Setting Up Grok's Connectors for GitHub, Notion, and Google
Before Connectors launched in May 2026, using Grok on a GitHub issue or a Notion doc meant copying the content in by hand, asking Grok about it, and copying the answer back out. That works for a one-off question. It falls apart the moment the task is "check whether this is still open" or "does this match what's actually in the doc right now," because a pasted snippet goes stale the second the source changes.
Connectors close that gap. They're OAuth-based integrations that let Grok read from, and in some cases act on, real accounts, GitHub, Notion, Linear, Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, plus custom connectors over MCP for anything not on that list. Once connected, Grok can pull current information at the moment you ask, instead of working from whatever you happened to paste in.
Note
New to Grok in general? The Complete Beginner's Guide to Grok covers the fundamentals; this article goes deeper on one specific feature.
Grok
GitHub
Notion
Gmail
Google Calendar
The four services above are the ones this article walks through. Each one is a separate connection with its own sign-in and its own permissions, not a single "connect everything" switch.
Setting one up
The setup pattern is the same across services, only the permissions screen differs.
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Open Connectors in settings
On grok.com, use the plus button in the chat box, choose Connectors, then add a connector (there is also a Connectors page on grok.com). On the mobile apps, look under Settings. The catalog lists the available services, and exact labels can shift between app versions.
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Authorize through OAuth
Connecting GitHub, Notion, or Google routes you through that service's own sign-in and permission screen, not a Grok-branded one. You're granting Grok scoped access through the provider, the same pattern as connecting a Slack app to Google Calendar.
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Review what scope you're granting
xAI says Grok requests only the permissions it needs, and the provider's screen tells you what that covers. Some connectors can also take actions, such as drafting emails or creating calendar invites, where that is enabled. Read the scope before accepting it, especially for anything connected to a work account.
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Test with a low-stakes request first
Before relying on a connector for anything that matters, ask a simple factual question you already know the answer to, to confirm Grok is actually reading current data and not falling back on a guess.
Common mistake
Connecting a work account without checking whether the request you're about to make needs write access at all. Most useful requests are read-only, summarize, find, compare. Grant the narrower scope when the provider offers a choice, and only widen it when a specific task actually requires it.
A task that only works with a connector
Say you maintain a small open-source library and it is Monday morning. You want to know which bug reports have gone quiet. Pasting won't get you there, because you would have to open every issue first, and by then you have done the work yourself. With GitHub connected, you ask once and Grok reads the repo as it stands right now.
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Connect GitHub: Start from the Connectors menu and finish through GitHub's own permission screen
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Pick the narrowest scope: A triage question like this one only needs to read, so favor the narrowest access on offer
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Ask about current state: Name the repo, the label, and the time window so Grok knows what to fetch
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Check one item yourself: Open a single issue from the list to confirm Grok read live data
Grok
A connected GitHub request and its result, a mockup with invented issues
Asked: Open issues labeled "bug" in the tiddlybox repo with no activity in 30 days. One line each, flag likely duplicates.
Result, three of five shown:
#212 Export crashes on empty tag list. Quiet 41 days.
#240 CSV export fails when a tag is blank. Quiet 33 days. Likely duplicate of #212.
#198 Dark theme hides the cursor in the editor. Quiet 62 days.
Notice that the useful part is the duplicate flag between #212 and #240. That comparison needs both issues read together, which is exactly the multi-item, current-state work the article's opening described.
GitHub: the requests that actually benefit
Pasting a single file into Grok works fine for a quick question about that file. Where the connector earns its place is anything that spans multiple files, requires current state, or touches history you don't have open.
Look at open issues in this repo labeled "bug" that haven't had activity in 30 days. Summarize each in one line and flag any that look like duplicates of each other.
”Compare the current main branch's error-handling in src/api/client.ts against how the same file handled errors three months ago. What actually changed, not just line-count.
”I'm about to open a PR. Look at the last five merged PRs in this repo and tell me what our commit message and PR description conventions actually are, based on real examples, not guessed best practice.
”Notion: the requests that actually benefit
The pattern here is the same: anything that requires knowing what's actually written right now, across more than one page, is where this beats copy-paste.
Search our Notion workspace for any page that mentions the Q3 pricing change. Tell me if the customer-facing FAQ page and the internal pricing doc actually agree with each other.
”Pull the meeting notes page from this week's product sync and turn the action items into a short list, grouped by owner.
”Google Workspace: the requests that actually benefit
Look at my calendar for next week and flag any day with more than three meetings back to back with no gap longer than 15 minutes.
”Find the email thread with [vendor name] about the contract renewal and summarize where that conversation actually left off, including any date or number either side committed to.
”What access you grant, and what you do not
| Question | What to expect | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Can Grok see my repos? | Only what the scope you approved allows | The GitHub permission screen before you accept |
| Can Grok change my code? | Only where the connector supports actions and you have allowed them | What the permission screen says about write access, and what the connector page in Grok lists |
| Can Grok read every Notion page? | Only what you grant through Notion's screen | Which pages or workspace areas the Notion screen lists |
| Can Grok read all my email? | Read access to Gmail is broad by nature, so decide that deliberately | The Google consent screen, especially on a work account |
| Can Grok see other people's calendars? | Generally only what your own account can already see | Your organization's sharing settings |
| Does Grok's memory absorb this data? | Treat it as a separate question and check your settings | The privacy walkthrough |
The point of the table is the pattern: a connector never gives Grok more than your own account could do, and the scope you approve can make it less. You can revoke a connection from the provider's side as well as from Grok, which is worth knowing before you connect a work account.
When a connector is the wrong tool
Not every task benefits. If you're asking about a single document you already have open, pasting the relevant paragraph is faster than round-tripping through a connector, and it avoids Grok searching the wrong page in a large workspace. Connectors also aren't a substitute for actually opening the source and checking a high-stakes number yourself, a connector reduces retyping, it doesn't certify accuracy. And a custom MCP connector for an internal tool is worth setting up only if you'll use it more than once or twice, the setup overhead isn't worth it for a single question.
Connectors are OAuth-based, set up per service, with the permission screen coming from the provider, not Grok.
They're most useful for anything spanning multiple documents, requiring current state, or drawing on history you don't have open.
Grant the narrowest scope the task actually needs, especially on work accounts.
For a single already-open document, pasting it in is still faster.
Once you've got one or two connectors set up, it's worth deciding when a Skill is the better fit instead, a Skill fixes how Grok handles a recurring task, a connector fixes what account it can reach. The two solve different problems and often work best paired together.