Claude Setup
Claude Connectors, Skills and Plugins Explained
If you have opened Claude lately and noticed Connectors, Skills and Plugins in your settings with absolutely no idea what the difference is, you are not alone.
Back to resourcesMost people either skip past these settings or click around hoping it makes sense.
It does not have to be that confusing.
To find them in Claude, go to Customize. That is where you will see Connectors, Skills and Plugins.
From there, you can search for the ones you need.
Why It Feels Confusing
Connectors, Skills and Plugins all sound like setup features, but they solve different problems.
One gives Claude access. One tells Claude how to work. One packages a workflow so you do not have to set everything up from scratch.
Cable
Connector
A Connector is like a cable.
It is how Claude gets access to your actual tools: Notion, Gmail, Slack and the other software you already use.
Without a connector, Claude can only work with what you paste in or upload. With a connector, Claude can work inside the systems where your information already lives.
Manual
Skill
A Skill is a manual.
You write instructions once for how you want a task done, and Claude follows that same process every time.
No re-explaining. No reformatting. The same output, consistently.
Bundle
Plugin
A Plugin bundles those pieces together for a specific job.
Marketing, sales, finance, operations - one plugin can package the workflow, instructions and setup needed for that kind of work.
Think of it as one workflow, already set up and ready to go.
The Shortcut
Cable. Manual. Bundle.
Connector. Skill. Plugin.
If Claude needs access to a tool, look for a Connector. If Claude needs repeatable instructions, create a Skill. If you want a whole workflow packaged together, use a Plugin.