What is documented

Use a plugin when one exists for the job, and the browser when it does not. The docs say a connector is usually more reliable than clicking through a website, and the browser suits services with no connector or visual work a connector does not expose. Both routes are account-wide: an installed plugin and a browser sign-in are available to every Bot on your account.

Plugins are installed from Connect Apps, the in-app section that replaced Marketplace in 0.67.0, or from a Connect card in chat; on desktop you attach one to a request by typing @. The comparison procedure below is our editorial method. We have not verified any particular connector's current action coverage. For custom MCP servers and the known issues, see Grok Bot plugins, connectors and MCP.

Documentation: Official computer and apps guide ↗ Cursor help: connect plugins ↗

How the two routes differ

The rows below paraphrase the docs and Cursor's help as of October 11, 2026.

Documentation: Official computer and apps guide ↗ Grok Bot security: plugin tokens ↗ Cursor help: connect plugins ↗ Cursor help: how-tos (reconnect a plugin, single sign-on) ↗

Plugin (connector)Browser on the Bot's computer
Best forStructured reads and writes the plugin exposes, such as searching mail or posting to SlackServices without a plugin, visual checks, screens a plugin does not cover
Sign-inAuthorize or Authenticate in your own browser; tokens stay on Cursor's serversTake over the Bot's screen and type the password or code yourself
Who can use itEvery Bot on your account; a teammate's Team Bot asks firstEvery Bot on your account, because sessions persist on the shared computer
What it can doOnly what the authorized account can already do; it cannot raise access or change sharingWhatever that signed-in account can do on the site
When it breaksShows Needs auth or Disconnected; choose Authenticate or ReconnectThe site expires the session or asks to verify again; the Bot should pause and ask you

Choose by action, not by app name

A connector for a service may expose search but not the export, filter, or historical records your task needs. Write the operation first: retrieve this account's open tickets, including their latest replies and timestamps. Then check whether the available tool can perform that operation under the account you intend to use.

A browser may be the practical choice for checking layout, reviewing a chart, or handling an unsupported screen. It also adds page state to the problem: selected account, filters, open dialogs, and pagination can change the result. Record these details in the task rather than assuming the default screen is correct.

  1. Name one required read operation and the fields the result must contain.
  2. Check the available connection's documented or displayed actions and requested access.
  3. Authorize only the account and scope needed for the pilot.
  4. Run a small read and compare it with the same records in the source application.
  5. If browser work is necessary, specify the account, filters, date range, and a stopping point before any write.

Probe access without expanding the task

Successful authentication is only the beginning. The useful test is whether the intended records and fields can actually be read.

Try this brief

For [service/account], establish whether you can read [specific records and fields] using the available connector. Read only [small sample]. Return the source links or IDs, applied filters, retrieval time, and missing fields. Do not create, edit, send, or delete anything. If the connector cannot perform this operation, explain the exact gap and propose the smallest browser-based check. Ask me to complete any required sign-in securely.

Original editorial template. Replace placeholders and review access before running.

Leave a short access note

Keep a note beside the workflow containing the connection used, permitted action, account, successful sample, and last test date. This turns a future 'it stopped working' report into a narrower question: did access expire, did action coverage change, or did the source move?

Do not broaden privileges merely to make an inconvenient task pass. First determine which missing action or record caused the failure. The note should describe access, never contain passwords or secret values. Directory Bots that work through a specific app are grouped on our works-with pages; check what each asks to connect.

  • The sample matches the source application.
  • All required fields are present, or omissions are explicit.
  • The method handles more than the first page of results when completeness matters.
  • The workflow has a clear sign-in or missing-access stopping point.

When a connection is not ready

Added does not mean signed in. Cursor's help says a plugin showing Needs auth or Disconnected needs Authenticate (Authorize on mobile), and that an unfinished sign-in page can be retried with Reconnect on the plugin or Reopen on the chat card. Gmail connects one mailbox at a time, so disconnect the current one before authorizing another; some plugins, such as Notion, support several accounts.

Two blocks come from outside Grok Bot. If a Google Workspace admin has not marked Grok as trusted, Google sign-in can be refused until they do. If your Cursor team admin has turned a plugin off, it shows Disabled by team admin. Work apps behind Okta or other single sign-on are signed in on the Bot's computer through a takeover, which makes them browser sessions every Bot can reach. Cursor's help also lists a known Zoom authorization error from the desktop app, with no workaround yet.

Documentation: Cursor help: connect plugins ↗ Cursor help: how-tos (reconnect a plugin, single sign-on) ↗

Bots for this job

Directory listings that match this guide, read from each creator's public share page. They are not tested picks: check what a Bot can reach before you add it.

Browse: Bots that work with Notion · Bots that work with Slack

  • Paperwork by Liam: Works out what a boring document is and what you have to do about it
  • Open Loop Closer by Scott Metcalf: Finds VIP threads you went silent on in Slack or email and drafts a paste-ready follow-up
  • Chief by SmoresBoy Jack: Weekday-morning triage of your inbox, your calendar and your replies

Sources & next steps

Capabilities are grounded in the documentation below. The workflow design and acceptance checks are editorial suggestions.

Build your own workflow brief ↗