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Directory connectors and custom connectors run on the same MCP infrastructure. The runtime, transport, authentication, and tool-calling code paths are identical. The difference is review, discoverability, and distribution. For what directory and custom connectors look like to a Claude user, including the Verified and Community labels, see connector verification. Both directory and custom connectors have a URL you can share from your own documentation, a “Connect to Claude” button, or an onboarding email.

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Directory connectors

After publication, your connector has a permanent listing URL based on its slug:
For example, https://claude.ai/directory/connectors/dovetail opens the Dovetail listing with its description, screenshots, and a Connect button. You receive your slug when your submission is approved, and it cannot change afterward.

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Custom connectors

For a connector that is not in the directory, link to the Add custom connector dialog with the name and URL prefilled:
For example, an install link for a server at https://mcp.example.com/ looks like this:
When a user follows the link, claude.ai opens the dialog with the name and URL prefilled and shows a notice that the values came from an external link. The user reviews the values and confirms before anything is added. If the user is signed out, they are prompted to sign in first and then land on the prefilled dialog.
Install links only prefill the form. They do not bypass review by the user, and they do not grant your server any permissions the user has not confirmed.
Organization administrators can use the same parameters on the admin path to prefill the org-wide connector dialog:

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Suggested Connectors

Directory connectors are eligible for Suggested Connectors—Claude can recommend your connector in-chat when it’s relevant to the user’s task. Custom connectors are never suggested. Every directory entry is automatically eligible; there is no separate opt-in.

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Use both: directory plus elevated custom

A supported pattern is to list a connector in the directory with safe, broadly-applicable defaults, and provide enterprise customers a separate URL to add as a custom connector with elevated permissions or tenant-specific configuration. Document both paths in your own product docs.

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Per-tenant URLs

If your server URL varies per tenant (for example, {tenant}.mcp.example.com), submit one directory listing with a URL pattern. Each user enters their own URL when they connect. See Servers with per-customer URLs for how this choice limits your authentication options.

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What the directory is not

The Anthropic Directory is independent of the open MCP Registry and the modelcontextprotocol/servers GitHub repository. Publishing to those does not surface your server in Claude. Submit through the directory submission form to appear in Claude products.