Are Claude connectors and MCP the same thing?

They describe different parts of the setup. A connector is the connection you add in Claude. MCP is an open standard used by custom remote connectors and local tools. For a custom remote service, you use a connector backed by MCP.

Claude connectors vs MCP servers: which should I install?

Follow the service’s instructions. A remote service such as 1folder supplies an address you add as a custom connector. A local tool designed for Claude Desktop can use a desktop extension. These are different setups, not competing editions of the same product.

Do Claude Desktop connectors run on my computer?

Not necessarily. Claude’s help says remote custom connectors originate from Anthropic’s cloud even when you use Desktop. Local MCP servers and extensions are the separate mechanism that runs on your computer.

Are connectors only for reading?

No. Claude’s help says a connector’s tools can read data, create, change or delete it, and take actions for you. What a service offers, and what you allow, decide what it can do. In 1folder you choose view or view and edit for each connection.

Can a free Claude account add a custom connector?

Yes, one. Claude’s help lists custom connectors on Free, Pro, Max, Ultra, Team and Enterprise, with Free limited to one custom connector. On Team and Enterprise, owners control which ones are added.

Will connecting 1folder save my work automatically?

No. Ask Claude to save or update a named file. You can add “save my work to 1folder” to your app’s custom instructions for repeated use, but connecting alone does not copy chats, memory or previous files.

Claude connectors vs MCP: the feature and the standard

Short answer

Claude connectors and MCP are not competing products. A connector is how you add an external service to Claude; MCP, the Model Context Protocol, is an open standard for connecting AI apps to tools and data. Claude’s custom remote connectors use MCP. Local MCP tools on Claude Desktop are a separate setup. 1folder is one remote connector built on MCP.

Checked on November 11, 2026 against 2 sources.

Add to your AIFree to start. No card.

Claude connectors

What it isA connection you add in Claude
Custom remote servicesAdd the service, then connect
Local Claude Desktop toolsRemote connectors differ from local extensions

MCP

What it isAn open connection standard
Custom remote servicesThe service supplies tools over MCP
Local Claude Desktop toolsLocal tools can run on your computer

Claude connectors and MCP compared by what each means, how a service is added and where local or remote tools run. A custom remote connector uses the standard.

The connection you add and the standard it uses

What	Claude connectors	MCP
What it is	Claude connectorsA Claude feature for connecting external services and their tools	MCPAn open standard for connecting AI apps to tools and data
Custom remote services	Claude connectorsAdd a name and the service’s remote address, then connect	MCPThe remote MCP server supplies the tools Claude can use
Local Claude Desktop tools	Claude connectorsRemote account connectors are separate from Desktop’s local extensions	MCPLocal MCP servers run on your computer; desktop extensions simplify installing them
What actions are possible	Claude connectorsDepends on the service’s tools and the access you grant	MCPThe standard does not itself make every connected service editable

Checked on November 11, 2026, from Claude Help: custom remote connectors and local MCP servers on Claude Desktop. Sources below.

Which to pick

Pick Claude connectors if

Start with Claude’s connector controls when you want to add a remote service that provides a connection address.
On a managed Team or Enterprise account, check that an authorised owner or administrator has added the service.
Read what that service can do before allowing it. A connector can provide actions as well as reading.

Pick MCP if

Look at MCP documentation when you need to understand the standard behind a custom connection.
Use a local Claude Desktop extension when the tool you need is designed to run on your own computer.
Do not install a local tool simply because a remote service’s address contains mcp. Use the setup the service documents.

MCP vs connectors is a difference in level

The connector is the part you add and use in Claude. MCP is the shared language an AI app, Claude Code included, uses to talk to a service that offers tools. Claude’s help says custom connectors connect to remote MCP servers, so for a remote service you don’t choose one or the other: the connector uses MCP.

The word connector doesn’t tell you whether a service can change things. Claude’s help says a remote server’s tools can read data, create, change or delete it, or take actions for you. The service’s tools and the access you grant decide what one connection can do, so read the service’s own docs.

For 1folder, the practical result is a connection to files you choose. Allow a whole space or selected folders, with view or view-and-edit access. Your AI app saves and updates files when asked. It cannot make a file public or delete it for good, and removing its connection in 1folder cuts access at once.

Claude Desktop connectors vs local MCP servers

What	Remote custom connector	Local Desktop tool
Where the connection starts	Anthropic’s cloud infrastructure, including when you use Claude Desktop	A local MCP server running on your computer
How you add it	Add the remote service through Claude’s connector controls	Install and manage a desktop extension, or use the documented local setup
Where it is available	Account-based remote connector experience; plan and organization rules apply	Local tools configured in Desktop are separate from claude.ai and Cowork

Checked on November 11, 2026, from Claude’s custom remote connector help and local Desktop MCP help. “Desktop” does not mean every connector runs locally.

Example: add 1folder as a remote connector

Use the remote service’s address
For individual Pro or Max accounts, Claude’s help gives Customize → Connectors → + Add → Add custom connector. Name it 1folder and enter https://1folderapp.com/mcp. Follow the connection’s sign-in flow. The current help also lists Free, Ultra, Team and Enterprise support; Free is limited to one custom connector and managed plans have owner controls.
Claude
CustomizeConnectors+ AddAdd custom connector
Name1folder
Addresshttps://1folderapp.com/mcp
Add
Then sign in to 1folder and pressAllow
Choose the files and level of access
Sign in to 1folder. Choose a Briefs folder, select view and edit if Claude should save work, and press Allow. View access alone is the choice for reading. You do not need a local Desktop extension for this remote 1folder connection.
Claude wants to use your 1folder
What can it see?
Everything in Client workOnly the folders I pick
What can it do?
View onlyView and edit
CancelAllow
Ask for one file, and inspect it
Ask Claude to save a page called Client brief with the agreed goal, audience and deadline. Open its private link and check the contents. Adding a connection does not save earlier chats or start automatic saving.
Claude
Save Client brief in my 1folder Briefs folder. Include the goal, audience, confirmed deadline and open questions. Return its private link.
Client briefSaved to 1folder · version 1Open
Make a second edit to the same file
Give Claude the confirmed deadline and ask it to update Client brief. Open the versions to see the saved change. Only you can turn on a public link; use the private link while the brief is still being reviewed.
Client briefVersions
1. Added the confirmed deadlineVersion 2 · Claude · today
2. Saved the goal and open questionsVersion 1 · Claude · earlier

Ask for the action, rather than assuming it happened

In Claude
“Save Client brief in my 1folder Briefs folder and return its private link. Keep unknown details marked To confirm.”
In Claude
“Read Client brief in 1folder. The confirmed draft deadline is 21 November. Update the same file and keep the remaining open questions.”

Questions

Are Claude connectors and MCP the same thing?: They describe different parts of the setup. A connector is the connection you add in Claude. MCP is an open standard used by custom remote connectors and local tools. For a custom remote service, you use a connector backed by MCP.
Claude connectors vs MCP servers: which should I install?: Follow the service’s instructions. A remote service such as 1folder supplies an address you add as a custom connector. A local tool designed for Claude Desktop can use a desktop extension. These are different setups, not competing editions of the same product.
Do Claude Desktop connectors run on my computer?: Not necessarily. Claude’s help says remote custom connectors originate from Anthropic’s cloud even when you use Desktop. Local MCP servers and extensions are the separate mechanism that runs on your computer.
Are connectors only for reading?: No. Claude’s help says a connector’s tools can read data, create, change or delete it, and take actions for you. What a service offers, and what you allow, decide what it can do. In 1folder you choose view or view and edit for each connection.
Can a free Claude account add a custom connector?: Yes, one. Claude’s help lists custom connectors on Free, Pro, Max, Ultra, Team and Enterprise, with Free limited to one custom connector. On Team and Enterprise, owners control which ones are added.
Will connecting 1folder save my work automatically?: No. Ask Claude to save or update a named file. You can add “save my work to 1folder” to your app’s custom instructions for repeated use, but connecting alone does not copy chats, memory or previous files.

Sources

Checked on November 11, 2026.

All resources

Give Claude one place to keep its work.

Set it up once. Everything it saves is kept with every version, easy to find and ready to share.

Add to your AI

Free to start. No card needed.