Directory connectors vs custom connectors changedconnectors/building/directory-vs-custom
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## Compare directory and custom connectors ### Directory connector listing URL ### Custom connector install link ## Understand how listing affects discovery ### Suggested Connectors ### The MCP Registry and the Anthropic Directory ## Listing patterns for enterprise and multi-tenant servers ### Offer a listing and a custom connector ### Per-tenant URLs ## Next steps ### Directory connectors ### Custom connectors ## Suggested Connectors ## Use both: directory plus elevated custom ## Per-tenant URLs ## What the directory is not
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11# Directory connectors vs custom connectors
22
3> Understand the difference between directory-listed and custom connectors
3> Compare directory-listed and custom connectors: Anthropic review, in-product discovery, install links, Suggested Connectors, and per-tenant URL listings.
44
5Directory connectors and custom connectors run on the **same MCP infrastructure**. The runtime, transport, authentication, and tool-calling code paths are identical. The difference is review, discoverability, and distribution.
5A directory connector is an MCP server listed in Anthropic's directory after review, and a custom connector is one that a user or an organization Owner adds to Claude by entering its URL. Both run on the same MCP infrastructure: the runtime, transport, authentication, and tool-calling code paths are identical. The difference is review, discoverability, and distribution.
66
7This page is for developers deciding whether to list a server in the directory, distribute it as a custom connector, or do both. It compares the two, shows the install link each one gets, and covers listing patterns for enterprise and multi-tenant servers.
8
9<Note>
10 If you want to know what directory and custom connectors look like to a Claude user, including the Verified and Community labels, see [connector verification](/docs/connectors/verification).
11</Note>
12
13## Compare directory and custom connectors
14
15Directory and custom connectors differ only in what surrounds the runtime: who reviews the server, how users find it, and which Anthropic-side features it can use.
16
717| | Directory connector | Custom connector |
818| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | -------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------- |
919| **Runtime** | Same | Same |
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1222| **Distribution** | [Directory link](#share-an-install-link) | [Install link](#share-an-install-link) or manual URL entry |
1323| **Anthropic-held client credentials** | Available | Not available |
1424| **[External link](/docs/connectors/building/mcp-apps/external-links) confirmation** | Can allowlist destinations to skip the modal | Always shows the modal |
15| **Appears as** | Named card with logo | "Custom" |
25| **Appears as** | Named card with logo | **Custom** |
1626
17For what directory and custom connectors look like to a Claude user, including the Verified and Community labels, see [connector verification](/docs/connectors/verification).
18
1927## Share an install link
2028
21Both directory and custom connectors have a URL you can share from your own documentation, a "Connect to Claude" button, or an onboarding email.
29Both directory and custom connectors have a URL you can share from your own documentation, a **Connect to Claude** button, or an onboarding email.
2230
23### Directory connectors
31### Directory connector listing URL
2432
2533After publication, your connector has a permanent listing URL based on its slug:
2634
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2836https://claude.ai/directory/connectors/SLUG
2937```
3038
31For example, `https://claude.ai/directory/connectors/dovetail` opens the Dovetail listing with its description, screenshots, and a **Connect** button. You receive your slug when your submission is approved, and it [cannot change afterward](/docs/connectors/building/after-publishing#slugs-are-permanent).
39For example, `https://claude.ai/directory/connectors/dovetail` opens the Dovetail listing with its description, screenshots, and a **Connect** button. You receive your slug when your submission is approved, and it [can't change afterward](/docs/connectors/building/after-publishing#directory-listing-urls-are-permanent).
3240
33### Custom connectors
41### Custom connector install link
3442
35For a connector that is not in the directory, link to the **Add custom connector** dialog with the name and URL prefilled:
43For a connector that isn't in the directory, link to the **Add custom connector** dialog with the name and URL prefilled:
3644
3745```text theme={null}
3846https://claude.ai/customize/connectors?modal=add-custom-connector&connectorName=NAME&connectorUrl=ENCODED_URL
3947```
4048
41| Parameter | Description |
42| --------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
43| `modal` | Must be `add-custom-connector`. |
44| `connectorName` | Display name shown to the user. |
45| `connectorUrl` | Your MCP server URL, [percent-encoded](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Glossary/Percent-encoding). |
49The link takes these query parameters:
4650
51| Parameter | Description |
52| --------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
53| `modal` | Must be `add-custom-connector` |
54| `connectorName` | Display name shown to the user |
55| `connectorUrl` | Your MCP server URL, [percent-encoded](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Glossary/Percent-encoding) |
56
4757For example, an install link for a server at `https://mcp.example.com/` looks like this:
4858
4959```text theme={null}
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5060https://claude.ai/customize/connectors?modal=add-custom-connector&connectorName=Example&connectorUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fmcp.example.com%2F
5161```
5262
53When a user follows the link, claude.ai opens the dialog with the name and URL prefilled and shows a notice that the values came from an external link. The user reviews the values and confirms before anything is added. If the user is signed out, they are prompted to sign in first and then land on the prefilled dialog.
63When a user follows the link, claude.ai opens the dialog with the name and URL prefilled and shows a notice that the values came from an external link. The user reviews the values and confirms before anything is added. A signed-out user is prompted to sign in first and then sees the prefilled dialog.
5464
5565<Note>
56 Install links only prefill the form. They do not bypass review by the user, and they do not grant your server any permissions the user has not confirmed.
66 Install links only prefill the form. They don't bypass review by the user, and they don't grant your server any permissions the user hasn't confirmed.
5767</Note>
5868
59Organization administrators can use the same parameters on the admin path to prefill the org-wide connector dialog:
69Organization Owners can use the same parameters on the admin path to prefill the org-wide connector dialog:
6070
6171```text theme={null}
6272https://claude.ai/admin-settings/connectors?modal=add-custom-connector&connectorName=NAME&connectorUrl=ENCODED_URL
6373```
6474
65## Suggested Connectors
75## Understand how listing affects discovery
6676
67Directory connectors are eligible for **Suggested Connectors**—Claude can recommend your connector in-chat when it's relevant to the user's task. Custom connectors are never suggested. Every directory entry is automatically eligible; there is no separate opt-in.
77Only a directory listing makes your connector discoverable inside Claude. Listings elsewhere, including the open MCP Registry, don't.
6878
69## Use both: directory plus elevated custom
79### Suggested Connectors
7080
71A supported pattern is to list a connector in the directory with safe, broadly-applicable defaults, **and** provide enterprise customers a separate URL to add as a custom connector with elevated permissions or tenant-specific configuration. Document both paths in your own product docs.
81Directory connectors are eligible for Suggested Connectors, which means Claude can recommend your connector in-chat when it's relevant to the user's task. Custom connectors are never suggested. Every directory entry is automatically eligible, and there is no separate opt-in.
7282
73## Per-tenant URLs
83### The MCP Registry and the Anthropic Directory
7484
75If your server URL varies per tenant (for example, `{tenant}.mcp.example.com`), submit one directory listing with a URL pattern. Each user enters their own URL when they connect. See [Servers with per-customer URLs](/docs/connectors/building/authentication#servers-with-per-customer-urls) for how this choice limits your authentication options.
85The Anthropic Directory is independent of the open [MCP Registry](https://registry.modelcontextprotocol.io) and the `modelcontextprotocol/servers` GitHub repository. Publishing to those doesn't surface your server in Claude. Submit through the [directory submission form](/docs/connectors/building/submission) to appear in Claude products.
7686
77## What the directory is not
87## Listing patterns for enterprise and multi-tenant servers
7888
79The Anthropic Directory is independent of the open [MCP Registry](https://registry.modelcontextprotocol.io) and the `modelcontextprotocol/servers` GitHub repository. Publishing to those does **not** surface your server in Claude. Submit through the [directory submission form](/docs/connectors/building/submission) to appear in Claude products.
89A single directory listing can still serve customers who need elevated permissions or their own server URL.
90
91### Offer a listing and a custom connector
92
93A supported pattern is to list a connector in the directory with safe, broadly applicable defaults, and provide enterprise customers a separate URL to add as a custom connector with elevated permissions or tenant-specific configuration. Document both paths in your own product docs.
94
95### Per-tenant URLs
96
97If your server URL varies per tenant, such as `{tenant}.mcp.example.com`, submit one directory listing with a URL pattern. Each user enters their own URL when they connect. See [Servers with per-customer URLs](/docs/connectors/building/authentication#servers-with-per-customer-urls) for how this choice limits your authentication options.
98
99## Next steps
100
101* [Authentication for connectors](/docs/connectors/building/authentication): the authentication types available to directory and custom connectors
102* [Publish to the directory](/docs/directory/publish): who can submit, what review involves, and where to start
103* [Add a connector by URL](/docs/connectors/custom/add-unlisted#add-a-connector-by-url): how users and Owners add a custom connector by URL
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