Connect your services

Use Settings > Library > Connections for services your organization makes available, including Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Drive, Slack, Notion, and Linear. This is the recommended setup for everyday integrations.

​

Before you start

Connect requires signing in to an OpenWork account and joining an organization that has Connect enabled. This is separate from signing in to an LLM provider such as ChatGPT.

1. Open the OpenWork desktop app.
2. Click Sign in to OpenWork Cloud.
3. Complete sign-in in your browser and return to OpenWork.
4. Choose the OpenWork organization you want to use if prompted.

If Connect is not available for your organization, ask an organization admin to enable it.

​

Connect an account

1. Open Settings > Library > Connections.
2. Open the service that needs your sign-in.
3. Click Connect and approve access on the provider’s sign-in page.
4. Return to OpenWork. The connection’s status updates automatically.

Some connections are managed by your organization. If a service is not listed, ask an organization admin to publish it from the OpenWork Cloud Connectors page and grant you access.

​

Google Workspace

Gmail, Google Calendar, and Google Drive use only the Google Workspace connection in OpenWork Cloud. Follow Connect an account above and choose the Google connection your organization made available. If it needs administrator setup, an admin configures it in Cloud Connectors; members then click Connect for their own account. Library > Add > Connection opens the existing Cloud connection setup page. There is no local Google Workspace extension, desktop OAuth client form, or environment-variable setup path. Previously stored local Google credentials are not deleted or migrated to Cloud, and do not enable local Google API access. Existing Cloud Google connections continue to work without reconnecting solely because the local integration was removed. Google and Gemini under AI Providers are separate model-provider integrations and are unchanged. Custom MCP servers and other connectors are also unchanged.

​

Ask your agent to use it

You do not need to know an MCP server name or tool name. Ask for the outcome you want, for example:

• “Summarize my five newest emails.”
• “Find the Q3 launch page in Notion.”
• “What meetings do I have tomorrow?”

The agent searches the live capabilities available to your signed-in account, then executes an exact match. If an account still needs attention, it should send you back to Settings > Library > Connections with the action to take instead of telling you to add an MCP server.

​

Gmail drafts with attachments

Ask for a draft with files from your workspace, for example: “Draft an email with report.pdf and summary.csv attached. Do not send it.” The same Gmail draft capability accepts optional attachments paths; a supporting OpenWork host uploads the files using your selected Google connection. File bytes stay outside the model’s context. Review the returned Gmail draft link before sending. You can attach 1–10 files totaling at most 4 MiB. The files must be inside an authorized workspace or folder on the host running the conversation. A remote workspace cannot read files that exist only on your desktop. Attachment fulfillment requires a direct capability call from a compatible OpenWork host. Code Mode, saved Workflows, and MCP clients without that host support return file_input_requires_host and create no draft. Do not retry without the requested attachments. If an upload’s result is uncertain, check Gmail Drafts before attempting creation again.

​

Manage connected services

Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 connections can perform service actions, not only retrieve information. An administrator chooses the enabled permissions; each member authorizes their own account. Additional sending, mailbox-management, and spreadsheet permission choices are off by default. Existing draft-only access does not automatically enable sending. For Gmail mailbox management enable Manage Gmail; for sending without mailbox management enable Send email drafts after confirmation. Google uses the same OAuth grant for draft editing and draft sending, but OpenWork enforces the administrator’s separate action choices. For Sheets, enable spreadsheet read or write access, or use the applicable selected-file Drive access. Microsoft mail sending and mailbox management have separate permission choices as well. After enabling a new provider permission, reconnect and grant the requested access. Disabling a write permission in OpenWork blocks the new management actions even when an older provider token still carries that grant. A selected connection always uses that member’s selected account, not another available account. Ask for an outcome, for example “Archive this thread and mark it read,” “Move tomorrow’s meeting to 3 pm,” or “Append these rows to the budget spreadsheet.” Sending mail, deleting/trashing content, notifying meeting guests, and enabling spreadsheet formula parsing require explicit requests and the corresponding confirmation inputs. Creating or selecting a connector does not authorize them. If a write times out, check the service before retrying: it may already have completed. Microsoft accepts sends asynchronously, so its receipt means accepted, not delivered. Drive’s generic file reader exports the first Sheets tab as CSV. Use the Sheets metadata and range operations to work with other tabs. Cell operations are bounded to 5,000 cells per request; split larger work into explicit ranges. These operations do not claim every provider feature: rich Docs/Slides editing, spreadsheet formatting/pivots, and permanent mailbox/file deletion are separate from the actions above. External MCP connectors expose their provider’s actual tools and remain subject to that provider’s account, plan, and approval rules.

​

Connect, connectors, and connections

• Connect is the Cloud service for discovering and using connections. In the desktop app, Library > Connections shows accounts and their readiness.
• A connector is an MCP service your organization adds on its own, without wrapping it in a plugin. Organization admins publish connectors from the OpenWork Cloud Connectors page and grant member or team access.
• A connection is your own signed-in instance of a connector — one connector, instantiated per user with that user’s account.
• The MCP Gateway is the hosted endpoint that lets external MCP clients use capabilities from an OpenWork organization. See OpenWork MCP Gateway.
• Add an MCP server is the advanced path for a custom or local server that your organization does not provide through Connect.

If you are building a custom integration, continue with Add an MCP server. If you are an organization admin, see Sharing MCP connections with your team.