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Overview
Pencel connects to the tools your team already uses — Slack, Gmail, Outlook, Notion, GitHub, QuickBooks, and more — so your agents can read data, take actions, and automate workflows across your stack.
You connect the tools you need, when you need them. Many connect with a single click (sign in with the service, no keys to copy); others take an API key or a database connection string. You manage everything from Settings > Connections, and you can add custom servers for tools not yet in the catalog.
Connections that set themselves up
Installing a pack from the Marketplace can wire up managed connections for you — often with no API key to paste. For example, the RFP pack uses Pencel-managed federal RFP data, and the Stock Watch pack uses managed market data. The pack's Finish setup panel runs verification checks and tells you exactly what (if anything) still needs a sign-in. See Setting Up Connections for the step-by-step.
Under the hood
Connections are powered by the Model Context Protocol (MCP), an open standard that lets AI assistants interact with external services securely. You do not need to know MCP to use Pencel — it just means most integrations are standard, inspectable, and swappable.
How Connections Work
When you add a connection, Pencel spins up a lightweight bridge between your agent and the external service. The agent gets access to a set of tools — specific actions it can perform, like "send a Slack message" or "query a PostgreSQL table."
- You pick an integration from the catalog (or add a custom one).
- You provide credentials (API key, OAuth sign-in, or a local path).
- Pencel connects and discovers the available tools.
- Your agents can now use those tools during runs.
TIP
You can connect the same service multiple times. For example, you might have one GitHub connection for your engineering org and another for your open-source repos.
Skill Categories
Every integration belongs to one of six skill categories, based on what it helps your agents do.
| Category | What It Does | Integrations |
|---|---|---|
| Code | Read and write code, manage repositories, track issues | Filesystem, GitHub, Linear |
| Search | Find information on the web | Brave Search, Tavily |
| Browser | Fetch web pages and automate browser interactions | Web Fetch, Playwright, RFP Portals (state/local) |
| Data | Read and write to databases, SaaS platforms, and business tools | Slack, Gmail & Google Workspace, Microsoft 365 (Outlook), Notion, Atlassian (Jira/Confluence), Monday.com, Asana, HubSpot, Stripe, QuickBooks Online, PostgreSQL, SQLite, Redis, SAP S/4HANA, Workday, RFP APIs (federal), Market Data (stocks & ETFs) |
| Memory | Persist knowledge across conversations | Memory |
| Custom | Your own MCP servers or community-contributed ones | Any stdio, HTTP, or remote server |
Integration Catalog
Pencel ships with a catalog of ready-to-use integrations across three trust tiers (see Trust Levels below). Some — the RFP and Market Data connectors — are installed and managed for you by a Marketplace pack.
| Integration | Category | Trust Level | How you connect |
|---|---|---|---|
| Asana | Data | Partner | One-click sign-in |
| Atlassian (Jira/Confluence) | Data | Partner | Sign in via browser |
| Brave Search | Search | Verified | API key |
| Filesystem | Code | Verified | Pick a folder on your machine |
| GitHub | Code | Verified | One-click sign-in, or access token |
| Google Workspace (Gmail, Drive, Calendar) | Data | Partner | One-click sign-in |
| HubSpot | Data | Partner | Private-app access token |
| Linear | Code | Partner | API key |
| Market Data (stocks & ETFs) | Data | Verified | Pack-managed, or bring a Finnhub key |
| Memory | Memory | Verified | No setup |
| Microsoft 365 (Outlook, Calendar) | Data | Partner | One-click sign-in |
| Monday.com | Data | Partner | Sign in via browser |
| Notion | Data | Partner | One-click sign-in, or integration token |
| Playwright | Browser | Verified | No setup |
| PostgreSQL | Data | Verified | Connection string |
| QuickBooks Online | Data | Partner | One-click sign-in (read-only in v1) |
| Redis | Data | Verified | Redis URL |
| RFP APIs (federal) | Data | Verified | Pack-managed, or bring your own key |
| RFP Portals (state/local) | Browser | Verified | Per-portal credentials |
| SAP S/4HANA | Data | Community | Username, password, and host |
| Slack | Data | Partner | One-click sign-in, or bot token |
| SQLite | Data | Verified | Database path |
| Stripe | Data | Partner | Secret key |
| Tavily | Search | Partner | API key |
| Web Fetch | Browser | Verified | No setup |
| Workday | Data | Community | Integration token and tenant URL |
Transport Types
The transport type determines how Pencel communicates with the external service.
| Transport | How It Works | When It's Used |
|---|---|---|
| Builtin | Bundled directly with Pencel — no extra setup | Core integrations like Filesystem, GitHub, PostgreSQL, Playwright |
| Remote | Connects via OAuth to a vendor-hosted endpoint | SaaS providers like Slack, Notion, Atlassian |
| Server-Auth | Pencel starts a local server that handles its own OAuth flow internally | (No current integrations use this transport) |
| HTTP | Sends requests to a remote URL | Self-hosted or cloud-hosted MCP servers |
INFO
Builtin transports run entirely on your machine. Your data never passes through Pencel's servers. Remote and HTTP transports communicate with external endpoints — check each vendor's privacy policy.
OAuth Support
Many integrations support OAuth for a streamlined setup experience — click Connect, sign in with the service, and you are done. No API keys to copy.
| OAuth Type | How It Works | Integrations |
|---|---|---|
| Embedded | One-click sign-in. Pencel handles the OAuth flow automatically. | Asana, GitHub, Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, Slack, QuickBooks Online |
| Standard | Click Connect, then authorize in your browser. | Atlassian, Monday.com, Notion |
Integrations that support OAuth also accept manual API keys as a fallback. See each integration's setup guide for details.
Trust Levels
Each integration has a trust level that tells you who maintains it and how it's been reviewed.
| Trust Level | What It Means |
|---|---|
| Verified | Official MCP servers maintained by the protocol team or the service vendor. Thoroughly reviewed. |
| Partner | Maintained by the service vendor (Slack, Notion, Stripe, etc.). Reviewed for compatibility. |
| Community | Contributed by community members. Use at your own discretion. |
WARNING
Community integrations are not reviewed by Pencel. Always inspect the source before connecting a community server, especially if it requests access to sensitive data.
Activation Modes
You can control when each connection is available to your agents.
| Mode | Behavior |
|---|---|
| Auto-connect | The connection starts automatically when Pencel launches. Tools are always available. |
| When relevant | Pencel activates the connection only when an agent's task matches the integration's capabilities. Saves resources. |
| Manual | You connect and disconnect by hand from the Settings panel. Best for integrations you use occasionally. |
TIP
Start with when_relevant for most integrations. Switch to auto_connect for services your agents use in every run, like Slack or your primary database.
Next Steps
- Setting Up Connections — the step-by-step for connecting your first tool.
- Weekly Executive Briefing — an example that pulls from several connections at once.
- Marketplace — install a pack that sets up its connections for you.
- Browse the individual integration guides in this section for per-tool setup and examples.
- Custom Servers — add MCP servers not in the catalog.