{
  "connector": {
    "id": "con_connector_vs_custom_tool",
    "name": "Connectors vs. custom tools",
    "category": "concept",
    "description": "A \"connector\" is typically a pre-built, ready-to-use integration (often maintained by Anthropic or a third party) that wraps an MCP server for a specific external product, so a user can enable it without writing any code. A \"custom tool\" is a tool an application or developer defines and registers directly (for example, in the Managed Agents API or via a hand-written MCP server) — it is not necessarily wrapped in a pre-built connector UI, and it can be scoped to exactly the actions an application wants to allow.",
    "real_or_pattern": "real",
    "source_note": "General distinction; exact governance details (e.g. permission-policy handling) vary by product and are covered on subagentpermissions.com — kept general here rather than over-specified.",
    "created_at": "2026-07-02 08:28:08",
    "cite_as": "https://subagentconnectors.com/api/connectors/con_connector_vs_custom_tool"
  }
}