Connected apps
Let bots work in the tools you use, like Gmail, Google Calendar, GitHub, Notion, and Slack. Connect, check, and disconnect apps.
Connected apps let bots work in the tools you already use. Connect Gmail, and a bot can read and draft email. Connect GitHub, and it can work with your code. Connect your calendar, and it can check your schedule.
There are hundreds of apps to choose from.
Connect an app
Open Connected apps
At the bottom of the sidebar, open Tools → Connected apps. A window titled Plugins opens on its Connected apps tab.
Pick the bot
Apps connect to one bot's project. In the Project menu at the top, pick the bot that should use the app. It starts on the bot you have open.
Find the app
Browse Marketplace, or type in Search apps.
Click Connect
Click Connect on the app, then Continue.
Sign in and approve in your browser
Your browser opens the app's sign-in page. Sign in and approve what Machine can access. Machine Desktop shows Finish setup in your browser while you do this.
Come back
Return to Machine Desktop. The app shows as connected within a couple of minutes. If it takes longer, click Check status.
See and remove connected apps
Click Connected at the top of the window to see the apps connected to the bot chosen in Project. The number next to it is how many there are. Expand one and click Disconnect to remove it. You're asked to confirm.
To check which apps a particular bot can reach, open its settings and go to Access → Connected apps. You can also start connecting from there with Connect an app…, which opens this window. If a bot says it can't reach an app you connected, check this list first: you may have connected the app to a different bot.
One bot, or several?
Because apps connect to one bot's project, connect Gmail to Inbox and only Inbox can use it. If Ops needs Gmail too, pick Ops in Project and connect it there as well.
When a bot asks you to connect an app
Often you don't need to go looking. If a bot needs an app that isn't connected yet, it shows a card in the chat, like "Scout needs Gmail for this", with a note that you sign in on the app's own page and Machine never sees your password.
- Click Connect Gmail. The app's sign-in page opens in your browser.
- Sign in and approve. If you closed the page, click Open Gmail again.
- Back in the chat, click Done — tell it to carry on. This puts "I've connected Gmail — carry on." in your message box, and the button says Ready to send.
- Send it. The bot picks up where it left off.
Use a connected app
Once an app is connected, just ask:
Summarize my unread emails from today and draft replies to anything urgent. Don't send anything.
What meetings do I have tomorrow? Find a free hour for a call.
Open an issue in our GitHub repo for the login bug we just found.
Add a page to our Notion wiki with the notes from this conversation.
Tip: tell bots whether they may send or post things, or only draft them. Put your rule in the bot's Soul: "Never send email; always leave drafts for me."
Machine helps too: when a bot is about to send, post, or delete something in a connected app, it asks for your OK first, even on Approve for me, unless you change that in What needs your OK. See Approvals.
Use it in automations
Connected apps make automations much more useful, for example a morning summary of your inbox and calendar.
Troubleshooting
| Problem | Try |
|---|---|
| The app never shows as connected | Click Check status. Make sure you finished approving in the browser. |
| A bot says it can't reach an app | Check Bot settings → Access → Connected apps. The app may be connected to a different bot: pick this bot in Project and connect it. Or disconnect and connect again. |
| An automation that uses an app fails | The app may need reconnecting. Disconnect and connect again, then Run now. |
You can also manage connections on the Machine web app.