Getting Started with Connectors

Connectors are integrations that let your AI agents interact with external services -- Slack, Gmail, Google Drive, Notion, Asana, Airtable, Vercel, Stripe, and more. Each connector provides a set of tools that agents can call during workflows or that you can invoke directly via the API and CLI.

Think of connectors as bridges between your Chainabit workspace and the services your team already uses.

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How Connectors Work

1. Install a connector instance in your workspace
2. Authenticate by linking your account on the external service (OAuth, API key, etc.)
3. Enable tools that the connector provides
4. Use tools in agent workflows, call them from the API, or run them from the CLI

Each connector instance is scoped to your workspace. Multiple team members can share the same instance, or you can create separate instances for different use cases.

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Quick Start

Prerequisites

• A Chainabit account with a valid access token
• An active workspace

Set your environment variables:

export BASE_URL="https://api.chainabit.com/api/v1"
export TOKEN="your-access-token"

Step 1 -- Choose a Connector

Browse the available connectors:

CLI

chainabit connectors list

cURL

curl "$BASE_URL/connectors" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN"

JavaScript

const response = await fetch(`${BASE_URL}/connectors`, {
  headers: { Authorization: `Bearer ${TOKEN}` },
});
const { data } = await response.json();

Python

import requests

response = requests.get(
    f"{BASE_URL}/connectors",
    headers={"Authorization": f"Bearer {TOKEN}"},
)
data = response.json()["data"]

Step 2 -- Install a Connector Instance

Create a connector instance in your workspace:

CLI

chainabit connectors install slack --name "Team Slack"

cURL

curl -X POST "$BASE_URL/connectors/instances" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "connectorKey": "slack",
    "displayName": "Team Slack"
  }'

JavaScript

const response = await fetch(`${BASE_URL}/connectors/instances`, {
  method: 'POST',
  headers: {
    Authorization: `Bearer ${TOKEN}`,
    'Content-Type': 'application/json',
  },
  body: JSON.stringify({
    connectorKey: 'slack',
    displayName: 'Team Slack',
  }),
});
const { data } = await response.json();

Python

response = requests.post(
    f"{BASE_URL}/connectors/instances",
    headers={"Authorization": f"Bearer {TOKEN}"},
    json={"connectorKey": "slack", "displayName": "Team Slack"},
)
data = response.json()["data"]

Response 201 Created

{
  "data": {
    "id": "inst_abc123",
    "connectorKey": "slack",
    "displayName": "Team Slack",
    "status": "pending",
    "enabled": true,
    "createdAt": "2026-03-23T10:00:00Z"
  }
}

Save the instance id -- you will need it for authentication and tool execution.

Step 3 -- Authenticate

Most connectors use OAuth. Start the authorization flow:

CLI

chainabit connectors auth inst_abc123

cURL

curl -X POST "$BASE_URL/connectors/instances/inst_abc123/oauth/initiate" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN"

Follow the returned URL to authorize access on the external service. Chainabit handles the token exchange automatically.

For connectors that use API keys or connection strings, store credentials directly:

curl -X POST "$BASE_URL/connectors/instances/inst_abc123/credentials" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "credType": "api_key",
    "credentials": { "apiKey": "your-key" }
  }'

Step 4 -- Test the Connection

CLI

chainabit connectors test inst_abc123

cURL

curl -X POST "$BASE_URL/connectors/instances/inst_abc123/test" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN"

Step 5 -- Use in Workflows or Call Directly

Once authenticated, the connector's tools are available to your agents. You can also execute tools directly:

CLI

chainabit connectors exec inst_abc123 send_message \
  --input '{"channel": "#general", "text": "Hello from Chainabit!"}'

cURL

curl -X POST "$BASE_URL/connectors/instances/inst_abc123/tools/tool_send_message/execute" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "input": {
      "channel": "#general",
      "text": "Hello from Chainabit!"
    }
  }'

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Connector Catalog

The full catalog is grouped by family and mirrored in English and Turkish. Start with the Connector Catalog, then open the connector-specific pages you need.

Featured Connectors

Connector	Key	Category	Auth Method	Description
Slack	slack	Communication	OAuth	Send messages, manage channels, search
Gmail	gmail	Communication	OAuth	Send and read emails, manage drafts
Google Drive	google-drive	Productivity	OAuth	Manage files and folders
Google Calendar	google-calendar	Productivity	OAuth	Manage calendar events
Notion	notion	Productivity	OAuth / API key	Search and manage pages, databases
Canva	canva	Design	OAuth	Create and export designs
SQL Database	sql-database	Database	Connection string	Query PostgreSQL or MySQL
MCP Server	mcp-generic	Protocol	API key / Bearer	Connect to any MCP-compatible server

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Connector Lifecycle

• Pending -- Connector is installed but not yet authenticated
• Active -- Connector is authenticated and ready to use
• Error -- Health check failed or credentials expired
• Inactive -- Connector has been manually disabled

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Security

• Credentials are encrypted at rest and never returned in API responses
• OAuth tokens are refreshed automatically before they expire
• Each connector instance is scoped to a single workspace
• All tool executions are logged in the audit trail
• You can revoke credentials at any time

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Next Steps

• Explore the Connector Catalog by family, then set up your first connector
• Learn about the CLI commands for managing connectors
• See the API reference for programmatic access
• Build a custom connector for your own services