MCP connector is designed to be straightforward. Here is the general process, which applies to most connectors in the registry:

Step 1: Find the connector

Search the MCP registry as described above. Click on the connector you want to install. Read the description to confirm it does what you need.

Step 2: Review the permissions

Every connector will list the permissions it requires. A permission is an explicit right to access a specific part of your tool — for example, “read messages” or “send messages” or “create files.” Read these carefully. Only install connectors that ask for permissions you are comfortable granting.

Step 3: Connect your account

Most connectors use OAuth — a secure, industry-standard method of granting access without sharing your password. You will be redirected to the tool’s own login page (for example, Google’s sign-in screen), where you approve the permissions. Claude never sees your password.

Step 4: Confirm the connection

Once authorised, return to Claude Code. The connector should appear as active. You can test it immediately by asking Claude to perform a simple action with the connected tool.

Step 5: Start using it

You interact with connected tools through plain-English prompts — no special syntax required. Claude understands what you want and uses the connector to carry it out.

Real example: connecting Claude to Slack

Let us walk through what connecting Slack looks like in practice, from installation to real use.

Installing the Slack connector

1. Open Claude Code and navigate to the MCP / Connectors section.

2. Search for "Slack" in the registry.

3. Click the Slack connector and review the permissions:
   - Read messages from channels you have access to
   - Post messages to channels
   - Read direct messages (if you choose to grant this)

4. Click "Connect" or "Install". You will be redirected to Slack's
   login page. Sign in with your Slack account and approve the permissions.

5. Return to Claude Code. Slack now appears as a connected tool.

Using Claude with Slack

Once connected, you interact with Slack through Claude using ordinary language:

"Check the #marketing channel and summarise everything posted
in the last 48 hours. Flag any messages that seem to require
a response from me."

"Post a message to the #general channel letting the team know
that the Friday meeting has been moved to 2pm."

"Search all Slack channels for any messages mentioning the
Henderson proposal and compile them into a summary."

Claude handles the technical communication with Slack behind the scenes. You just describe what you want done, as you would to a capable colleague.

Why this is the most powerful feature for non-developers

Most automation tools — software that carries out repetitive tasks automatically — require you to either write code or learn a specialised drag-and-drop programming interface. These are real barriers for business owners and professionals whose expertise lies elsewhere.

MCP removes those barriers entirely.

You do not configure workflows with complex rules. You do not learn a new interface. You describe what you want in plain English, and Claude — connected to your tools via MCP — carries it out. Consider what becomes possible:

Every morning, Claude checks your email, your calendar, and your project management tool, then gives you a prioritised briefing
Claude monitors a shared Slack channel and automatically logs action items into your task management system
Claude reads a new enquiry from a customer, checks your Google Drive for relevant documents, drafts a response, and asks for your approval before sending
Claude queries your database, compiles the results into a formatted report, and saves it to Google Drive — ready for your Monday morning meeting

None of these workflows require you to write a single line of code. They require only clear instructions.

This is why MCP represents a genuine shift in what non-technical professionals can accomplish. The gap between “knowing what you want” and “having the technical ability to make it happen” has never been smaller.

What to do if a connector does not exist for your tool yet

The MCP ecosystem, while growing quickly, does not yet cover every tool. If you search the registry and find nothing for the software you use, here are your options:

Check for alternatives

Search by category rather than by brand name. If your project management tool does not have a connector, another tool in the same category might — and it may handle your use case well enough.

Check again in a few weeks

New connectors are being published regularly. If nothing exists today, bookmark the registry and check back in a month. The pace of development is fast.

Request it from the community

The MCP connector community is active and responsive. Many connectors were built because someone asked for them in a public forum, on GitHub, or in the Anthropic developer community. Making a request is free and takes five minutes.

Ask your tool’s developers

Many software companies are now building their own official MCP connectors. If you use a tool that does not yet have one, contact their support team and ask whether MCP integration is on their roadmap. Enough customer requests accelerate these decisions considerably.

Use WebFetch as an interim solution

If your tool has a public-facing webpage that contains the information you need, WebFetch (covered in Lesson 11) can serve as a temporary workaround while you wait for a proper connector. It is not as capable as a full MCP integration, but it can cover read-only use cases — checking a public status page, reading publicly available pricing, and so on.

Practical Exercise

In this exercise you will find, install, and test an MCP connector for a tool you already use.

a. Open Claude Code and navigate to the MCP or Connectors section of the interface. Search the registry for one of the following: Slack, Google Drive, Notion, or a project management tool you use regularly. Read the permissions list carefully before proceeding. If you are comfortable with the permissions, click Connect and complete the authorisation with your account.

b. Once the connector is active, test it with a simple read request — something that asks Claude to retrieve information rather than make changes. For example:

List the five most recent files in my Google Drive and tell me
when each one was last modified.

Check my Slack workspace and tell me which channels I am a member of.

c. Now test a write action — something that creates or sends something. Keep it low-stakes: a draft, a test message in a private channel, or a new folder with a clearly labelled test name. For example:

Create a new folder in my Google Drive called "MCP Test — safe to delete"
and confirm when it has been created.

Once Claude confirms the action, open the tool directly and verify that the change was made. This confirms the connection is working correctly end to end.

Common problems and how to fix them

The connector does not appear after I authorise it

Sometimes the authorisation completes in your browser but Claude Code does not register the connection immediately. Close and reopen Claude Code, then navigate back to the Connectors section. If the connector still does not appear, try the authorisation process again. If the problem persists, check that you are signed into the correct account in both Claude Code and the tool you are connecting.

Claude says it does not have access to my tool even though it is connected

This usually means the connector is installed but not active for the current conversation. Check the Connectors or Tools panel within your conversation to confirm the connector is switched on. Some interfaces require you to enable connectors per-conversation rather than globally.

The connector asks for more permissions than I am comfortable granting

Do not approve permissions you are not comfortable with. Instead, look for an alternative connector that requests fewer permissions, or contact the connector’s developer to ask whether a more limited version is available. Never approve access to sensitive systems — such as financial tools or HR databases — without understanding exactly what the connector will do with that access.

Claude made a change I did not intend

This is one of the most important things to understand about MCP: Claude acts on what you say. If you ask Claude to “clean up the project channel” and it interprets this more broadly than you intended, the results may not match your expectations. To avoid this, be specific in your instructions and — for any action that cannot be easily undone — ask Claude to describe what it is about to do before it does it:

Before you make any changes, tell me exactly what you are planning to do
and wait for my confirmation.

This single habit prevents the vast majority of unintended actions.

I cannot find a connector for the tool I need

Refer to the section above on what to do when a connector does not yet exist. In the meantime, use WebFetch for read-only access to public pages, or consider whether a different tool in the same category might serve your immediate need.

What you have learned in this lesson

MCP stands for Model Context Protocol — a universal standard that lets Claude connect to and operate external tools and services
The critical difference between Claude advising you about a tool and Claude actually using that tool on your behalf; MCP enables the second
MCP connectors exist for a wide range of business tools including Slack, Google Drive, calendars, project management software, databases, and more
How to search the MCP registry to find available connectors, and what to look for when evaluating them
The general process for installing and authorising an MCP connector: find it, review permissions, connect via OAuth, and test it
A worked example of connecting Slack and using Claude to read channels and post messages through plain-English prompts
Why MCP is particularly transformative for non-technical users — it removes the code barrier between wanting to automate something and actually doing it
What to do when a connector does not yet exist for your tool: check alternatives, revisit the registry later, request it from the community, or use WebFetch as an interim solution
The importance of asking Claude to confirm its planned actions before executing changes that cannot be easily undone

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