| name | connector-routing |
| description | Decide which connector path to use for a given integration task โ Desktop MCP, claude.ai cloud connector, or Composio. Use when the user asks to "connect X", "talk to X from a routine", "post to X", or anywhere a third-party service (Linear, Slack, GitHub, Gmail, etc.) needs to be reached. Composio is the cross-environment default; claude.ai connectors are per-account fragile; Desktop MCP is local-only. Pick the right substrate before promising integration work. |
Connector Routing
The user has three substrates for reaching third-party services. Picking the wrong one is the single biggest source of "you said it was fixed, it's broken again" frustration.
The three substrates
| Substrate | Where it lives | Stable? | Use for |
|---|
| Desktop MCP | ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json | โ
Stable, machine-local | Interactive Claude Code on this Mac (Linear, Perplexity already here) |
| claude.ai cloud connector | OAuth at https://claude.ai/customize/connectors | โ Per-account fragile (multi-Gmail bites here) | Web claude.ai chat sessions where the user is signed in to the matching account |
| Composio | ~/.composio/composio CLI + phill.mcgurk_workspace | โ
Stable, account-independent, cross-environment | Cloud routines (CCR), automation, anywhere Desktop MCP can't reach |
Decision tree
Question 1: Where will the call actually run?
- In this Claude Code session on the user's Mac โ Use Desktop MCP if the toolkit is already configured there (Linear is). Use Composio CLI for anything else.
- In a remote/cloud routine (CCR) โ Use Composio. Skip claude.ai connectors โ they require account binding the cloud sandbox cannot guarantee.
- In a claude.ai web chat โ Use claude.ai cloud connector IF the user confirms they are signed in to the account that owns the connector. Otherwise default to Composio.
Question 2: Does the toolkit exist in Composio?
~/.composio/composio search "<task>" --human
~/.composio/composio tools list <toolkit> --query "<keyword>"
If yes โ use it. If no โ fall back to Desktop MCP / direct API.
Question 3: Is there account-state risk?
If the integration involves OAuth and the user has multiple accounts on the same provider (Gmail, GitHub orgs, Linear workspaces), default to Composio โ its phill.mcgurk_workspace is one stable identity, while claude.ai/Chrome multi-account contexts are the failure mode that has caused repeated "fixed-but-broken" cycles.
When NOT to invoke this skill
- Trivial follow-ups on an integration the user has already chosen
- Pure local file/code work โ no third-party service involved
- Read-only checks where the answer is obvious (e.g. "use the Linear MCP I already have")
Hard rules
- Never claim a claude.ai cloud connector is "ready" without verifying it appears in the schedule skill's connector list. If it's not there, it's not connected from this CLI's account.
- For any new cloud routine that needs a third-party API, use Composio first. Don't reach for claude.ai connectors as the default โ they're fragile.
- The user's Composio API key is in
phill.mcgurk_workspace. Treat it as a secret. Never write it to a skill file or memory entry. Pass to cloud routines via the routine prompt only.
- For local interactive work, prefer the Desktop MCP path when it already exists (Linear, Perplexity) โ it's zero-config and proven.
Quick reference โ what's connected where (as of 2026-04-27)
- Desktop MCP: Linear (working), Perplexity (working), Pi-CEO MCP (
mcp__pi-ceo__*, working)
- Composio (
phill.mcgurk_workspace): linear (ACTIVE, ca_YWZm5__2E7Z6), youtube, outlook, reddit (active); elevenlabs, firecrawl (initiated, incomplete)
- claude.ai cloud connectors: history of intermittent visibility tied to multi-Gmail account confusion โ assume unreliable until verified each session
Pairing with composio-cloud-routine
For any cloud routine work, after picking Composio, jump to the composio-cloud-routine skill for the exact install + login + execute pattern that runs inside a CCR sandbox.
