When you connect many services to Claude, you can control how those connectors are loaded into your conversations. This helps Claude work more accurately and efficiently, especially if you've added 10 or more connectors.
Tool access modes are available for all users on Claude, Cowork, Claude Desktop, and Claude Mobile (iOS and Android).
Why tool access matters
Each connector takes up space in a conversation. With a small number of connected services, this is rarely noticeable. But as your connector library grows, the combined overhead can limit how much room is left for your actual work: documents, code, and conversation history.
To address this, Claude supports three tool access modes that control when and how your connectors are loaded.
Tool access modes
You can manage Claude’s access to your connectors per conversation using the Tool access setting in your chat.
Choose from three options:
Auto (default): Claude decides dynamically which connectors to load based on what you're working on. This is the best starting point for most users.
Always available: All your connectors are loaded at the start of every conversation. Claude can use any of them immediately, without any extra steps.
Best for: Fewer than 10 connectors you use constantly.
Trade-off: Uses more conversation space upfront.
On demand: Connectors aren't loaded until Claude searches for the right one based on your request. Claude finds the most relevant connectors and loads only those.
Best for: Large connector libraries (10 or more), or when you're running into conversation length issues.
Trade-off: Claude may take an extra step to find the right connector before using it.
Which mode should I use?
Your situation | Recommended mode |
Fewer than 10 connectors, all used frequently | Always available |
10–30 tools with mixed usage | Auto |
30+ tools or multiple connectors connected | On demand or Auto |