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Connecting Claude to my apps sounded like a lot of work with not much payoff. I’d been using Spotify, Google Calendar, and Google Drive for years without much thought. They got the job done, and that’s what mattered to me. Then I finally connected them to Claude through its MCP-powered Connectors and realized I’d been using them in the most basic way possible. I was building playlists by hand, moving my calendar events one at a time, and going through my Google Drive files until I gave up. It was only after I connected them to Claude that I realized how much I’d been doing by hand when I didn’t need to.
I needed an upbeat playlist, so I had Claude handle it since I didn’t have time to do it myself, but I needed it for my gym music. When I heard the first song, Levitating by Dua Lipa featuring Madonna and Missy Elliott, remixed by The Blessed Madonna, I thought Claude had a good read on me. Then Rubberneckin’ by Paul Oakenfold and Elvis came on, a remix I’d never heard before, and I had to stop and check who it was. I took a moment to process how well Claude nailed my taste in music. I don’t know what Claude did in the background, but I’m glad it did.
The other songs were also great choices, such as the blast from the past, Rhythm Nation, by Janet Jackson. However, not every song on the list was a keeper, such as Indestructible by Robyn, but Claude did the heavy lifting by putting together a list that had the majority of songs I liked. Spotify had all of these songs sitting in its library the whole time, but I was using it more like a search bar than a music app that could actually bring up stuff I didn’t even know was there.
I had Claude schedule a hike for 5 PM on a Saturday, since it was easier than opening another tab and going to Google Calendar. However, Claude let me know that I already had a friend’s gathering for the same day and time. So, in helping me reschedule, it suggested an alternative time that took daylight hours into account, something I totally forgot to consider. On one hand, I was frustrated because I already had something that day, but relieved that Claude had caught it, since double-booking would’ve been really uncomfortable.
I moved the hike to Saturday morning and figured I was done with the calendar stuff. Claude let me know there was another conflict with a work-related task and an afternoon jog I’d added recently. That caught me off guard since I never told Claude to take a look at Thursday. I never had to open Google Calendar once. Claude helped me plan my week, while I kept working. There was nothing wrong with Google Calendar. I just wasn’t using it with Claude, so Claude could help me move things around and save me from the headaches of making everything fall into place.
There was a file I had on Intel Core i9 laptops that I had given up on. It had information I needed for a project, and I know I saw it there somewhere. But for some reason, nothing came up when I searched for it. After a while, I gave up on it and assumed I had accidentally erased it.
This time, I did things differently, and I asked Claude to find it for me. I told Claude to find all the files in my Drive related to Intel Core i9, and it listed them, even the one I couldn’t find because I was searching for “Intel,” and the file had “Inter” in the title. I was relieved when I saw it, since I hadn’t erased it and couldn’t find it because of a silly typo. Drive had the file the whole time. I just didn’t know how to ask for it.
I have to admit that connecting my apps to Claude was helpful, but it didn’t magically fix everything for me. I still had to give it precise directions on what I wanted it to do. I liked most of the songs Claude put together on Spotify, but I had to remove a few. So, for example, if I don’t tell it to avoid songs with a saxophone in them, it has no way of knowing what I like and don’t like. The connection helped, but it didn’t replace the part where I still had to explain what I wanted.
Sure, I do have to go through the trouble of connecting the apps, being precise about what I tell Claude, but the setup process was actually pretty easy. I didn’t run into any complications when I was connecting each app. And if I forget to add something, I can just tell Claude what I forgot and have it come up with a plan that works for me. I don’t have to get everything perfect the first time.
The problem was never the apps; it was me, for not pairing them with Claude to make the whole process easier. Now, things are going to be better since I’ve learned how to get the most out of them.
Claude is Anthropic’s AI assistant for writing, research, coding, analysis, and working with connected apps.