Connecting tools
How a goal reaches the apps, people, websites and keys it works with, and where you set each one up.
A goal does its work in the outside world. It reads your inbox, updates a spreadsheet, asks you a question in Slack, or signs in to a supplier portal. This section covers the four ways you give a goal that reach, and where each one lives in Auto Lab.
Four kinds of connection
| What | What it gives the goal | Where you set it up |
|---|---|---|
| Connectors | Apps and data the agent can use: Gmail, a CRM, an MCP server, your own API | Brain › Connectors (also Settings › Connectors). Your own accounts: Personal settings › Connectors |
| Channels | Places the agent talks with people: Slack, Microsoft Teams, iMessage, email | Settings › Channels (also the Channels tab of Brain › Connectors) |
| Website logins and secure links | Sign-ins, documents and numbers handed over on a private page instead of in chat | The agent sends the link. Saved logins are listed under Settings › Secrets |
| Secrets | Keys and values the agent's code needs, such as an API key | Settings › Secrets (also Brain › Secrets). Your own values: Personal settings › Secrets |
Connectors and channels are the two you meet first. During setup, the Works with part of the goal brief lists the apps the goal needs, and Where should I reach you? picks its channel. See Set up and launch a goal.
How the pieces fit
- A connector is something the agent works in. A channel is where the agent talks with people. Messages from every channel land in the goal's one Chat thread, so the conversation stays in one place.
- Credentials stay with Auto Lab. Connector accounts, website logins and secure-link values are stored encrypted, and the agent uses them without seeing them in chat.
- A secret is different. A secret set to Environment variable is readable by any command the agent runs. Secrets explains the choice.
- What the agent may do with a connected app follows your rules and the goal's autonomy setting. A write can wait for your approval. See Approvals and autonomy.
Start work without a message
A goal can also start work on its own, on a clock or when an event or a webhook arrives. Set these up in Brain › Schedules and Brain › Triggers. See Plans, schedules and triggers.
Pages in this section
- Connectors: Connect apps, MCP servers and APIs, and decide what each tool may do.
- Channels: Reach the agent from Slack, Teams, iMessage or email, and get its updates there.
- Website logins and secure links: Hand over a sign-in, a document or a number without typing it into chat.
- Secrets: Store keys and values, choose who can read them, and check that they stay hidden.