# Connecting tools

How a goal reaches the apps, people, websites and keys it works with, and where you set each one up.

Canonical page: https://app.auto-lab.ai/docs/connect

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](/docs/goals/setup).

## 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](/docs/connect/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](/docs/goals/approvals).

## 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](/docs/goals/schedules).

## Pages in this section

- [Connectors](/docs/connect/connectors): Connect apps, MCP servers and APIs, and decide what each tool may do.
- [Channels](/docs/connect/channels): Reach the agent from Slack, Teams, iMessage or email, and get its updates there.
- [Website logins and secure links](/docs/connect/website-logins): Hand over a sign-in, a document or a number without typing it into chat.
- [Secrets](/docs/connect/secrets): Store keys and values, choose who can read them, and check that they stay hidden.