Back to Blog
Guide

How to build a ChatGPT Plugin or Claude Connector

Learn what these Integrations do, how to build one around a real user task, and how to help agents discover it after launch.

1 · Customer asks

Find and book a return flight to Lisbon next Friday for less than £300.

2 · ChatGPT or Claude matches the task
Matching the customer taskChecking relevant Integration capabilities
3 · Integration completes the task
ExpediaReturn flight ready to bookLisbon · Next Friday · £286
Ready

You may already have a website and an API. An AI assistant can mention or link to your Brand, but that does not mean it can use your product. The assistant needs a callable Integration.

What the Integration changes

An Integration is a secure connection that lets an assistant complete a task with your product. It turns a recommendation into an action.

A ChatGPT Plugin is the form of that Integration used in ChatGPT. A Claude Connector is the form used in Claude. The platform and setup differ, but the purpose is the same: give the assistant clear capabilities that it can match to a customer need and use with permission.

For example, a customer can ask for a return flight to Lisbon under £300. Without an Integration, the assistant may list travel Brands or send the customer to a website. With an Integration, it can find suitable flights, present an option, and help the customer complete the booking inside the conversation.

How to build the Integration

Start with one valuable task, then design the experience, connect it to your product, and test it in the AI clients where customers will use it. These four phases take a ChatGPT Plugin or Claude Connector from customer need to launch.

Choose the task

Define the customer, the result they need, and the product action that creates value. For travel, this can be finding and booking a flight within a budget.

01
Target journeyFind a flight within budget
ChatGPTClaude
Return flight to LisbonUnder £300Direct flights preferred

Design the experience

Decide what information the assistant needs, what choices it shows, and when it must ask for confirmation. Keep the path short and easy to understand.

Capabilitysearch_flightsDates · route · budget
Travel result interface preview
Best matchLisbon weekend flightReview details and confirm

Connect the product

Build the callable tools, authentication, and user interface. Test success, failure, and permission cases with real Prompt patterns.

Live client tests8 / 8 passed
ChatGPTChatGPTPassed✓
ClaudeClaudePassed✓

Publish and measure

Launch the Integration on ChatGPT, Claude, or both. Then test whether agents understand it and surface it for the tasks it should complete.

ChatGPTPrompt runFind a flight for next weekend
#1Booking.comBooking.comSelected
#2ExpediaExpediaCompared

Launch starts the discovery work

Publishing an Integration makes it available. It does not guarantee that an agent will choose it. ChatGPT or Claude can organically surface a relevant Integration when a customer describes a task, even if the customer does not name the Brand.

This creates a new competitive surface. Your Integration must be easy for the agent to understand, match, and trust. That work is Agent Tool Optimization (ATO).

  1. Measure: test real Prompts and record when your Integration appears.
  2. Diagnose: find where the agent misses your Integration or selects another one.
  3. Improve: refine task fit, tool names, descriptions, and product positioning.
  4. Verify: run the Prompts again and confirm that the change improves selection.

Repeat this cycle as customer needs, competitors, and platform behavior change.

Build the Integration agents can use

We define the tasks, design the experience, build and test the Integration, then optimize it for discovery.

Next: Learn how to improve Claude Connector discovery or see how ChatGPT Plugin discovery works.