Connectors

A connector is an MCP server the operator installs through the dashboard. Each connector exposes typed tools (mcp__github-app__merge_pull_request, mcp__sentry__list_issues, mcp__linear__create_issue, etc.) the agent composes to deliver an outcome. Without connectors, Zeno is a talking statue.

Connectors are the only way the agent gets external capabilities. The agent has no shell, no filesystem of its own, no general web access. If a capability is missing, the answer is to install or build a connector for it — not to script around it.

How they work

1. The operator opens /connectors in their profile dashboard, picks a connector from the catalogue, and clicks Install.
2. The connector flow asks for any required secrets (a PAT, an OAuth token, an API key). Secrets are encrypted at rest with the profile's master key.
3. The dashboard writes the install record to the runtime DB. The worker spawns the MCP subprocess with the right env vars on the next turn.
4. The agent's tool list now includes that connector's tools (mcp__<connector-id>__<tool-name>). The agent calls them when the operator's request matches.

Each connector ships with a list of tools it exposes; the operator can disable individual tools per connector under /connectors/<id> to shrink the agent's surface area.

Per-tool capability gating

Every tool a connector exposes can be toggled on/off, and given a default permission of allow or ask:

• allow — the agent calls the tool without prompting.
• ask — the agent stops and asks the operator before calling.

The defaults ship with the catalogue (most read-only tools default to allow; mutating tools default to ask). The operator can override either way per profile.

Auth flow per connector

Connectors ship one of two auth shapes:

• Secret-based. The operator pastes a token into the dashboard. Examples: GitHub Personal (PAT), Linear, Klaviyo, Sentry, Swarmia, Playwright.
• GitHub App. A GitHub App installation flow handles auth via short-lived installation tokens that the worker rotates on its own. One installation per connector entry, supporting multi-installation use cases (personal account + work org).

What ships today

See the connector catalogue for the full list of installable connectors with logos and descriptions. The catalogue page is generated at docs build time from agent/connectors-catalog.json, so it is always in lockstep with what the dashboard shows.

What connectors are not

• Connectors are not channels. The Slack adapter that brings messages into Zeno is a channel. A hypothetical "post to Slack" tool that the agent would call is a connector. Today, Zeno ships only the Slack channel; there is no Slack connector.
• Connectors are not skills. A skill is a markdown playbook that tells the agent how to do something. A connector is the capability that lets the agent do it at all.