02 · Connectors

What a connector is

A connector (连接器) is the bridge between WorkBuddy and an external service. Once configured, WorkBuddy can access and operate that service directly — read your mail, write your Tencent Docs, check your meetings.

Technically they come in two forms:

• MCP + CLI (standardised protocol)
• Skill + CLI (built-in scripts)

Both follow the same principles for data collection and permission boundaries, and you cannot tell them apart in daily use.

Officially supported today: QQ Mail, Tencent Docs, Tencent Lexiang, Tencent Meeting, TAPD and Tencent Drive, plus custom connectors.

Four typical uses

Scenario	Description	Example
Data lookup	Fetch information from an external source	Query a database, search documents
Service call	Call a third-party API	Send mail, create a calendar event
File management	Reach cloud storage and file systems	Read cloud-drive files, upload attachments
Notification	Integrate with messaging tools	Send WeCom or Feishu messages

Where to manage them

Click Connectors (连接器) in the sidebar for the management page showing every available connector. There is also a quick manager on the input bar so you do not have to switch pages.

Example: connecting QQ Mail

The QQ Mail connector supports sending, receiving, searching and organising mail — reading message contents, summarising threads and managing folders in plain language.

Five steps:

1. Add — find the QQ Mail card and click the +.
2. Scan to authorise — the system opens QQ Mail's authorisation page with a QR code. Scan it with the QQ Mail app (version 7.1.5 / HarmonyOS 0.2.9 or later).
3. Confirm permissions — on your phone, approve what is requested:
   • Account information: basic mailbox account details
   • Read mail: messages from the last month in your inbox
   • Send mail: send on your behalf
   • Delete mail (optional): deleted messages move to the Deleted folder
4. Authorised — your phone confirms. You can manage this later under Settings → Account → Security → Login devices and authorisation codes → App authorisation.
5. Connected — back in WorkBuddy, a green dot appears next to the card with an enable/disable toggle on the right.

Do not close the browser page on success

When authorisation succeeds, click "open" in the browser popup to complete the connection. Cancelling or closing the page can interrupt the process and force you to configure the connector again.

Example: connecting Tencent Lexiang

The Lexiang connector supports searching, creating and managing documents in a Lexiang knowledge base, importing Markdown, organising by tag and tracking team document updates.

1. Add — find the Lexiang card and click the +.
2. Confirm authorisation — the page explains that, through the Lexiang knowledge base MCP, WorkBuddy will be able to access the knowledge base within your existing permissions, search and query content, and help create and manage content. Click through to authorise.
3. Sign in to Lexiang — WeChat or phone number.
4. Authorised — the page shows your account and the permissions WorkBuddy will receive; confirm and continue.
5. Connected — a green dot appears on the card.

The other official connectors follow the same shape: find card, click +, authorise, confirm permissions, look for the green dot.

Custom connectors

To reach other services, click Custom connector (自定义连接器) at the top right of the management page and install your own MCP service.

Configuration mirrors MCP setup — see MCP and plugins.

You define the scope of a custom connector

The official disclaimer is blunt: the access scope of a custom connector is determined by your configuration; WorkBuddy does not preset it. Evaluate carefully before enabling.

In other words: official connectors have designed boundaries. Custom ones have whatever boundary you drew.

Disconnecting

1. Click the connected card and choose Unbind (解绑) in the dialog.
2. The system confirms disconnection and the connector returns to its unconnected state.

For services like QQ Mail you can also revoke from the provider's side: QQ Mail app → Settings → Account → Security → App authorisation.

Clear out old ones periodically

Revoke connectors you no longer use. Credentials do not expire on their own just because you stopped using them — they remain a valid key.

Permission and data boundary

What is collected:

Item	Type	Purpose
Third-party account identifier	Required	Email address, account ID — identifies you at the service
Authorisation credentials	Required	OAuth access/refresh tokens, or an API key you entered
Third-party business data	Required	Read on demand, only when your instruction triggers it (mail, documents, knowledge bases, meetings, TAPD data)
Data you write	Optional	Sending mail, creating or editing documents, creating meetings — requires an explicit instruction from you

Three boundary rules:

• Each connector is authorised independently — mail access is not document access
• No proactive scheduled scraping — it reads when your instruction triggers it
• Never beyond your existing permissions — a document you cannot see in Lexiang, it cannot see either

How credits work

Connector reads and writes themselves cost no credits.

The cost comes from WorkBuddy understanding and summarising the external data.

The distinction matters: "list today's email" is cheap; "read these 40 emails, group them by project, and tell me which need answering today" is not — the second half is what costs.

Security guidance

It acts as you

Access, reads, writes and messages sent to third-party services all execute as you, within your authorisation.

Therefore: before anything is sent outward or content is modified, confirm the target and the content once more. A misdirected email cannot be recalled.

• API keys and tokens are keys. Store them properly and avoid entering them on shared or public machines.
• Check connector status periodically to make sure services are still working.
• Third-party availability and content accuracy are the provider's responsibility. For interface errors or service changes, check that provider's status and terms first.

FAQ

Connector or Skill?

For officially supported services (QQ Mail, Tencent Docs, Lexiang, Meeting, TAPD, Drive), use the connector — the authorisation flow and permission boundary are already built. Anything else goes through a custom connector or MCP.

Do task records survive disconnection?

Yes. Disconnecting only affects future calls.

Are project connectors the same as my personal ones?

No. Project connectors come in two authorisation modes: public (公共授权), configured once by an admin and shared by everyone, and personal (个人授权), where each member authorises their own account and credentials are not shared. In collaborative tasks, personal-authorisation connectors are all disabled — only public ones work. See Projects and teamwork.

Next

03 MCP and plugins — reach anything outside the official list.