Connecting tools

CoChat can search the web, read papers and build artifacts out of the box. Connecting a tool lets it also reach into your own services — your calendar, your files, your repos, your CRM — and act on them during a conversation.

Where to find it

Open Integrations in the sidebar. The page has three tabs:

Tab	What’s in it
Available	Every service you can connect, with a search box and category filters.
Connected	Everything you’ve connected, including anything that needs signing in again.
Custom	MCP or OpenAPI servers you’ve added yourself.

The same list is also under Settings → External Tools.

Connecting a service

1. Open the Available tab and pick a service.
2. The dialog shows how it authenticates. There are three flavours:

Authentication	What happens
Sign in (OAuth)	Click Connect or Authorize. You’re sent to the provider to approve access, then brought back to CoChat. Google Drive and Calendar open a popup instead — approve there, then return to the tab.
API key	Paste the key into the API Key field. Some services also ask for a workspace or account identifier under Configuration.
No authentication	Just click Connect. CoChat checks the server responds and adds it.

3. Once connected, the service moves to the Connected tab.

Many services connect through a managed sign-in flow: clicking Connect opens the provider in a new tab, and the dialog waits for you to finish there (up to five minutes). Some providers ask for an API key on that page rather than a sign-in screen — that’s normal; paste it there and come back.

Using a connected tool in a chat

Connecting a tool doesn’t switch it on in every chat. Pick it per conversation:

1. In the composer, click the wrench (Tools and integrations).
2. Under Integrations, turn on the tools you want for this chat.
3. Send your message as usual.

Your choice is remembered for later chats. Tools that are always on (like web search) are shown locked. Tools that belong to an assistant appear under that assistant’s name and are managed from the assistant’s settings, not here — see Setting up an assistant.

When the assistant uses a tool, the call appears inside its reply as a collapsible row. Click it to see what was sent and what came back.

Approvals

CoChat won’t ask you before every tool call. You’ll see a prompt in two situations:

• Tool Access Request — the assistant wants tools you haven’t switched on for this chat. It explains why; you tick the ones you’re happy with and click Approve or Deny.
• Confirm action — a tool needs a yes/no or a piece of input before it continues.

The prompt is a card just above the message box, so it stays in view wherever you are in the chat. Several prompts stack there and scroll. The reply waits for your answer; if none comes in time, nothing is done and the card says so.

Commands on your own computer have their own approval rules — see Environments.

Turning a tool off, reconnecting, or removing it

On the Connected tab:

• The switch on a card disables the tool without disconnecting it. Flip it back on any time.
• If a sign-in has expired, the card shows Disconnected with a Reconnect button. Sign in again and everything else is kept.
• The bin button removes the connection. You’ll be asked to confirm. For Google services, open the card and use Disconnect.

Adding your own MCP or OpenAPI server

If you run your own tool server, add it from the Custom tab with Add Server:

Field	Notes
Name	How it appears in the tools menu.
Server URL	The endpoint.
Protocol	MCP or OpenAPI.
Authentication	No authentication, API Key, or OAuth.
Description	Optional; shown on the card.
Enabled in chats	Whether it’s available to pick in the composer.

CoChat verifies the server before saving and tells you how many tools it found. OAuth servers go through their sign-in flow instead.

Saved HTTP endpoints

The assistant can call any public URL on request. For APIs that need a credential, save the endpoint once so you don’t have to paste the key into chat:

1. Open the HTTP Client integration and click Add Saved Endpoint.
2. Give it a Name and Base URL.
3. Choose the authentication: None, Bearer Token, Basic Auth, API Key Header, or Custom Header.
4. Optionally open Show advanced options to restrict which HTTP methods and paths are allowed, and set a timeout (1–120 seconds).

Secrets are never shown again after saving. When you edit an endpoint later, leaving the secret field blank keeps the existing one.

Good to know

• Connecting tools is free on every plan. Tool calls use credits the same way any chat turn does, and the third-party service may have its own account requirements.
• You can connect up to 100 servers.
• Slack channels for assistants and your Zotero library are set up elsewhere — see Sharing and Slack and Radar and Zotero.