cana.build, Cana Desktop
Connected apps and MCP servers
Connect your accounts, such as Gmail, Slack, GitHub and Notion, once in Settings so every chat, bot and Twin can work in them on your behalf, and add your own MCP servers too.
How it works
The idea in 5 steps
- 1
Connect once, use everywhere
An app you connect in Settings is available to every chat, bot and Twin you run, on the web and in Cana Desktop. It stays private to your account.
- 2
Each app signs in its own way
You sign in to the app itself in a small window, so Cana never sees your password. You can connect several accounts of the same app, such as a work and a personal inbox.
- 3
Secrets stay out of the agent's hands
Git tokens and AWS roles are stored encrypted. Agents clone and push with your token and get short-lived AWS credentials, without ever seeing the secret itself.
- 4
Your own tools fit in too
Any MCP server can be added by its address, with a static credential or your own OAuth sign-in. Cana checks it and lists the tools it offers before saving.
- 5
Bots can wake on app events
Beyond acting when asked, a bot can be woken by something that happens in a connected app, like a new email or a new GitHub issue. Disconnect, and that access stops at once.
Tutorial
Step by step
Before you start
- A cana.build account
- A sign-in for each app you want to connect
- For Git or AWS: a personal access token, or an AWS role you can create
- 1
Open Integrations
In the sidebar, under Settings, click Integrations.
You'll see: The Integrations page, starting with Connected apps.
- 2
Find the app
Type the app's name, for example Gmail, into the search box under Connected apps.
You'll see: The app's tile, with a Connect button.
- 3
Connect it
Click Connect and sign in to the app in the window that opens. Approve the access it asks for.
You'll see: The window closes and the tile shows Connected.
Tip: If your browser blocks popups, the sign-in opens in this tab and brings you back.
- 4
Add a second account
On a connected app, click Add account and sign in with the other account.
You'll see: The tile's badge changes from Connected to 2 accounts.
- 5
Add Git access
Under Git & AWS connections, click Add connection, choose Git, fill in Label, Host and Personal access token, then click Test & save.
You'll see: The connection listed under Git & AWS connections.
Tip: For AWS, choose AWS (Connector by Colate) and follow its steps to create the role and paste its Role ARN.
- 6
Add your own MCP server
Under Custom MCP servers, click Add MCP connector, enter a Name and MCP server URL, choose Static credential or Custom OAuth, then click Connect & Save.
You'll see: The server listed with the number of tools it offers.
- 7
Put it to work
Open a chat and ask for something in the app, for example: Summarise my unread Gmail from today.
You'll see: The agent uses the app as you and replies with the result.
Worked example
A morning digest from Gmail to Slack
You start every day skimming email and then telling your team what matters. With Gmail and Slack connected, one request does both.
You type
Read my unread Gmail from the last 12 hours, pick the five that need action from me, and post a short list in Slack #team-updates with sender and one line each.
- 1.Integrations: Connect Gmail, then Connect Slack
- 2.Open a chat and send the prompt
- 3.Happy with it? Make it a bot that runs each weekday at 8
Result: A five-line summary appears in #team-updates, posted as you, without you opening either app.
Troubleshooting
If something doesn't work
- The sign-in window didn't open
- Your browser blocked the popup, so Cana opens the sign-in in the same tab. Finish it there; you come back to Integrations with the app shown as Connected.
- An app shows Sign in again
- Its sign-in expired or was revoked. Click Connect on that tile and sign in again; chats and bots pick up the new sign-in.
- My MCP server won't save
- Cana tests the server on Connect & Save. Check the MCP server URL is reachable from the internet and the credential or OAuth details are correct.
- How do I remove access?
- Click Disconnect on the account and confirm. Chats and bots can no longer use it straight away.
For you
Connect your apps once and have work done across all of them
Most tasks span several tools: an email becomes a ticket, a thread becomes a summary. With your accounts connected, one request in a chat does the whole round trip in the apps you already use.
Inbox to action
"Sort today's email, draft replies to the three that need me, and turn the bug report into a Jira ticket."
Thread to summary
"Summarise yesterday's #launch thread in Slack and send it to the people who missed it."
Two inboxes, one ask
Connect your work and personal Gmail with Add account and ask for one combined list of what needs a reply.
What changes for professionals: Cross-app busywork handled in one sentence instead of ten tabs.
Technical details
What it connects to, and the controls you have
- Catalogue
- More than 1,500 connected apps, including Gmail, Slack, GitHub, Notion and Jira, searchable with your own connections first
- Used by
- Chats, bots and Twins on the web, and agents in Cana Desktop; bots can also wake on events from a connected app
- Sign-in
- Each app is connected through its own sign-in window; several accounts per app are supported
- Git and AWS
- Git tokens for clone and push, and short-lived AWS credentials from your role; secrets are encrypted and never shown to the agent
- MCP servers
- Add any MCP server by address with a static credential or your own OAuth client, and test it to list its tools
- Cana MCP
- Settings > Cana MCP gives other MCP clients access to your chats, bots, apps and Studio pages, by OAuth sign-in or a revocable key
- Ownership
- Connections belong to your account; organisation admins can hide apps for everyone or use the organisation's own app credentials
Why Cana
What you get here
- Connect an account once and every chat, bot and Twin can use it, on the web and in Cana Desktop
- More than 1,500 connected apps, plus any MCP server you add yourself
- Git and AWS secrets are encrypted and never shown to the agent
- Cana's own MCP endpoint lets other tools reach your Cana account
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