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A directory connector is an MCP server listed in Anthropic’s directory after review, and a custom connector is one that a user or an organization Owner adds to Claude by entering its URL. Both run on the same MCP infrastructure: the runtime, transport, authentication, and tool-calling code paths are identical. The difference is review, discoverability, and distribution. This page is for developers deciding whether to list a server in the directory, distribute it as a custom connector, or do both. It compares the two, shows the install link each one gets, and covers listing patterns for enterprise and multi-tenant servers.
If you want to know what directory and custom connectors look like to a Claude user, including the Verified and Community labels, see connector verification.

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Compare directory and custom connectors

Directory and custom connectors differ only in what surrounds the runtime: who reviews the server, how users find it, and which Anthropic-side features it can use. 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 connector listing URL

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 can’t change afterward. For a connector that isn’t in the directory, link to the Add custom connector dialog with the name and URL prefilled:
The link takes these query parameters: 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. A signed-out user is prompted to sign in first and then sees the prefilled dialog.
Install links only prefill the form. They don’t bypass review by the user, and they don’t grant your server any permissions the user hasn’t confirmed.
Organization Owners can use the same parameters on the admin path to prefill the org-wide connector dialog:

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Understand how listing affects discovery

Only a directory listing makes your connector discoverable inside Claude. Listings elsewhere, including the open MCP Registry, don’t.

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Suggested Connectors

Directory connectors are eligible for Suggested Connectors, which means 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, and there is no separate opt-in.

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The MCP Registry and the Anthropic Directory

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

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Listing patterns for enterprise and multi-tenant servers

A single directory listing can still serve customers who need elevated permissions or their own server URL.

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Offer a listing and a custom connector

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, such as {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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Next steps