Localized reading guide

build-connectorPurpose, usage and source

Gets Claude talking to a tool nobody built an official connector for. Works out what the system is, checks the Claude connector directory for an existing connector first, and when there isn't one connects the tool through Zapier — never by hand-building against a raw API — with credentials handled safely and approval gates on anything that writes. This is what turns "my ERP isn't supported" into an afternoon. Use this whenever the owner names a tool that isn't connected — including phrasings like "can you connect to my," "make my tools talk to each other," "there's no API for this," "pull data out of my field service software," "I use ServiceTrade and it's not on the list," or "is there any way to get at this data." Reach for it whenever an unsupported system is blocking something else.

Source retrieved: 2026-10-29

Source repository: anthropics/knowledge-work-plugins
SKILL.md: small-business/skills/build-connector/SKILL.md
Repository stars: 34,049
Repository updated: 2026-10-30
Categories: Development
Last collected: 2026-10-31 10:38 UTC+08:00

License: Apache-2.0

Source SKILL.md

Workflow excerpts are reading aids, not executable instructions from Codez. No third-party Skill was run to produce this page.

The purpose and workflow passages below are upstream material, organized and translated for reading. They are distinct from the separately labeled Codez editorial analysis.

What this Skill does

How the upstream workflow works

Step 2 — Discovery

Read reference/discovery.md and follow it in order: a native Claude connector first; then Zapier, the build path for everything the directory lacks; then a scheduled export when the tool is on neither; then an honest no. A documented API is context, never a build path. Report the finding before building anything — cost, effort, and blocker in three lines, in the format at the end of discovery.md. Also check whether the real need is already covered another way — most commonly a domain or DNS step you were about to build by hand. A surprising share of "connect this tool" requests bottom out in a verification TXT record or a CNAME the owner adds at their registrar, and that is solved by telling them the exact record rather than built.

Upstream passage · L35 ↗

Step 3 — Connect

Follow the instructions for whatever Step 2 found: Existing Claude connector or MCP tool: connect it directly — install, authenticate, verify scope. Usually minutes. Zapier: follow reference/use-zapier.md — authenticating, connecting the app's own account, enabling exactly the actions the scope named, and testing against the owner's use case. Scheduled export: set it up per reference/paths.md, section 3, including the staleness check.

Upstream passage · L50 ↗

Step 4 — Test against real data, visibly

Run a read action, show the owner the actual data it pulled, and ask if it's correct. The owner is the only person who can tell whether the data is right, and that question is the only way to confirm the connection is reading their real data and nothing quietly wasn't mapped. Every write action gets an approval gate before it runs, regardless of what the owner asked for. A connector that can modify the owner's system of record without asking is not something to ship.

Upstream passage · L60 ↗

Upstream passage · ↗

Pulled 12 open work orders. First three:

  WO-4471  Ridgeline Property  Rooftop unit 3 — no cooling   Assigned Teri
  WO-4468  Corwin & Bay        Quarterly PM                  Unassigned
  WO-4465  Fairmount           Filter change                 Complete

Look right? Anything missing that you'd expect to see?

Requirements and setup

Step 1 — Gather requirements

Before anything else: what are we connecting to, what do we need from it, and how does it need to work. Gather these four things: The exact system. Get the precise product, not the category — "my ERP" could be any of forty things, and the answer differs for each. Ask for the login URL if the name is ambiguous; it usually identifies the product and version immediately.

Upstream passage · L24 ↗

Limits and quality checks

No separate limits passage was selected from this file. This does not mean the Skill is safe for every input or environment. Review the complete source and validate your own result.

Start with a safe trial

Check the supported host and the repository installation instructions. Keep the Skill directory and its referenced scripts, assets and documentation together; SKILL.md alone may omit dependencies.
Give the agent your real input, desired output and acceptance criteria. Invocation syntax and available tools depend on the host; this site does not assume a universal install command.
Try the source workflow in a disposable project or on a copy. Review operations that change files, remote services or billable resources before allowing them.
Validate the output against the source quality checks and your own requirements. A successful trigger or a high repository Star count does not establish a correct result.

Skill format and directory specification ↗

Read further in the source

Translation and scope

This reading guide selects passages from the pinned upstream SKILL.md. Translation is assisted. It is not a complete manual or a claim of tested compatibility. Read the original and its referenced files before use.

This introduction refers to the pinned version below; current repository activity and collection time are shown separately.

Pinned source: Read the original ↗
Source retrieved: 2026-10-29T09:32:23Z
Source commit: 2574e29377c7173d0cecffef29a6ecbd7f8ccb5d
Source SHA-256: b5d9f0848e12d1bc65f20c2379fbc5a1576a35013da284b82969f257ef32ac82

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