connector-generation

name	connector-generation
description	Guide for creating new external service connectors in DEVS. Use this when asked to add a new OAuth app connector, API connector, or integration with external services like Slack, Trello, Linear, Asana, Dropbox, GitHub, etc.

Connector Generation for DEVS

When creating new connectors for external services in DEVS, follow this comprehensive guide covering OAuth flow, provider implementation, registration, bridge proxy setup, and UI integration.

Overview

DEVS connectors enable synchronizing content from external services into the Knowledge Base. The architecture consists of:

1. Provider Implementation - OAuth + API integration in src/features/connectors/providers/apps/
2. Provider Registry - Lazy loading registration in provider-registry.ts
3. OAuth Gateway - OAuth config for popup-based auth flow
4. Bridge Server - Server-side proxy for OAuth secrets and CORS (in utils/devs-bridge/)
5. UI Configuration - Icons and display metadata

Step 1: Define Provider Type

Add the new provider to the type union in src/features/connectors/types.ts:

// In types.ts
export type AppConnectorProvider =
  | 'google-drive'
  | 'gmail'
  | 'google-calendar'
  | 'google-meet'
  | 'google-tasks'
  | 'notion'
  | 'dropbox'
  | 'github'
  | 'qonto'
  | 'slack' // <-- Add new provider

Also add the config entry in APP_CONNECTOR_CONFIGS:

// In types.ts - APP_CONNECTOR_CONFIGS
slack: {
  id: 'slack',
  category: 'app',
  name: 'Slack',
  icon: 'slack',
  color: '#4A154B',
  capabilities: ['read', 'search'],
  supportedTypes: ['message', 'channel', 'file'],
  maxFileSize: 10 * 1024 * 1024,
  rateLimit: { requests: 50, windowSeconds: 60 },
},

Step 2: Create Provider Implementation

Create a new file src/features/connectors/providers/apps/{provider}.ts:

/**
 * {Provider} Connector Provider
 *
 * Implements OAuth 2.0 authentication and API integration for {Provider}.
 * Supports listing, reading, searching content, and delta sync.
 */

import { BRIDGE_URL } from '@/config/bridge'
import { BaseAppConnectorProvider } from '../../connector-provider'
import type {
  Connector,
  ConnectorProviderConfig,
  OAuthResult,
  TokenRefreshResult,
  AccountInfo,
  ListOptions,
  ListResult,
  ContentResult,
  SearchResult,
  ChangesResult,
  ConnectorItem,
} from '../../types'

// =============================================================================
// Constants
// =============================================================================

/** API base URL - use gateway proxy to avoid CORS and keep secrets safe */
const API_BASE = `${BRIDGE_URL}/api/{provider}`

/** OAuth endpoints */
const AUTH_URL = 'https://{provider}.com/oauth/authorize'
const TOKEN_URL = 'https://{provider}.com/oauth/token'
const REVOKE_URL = 'https://{provider}.com/oauth/revoke'
const USERINFO_URL = 'https://{provider}.com/api/users/me'

// =============================================================================
// Types
// =============================================================================

// Define types for API responses (raw JSON from the provider's API)
interface RawItem {
  id: string
  name: string
  // ... provider-specific fields
}

interface ListResponse {
  items: RawItem[]
  next_cursor?: string
}

interface TokenResponse {
  access_token: string
  refresh_token?: string
  expires_in?: number
  scope: string
  token_type: string
}

interface UserInfoResponse {
  id: string
  email?: string
  name?: string
  avatar?: string
}

// =============================================================================
// Provider Implementation
// =============================================================================

export class {Provider}Provider extends BaseAppConnectorProvider {
  readonly id = '{provider-id}' as const

  readonly config: ConnectorProviderConfig = {
    id: '{provider-id}',
    category: 'app',
    name: '{Provider Name}',
    icon: '{provider-icon}',
    color: '#HEXCOLOR',
    capabilities: ['read', 'search'],
    supportedTypes: ['*'],
    maxFileSize: 10 * 1024 * 1024,
    rateLimit: { requests: 100, windowSeconds: 60 },
  }

  /** Get the OAuth client ID from environment */
  private get clientId(): string {
    return import.meta.env.VITE_{PROVIDER}_CLIENT_ID || ''
  }

  /** Get the OAuth redirect URI */
  private get redirectUri(): string {
    return `${window.location.origin}/oauth/callback`
  }

  // ===========================================================================
  // OAuth Methods
  // ===========================================================================

  /**
   * Generate the OAuth authorization URL.
   *
   * @param state - State parameter for CSRF protection
   * @param codeChallenge - PKCE code challenge (S256)
   * @returns The full authorization URL
   */
  getAuthUrl(state: string, codeChallenge: string): string {
    const params = new URLSearchParams({
      client_id: this.clientId,
      redirect_uri: this.redirectUri,
      response_type: 'code',
      scope: 'read:user read:content', // Provider-specific scopes
      state,
      // Include PKCE if provider supports it
      code_challenge: codeChallenge,
      code_challenge_method: 'S256',
    })

    return `${AUTH_URL}?${params.toString()}`
  }

  /**
   * Exchange an authorization code for access and refresh tokens.
   *
   * NOTE: Token exchange should go through BRIDGE_URL to inject client_secret
   */
  async exchangeCode(code: string, codeVerifier: string): Promise<OAuthResult> {
    const response = await fetch(`${BRIDGE_URL}/api/{provider}/oauth/token`, {
      method: 'POST',
      headers: {
        'Content-Type': 'application/x-www-form-urlencoded',
      },
      body: new URLSearchParams({
        code,
        code_verifier: codeVerifier,
        grant_type: 'authorization_code',
        redirect_uri: this.redirectUri,
        // client_id and client_secret injected by bridge server
      }),
    })

    if (!response.ok) {
      const errorText = await response.text()
      throw new Error(`Token exchange failed: ${response.status} ${errorText}`)
    }

    const data: TokenResponse = await response.json()

    return {
      accessToken: data.access_token,
      refreshToken: data.refresh_token,
      expiresIn: data.expires_in,
      scope: data.scope,
      tokenType: data.token_type,
    }
  }

  /**
   * Refresh an expired access token using the refresh token.
   */
  async refreshToken(connector: Connector): Promise<TokenRefreshResult> {
    const refreshToken = await this.getDecryptedRefreshToken(connector)
    if (!refreshToken) {
      throw new Error('No refresh token available')
    }

    const response = await fetch(`${BRIDGE_URL}/api/{provider}/oauth/token`, {
      method: 'POST',
      headers: {
        'Content-Type': 'application/x-www-form-urlencoded',
      },
      body: new URLSearchParams({
        refresh_token: refreshToken,
        grant_type: 'refresh_token',
        // client_id and client_secret injected by bridge server
      }),
    })

    if (!response.ok) {
      const errorText = await response.text()
      throw new Error(`Token refresh failed: ${response.status} ${errorText}`)
    }

    const data: TokenResponse = await response.json()

    return {
      accessToken: data.access_token,
      expiresIn: data.expires_in,
    }
  }

  /**
   * Validate that a token is still valid.
   */
  async validateToken(token: string): Promise<boolean> {
    try {
      const response = await fetch(USERINFO_URL, {
        headers: { Authorization: `Bearer ${token}` },
      })
      return response.ok
    } catch {
      return false
    }
  }

  /**
   * Revoke all access for a connector.
   */
  async revokeAccess(connector: Connector): Promise<void> {
    const token = await this.getDecryptedToken(connector)

    const response = await fetch(REVOKE_URL, {
      method: 'POST',
      headers: {
        'Content-Type': 'application/x-www-form-urlencoded',
        Authorization: `Bearer ${token}`,
      },
    })

    if (!response.ok) {
      const errorText = await response.text()
      throw new Error(`Token revocation failed: ${response.status} ${errorText}`)
    }
  }

  /**
   * Get account information for the authenticated user.
   */
  async getAccountInfo(token: string): Promise<AccountInfo> {
    const response = await fetch(USERINFO_URL, {
      headers: { Authorization: `Bearer ${token}` },
    })

    if (!response.ok) {
      const errorText = await response.text()
      throw new Error(`Failed to get account info: ${response.status} ${errorText}`)
    }

    const data: UserInfoResponse = await response.json()

    return {
      id: data.id,
      email: data.email,
      name: data.name,
      picture: data.avatar,
    }
  }

  // ===========================================================================
  // Content Operations
  // ===========================================================================

  /**
   * List items from the provider.
   */
  async list(connector: Connector, options?: ListOptions): Promise<ListResult> {
    const params = new URLSearchParams({
      limit: String(options?.pageSize ?? 100),
    })
    if (options?.cursor) {
      params.set('cursor', options.cursor)
    }

    const url = `${API_BASE}/items?${params.toString()}`
    const data = await this.fetchJson<ListResponse>(connector, url)

    return {
      items: data.items.map((item) => this.normalizeItem(item)),
      nextCursor: data.next_cursor,
      hasMore: !!data.next_cursor,
    }
  }

  /**
   * List items using a raw access token (wizard flow).
   */
  async listWithToken(token: string, options?: ListOptions): Promise<ListResult> {
    const params = new URLSearchParams({
      limit: String(options?.pageSize ?? 100),
    })
    if (options?.cursor) {
      params.set('cursor', options.cursor)
    }

    const url = `${API_BASE}/items?${params.toString()}`
    const data = await this.fetchJsonWithRawToken<ListResponse>(token, url)

    return {
      items: data.items.map((item) => this.normalizeItem(item)),
      nextCursor: data.next_cursor,
      hasMore: !!data.next_cursor,
    }
  }

  /**
   * Read the content of a specific item.
   */
  async read(connector: Connector, externalId: string): Promise<ContentResult> {
    const url = `${API_BASE}/items/${encodeURIComponent(externalId)}/content`
    const response = await this.fetchWithAuth(connector, url)

    const content = await response.text()
    const mimeType = response.headers.get('content-type') || 'text/plain'

    return { content, mimeType }
  }

  /**
   * Search for items.
   */
  async search(connector: Connector, query: string): Promise<SearchResult> {
    const url = `${API_BASE}/search?q=${encodeURIComponent(query)}`
    const data = await this.fetchJson<ListResponse>(connector, url)

    return {
      items: data.items.map((item) => this.normalizeItem(item)),
      totalCount: data.items.length,
    }
  }

  /**
   * Get changes since last sync (delta sync).
   */
  async getChanges(
    connector: Connector,
    cursor: string | null,
  ): Promise<ChangesResult> {
    const params = new URLSearchParams()
    if (cursor) {
      params.set('cursor', cursor)
    }

    const url = `${API_BASE}/changes?${params.toString()}`
    const response = await this.fetchWithAuth(connector, url)

    if (!response.ok) {
      // If delta sync not supported, fallback to full list
      const list = await this.list(connector)
      return {
        added: list.items,
        modified: [],
        deleted: [],
        newCursor: '',
        hasMore: list.hasMore,
      }
    }

    const data = await response.json()
    return {
      added: (data.added || []).map((item: RawItem) => this.normalizeItem(item)),
      modified: (data.modified || []).map((item: RawItem) => this.normalizeItem(item)),
      deleted: data.deleted || [],
      newCursor: data.cursor || '',
      hasMore: data.has_more || false,
    }
  }

  // ===========================================================================
  // Normalization
  // ===========================================================================

  /**
   * Normalize a raw API item to ConnectorItem format.
   */
  normalizeItem(rawItem: unknown): ConnectorItem {
    const item = rawItem as RawItem

    return {
      externalId: item.id,
      name: item.name,
      type: 'file', // or 'folder'
      mimeType: 'text/plain',
      path: `/${item.name}`,
      lastModified: new Date(),
      // Add provider-specific fields
    }
  }
}

// =============================================================================
// Default Export
// =============================================================================

export default new {Provider}Provider()

Step 3: Register Provider

3a. Add to Provider Registry

In src/features/connectors/provider-registry.ts, add the lazy loader:

// In initializeDefaults()
static initializeDefaults(): void {
  // ... existing providers
  this.register('{provider-id}', () => import('./providers/apps/{provider}'))
}

// Update APP_PROVIDERS list
const APP_PROVIDERS: readonly AppConnectorProvider[] = [
  'google-drive',
  'gmail',
  'google-calendar',
  'google-tasks',
  'notion',
  'qonto',
  '{provider-id}',  // <-- Add here
] as const

3b. Add to Provider Index

In src/features/connectors/providers/apps/index.ts:

// Add to PROVIDER_CONFIG
'{provider-id}': {
  name: '{Provider Name}',
  icon: '{IconName}', // Must exist in Icon component
  color: '#HEXCOLOR',
  description: 'Sync content from {Provider}',
  syncSupported: true,
},

// Add to AVAILABLE_PROVIDERS
export const AVAILABLE_PROVIDERS: AppConnectorProvider[] = [
  // ... existing
  '{provider-id}',
]

// Add lazy export
export const {provider} = () => import('./{provider}')

Step 4: Configure OAuth Gateway

In src/features/connectors/oauth-gateway.ts, add OAuth config:

const OAUTH_CONFIGS: Record<string, OAuthConfig> = {
  // ... existing configs

  '{provider-id}': {
    authUrl: 'https://{provider}.com/oauth/authorize',
    tokenUrl: `${BRIDGE_URL}/api/{provider}/oauth/token`,
    clientId: import.meta.env.VITE_{PROVIDER}_CLIENT_ID || '',
    clientSecret: '', // Handled server-side by bridge
    scopes: [
      'read:user',
      'read:content',
      // ... provider-specific scopes
    ],
    pkceRequired: true, // Set to false if provider doesn't support PKCE
    useBasicAuth: false, // Set to true if provider requires Basic auth for token exchange
  },
}

Step 5: Add Provider Scopes

In src/features/connectors/connector-provider.ts, add scopes:

const PROVIDER_SCOPES: Record<AppConnectorProvider, string[]> = {
  // ... existing
  '{provider-id}': ['read:user', 'read:content'],
}

Step 6: Configure Bridge Server (Production)

Add proxy route to utils/devs-bridge/server.mjs:

// Add environment variables at top
const {PROVIDER}_CLIENT_ID = process.env.{PROVIDER}_CLIENT_ID || ''
const {PROVIDER}_CLIENT_SECRET = process.env.{PROVIDER}_CLIENT_SECRET || ''

// Add route handler in handleHttpRequest()
if (path.startsWith('/api/{provider}/')) {
  const {provider}Path = path.replace('/api/{provider}/', '')

  // OAuth token endpoint - inject credentials
  if ({provider}Path.startsWith('oauth/token')) {
    logger.info('{Provider} OAuth token request (injecting credentials)')

    // Read request body
    const chunks = []
    for await (const chunk of req) {
      chunks.push(chunk)
    }
    const originalBody = Buffer.concat(chunks).toString()
    const params = new URLSearchParams(originalBody)

    // Inject client credentials
    params.set('client_id', {PROVIDER}_CLIENT_ID)
    params.set('client_secret', {PROVIDER}_CLIENT_SECRET)

    try {
      const response = await fetch('https://{provider}.com/oauth/token', {
        method: 'POST',
        headers: { 'Content-Type': 'application/x-www-form-urlencoded' },
        body: params.toString(),
      })
      const responseBody = await response.text()
      res.writeHead(response.status, {
        ...CORS_HEADERS,
        'Content-Type': response.headers.get('content-type') || 'application/json',
      })
      res.end(responseBody)
      return
    } catch (err) {
      logger.error(`{Provider} proxy error: ${err.message}`)
      res.writeHead(502, CORS_HEADERS)
      res.end(JSON.stringify({ error: 'Proxy error', message: err.message }))
      return
    }
  }

  // API endpoints - pass through with auth header
  const targetUrl = `https://api.{provider}.com/v1/${{provider}Path}${url.search}`
  return proxyRequest(req, res, targetUrl)
}

Update utils/devs-bridge/.env.example:

# {Provider} OAuth
{PROVIDER}_CLIENT_ID=
{PROVIDER}_CLIENT_SECRET=

Step 7: Configure Vite Dev Proxy (Development)

In vite.config.ts, add dev proxy:

server: {
  proxy: {
    // ... existing proxies

    // Proxy {Provider} OAuth token requests
    '/api/{provider}/oauth': {
      target: 'https://{provider}.com',
      changeOrigin: true,
      rewrite: (path) => path.replace(/^\/api\/{provider}\/oauth/, '/oauth'),
      configure: (proxy) => {
        proxy.on('proxyReq', (proxyReq, req) => {
          // For OAuth token endpoint, inject credentials
          if (req.url?.includes('/token')) {
            const clientId = env.VITE_{PROVIDER}_CLIENT_ID || ''
            const clientSecret = env.VITE_{PROVIDER}_CLIENT_SECRET || ''
            // Inject into body or headers as needed by provider
          }
        })
      },
    },
    // Proxy {Provider} API requests
    '/api/{provider}': {
      target: 'https://api.{provider}.com',
      changeOrigin: true,
      rewrite: (path) => path.replace(/^\/api\/{provider}/, '/v1'),
    },
  },
}

Step 8: Add Icon

Add the provider icon to src/components/Icon.tsx:

// Import or define SVG
import { {Provider}Icon } from './icons/{provider}'

// Add to ICONS map
export const ICONS: Record<IconName, ComponentType<IconProps>> = {
  // ... existing
  {Provider}: {Provider}Icon,
}

// Add to IconName type (if not auto-derived)
export type IconName =
  | // ... existing
  | '{Provider}'

Step 9: Add Environment Variables

Create or update .env.local:

VITE_{PROVIDER}_CLIENT_ID=your_client_id_here
VITE_{PROVIDER}_CLIENT_SECRET=your_client_secret_here

Step 10: Add Normalizer Mappings (if needed)

If the provider has custom MIME types, add to src/features/connectors/normalizer.ts:

export const PROVIDER_FILE_TYPES: Record<
  AppConnectorProvider,
  Record<string, 'document' | 'image' | 'text'>
> = {
  // ... existing
  '{provider-id}': {
    'application/vnd.{provider}.document': 'document',
    'application/vnd.{provider}.message': 'text',
  },
}

Provider-Specific Considerations

No PKCE Support

If the provider doesn't support PKCE (like Notion):

getAuthUrl(state: string, _codeChallenge: string): string {
  // Don't include code_challenge params
  const params = new URLSearchParams({
    client_id: this.clientId,
    redirect_uri: this.redirectUri,
    response_type: 'code',
    state,
  })
  return `${AUTH_URL}?${params.toString()}`
}

Basic Auth for Token Exchange (like Notion)

If the provider requires Basic auth:

async exchangeCode(code: string, _codeVerifier: string): Promise<OAuthResult> {
  const basicAuth = btoa(`${this.clientId}:${this.clientSecret}`)

  const response = await fetch(TOKEN_URL, {
    method: 'POST',
    headers: {
      Authorization: `Basic ${basicAuth}`,
      'Content-Type': 'application/json',
    },
    body: JSON.stringify({
      grant_type: 'authorization_code',
      code,
      redirect_uri: this.redirectUri,
    }),
  })
  // ...
}

Non-Expiring Tokens (like Notion)

If tokens don't expire:

async refreshToken(_connector: Connector): Promise<TokenRefreshResult> {
  throw new Error('{Provider} tokens do not expire. Re-authenticate if needed.')
}

Custom Headers

If the provider requires custom headers (like Notion-Version):

protected override async fetchWithAuth(
  connector: Connector,
  url: string,
  options: RequestInit = {},
): Promise<Response> {
  const token = await this.getDecryptedToken(connector)

  const headers = new Headers(options.headers)
  headers.set('Authorization', `Bearer ${token}`)
  headers.set('{Provider}-Version', '2024-01-01') // API version header

  return fetch(url, { ...options, headers })
}

File Checklist

When adding a new connector, ensure you've modified:

• src/features/connectors/types.ts - Add provider type and config
• src/features/connectors/providers/apps/{provider}.ts - Create provider class
• src/features/connectors/providers/apps/index.ts - Add UI config and export
• src/features/connectors/provider-registry.ts - Register lazy loader
• src/features/connectors/oauth-gateway.ts - Add OAuth config
• src/features/connectors/connector-provider.ts - Add scopes
• src/features/connectors/normalizer.ts - Add file type mappings (if needed)
• utils/devs-bridge/server.mjs - Add proxy route (production)
• utils/devs-bridge/.env.example - Document env vars
• vite.config.ts - Add dev proxy (development)
• src/components/Icon.tsx - Add provider icon
• .env.local - Add OAuth credentials (local dev)

Testing

Test the new connector:

1. Start dev server: npm run dev
2. Go to Connectors page: /connectors
3. Click "Add Connector" and select the new provider
4. Complete OAuth flow
5. Verify content listing works
6. Test sync functionality

Common Issues

1. CORS errors: Ensure bridge proxy is configured correctly
2. OAuth callback fails: Verify redirect_uri matches exactly in provider's OAuth app settings
3. Token exchange fails: Check client credentials are correctly injected
4. API requests fail: Verify API base URL and authentication header format