{"slug": "croft-connectors-xero-stripe-slack-linear-and-more-for-your-ai-built-apps", "title": "Croft connectors: Xero, Stripe, Slack, Linear and more for your AI-built apps", "summary": "Croft launched a catalogue of connectors that let apps built with AI assistants call outside tools such as Xero, Stripe, Slack, Linear, Brevo and Jotform without storing credentials in the app's code, the company said in an October 26, 2026 blog post by Rich Chetwynd. Croft stores each credential encrypted and routes app requests through its gateway, which checks the app is allowed, adds the key on the way out and returns only the result, so one connection can serve many apps. Some connectors, including Xero and Google Search Console, are also kept in sync as a curated copy of the data on the customer's own server for AI queries.", "body_md": "[Blog](https://oncroft.net/blog/) · October 26, 2026 · Rich Chetwynd\n\n# Croft connectors: Xero, Stripe, Slack, Linear and more for your AI-built apps\n\nA guide to Croft connectors for AI-built apps: how they work, which finance, email, forms, scheduling and project tools you can connect, and how Croft holds the credentials so your apps never do.\n\n## Quick answer\n\nA **Croft connector** lets the apps you build with an AI assistant use an\noutside tool, such as Xero, Stripe, Slack, Linear, Brevo or Jotform, without the\ncredential ever sitting in the app’s code. You paste a key or sign in once.\n[Croft](https://oncroft.net/) keeps the credential encrypted, and your apps call the tool through\nCroft’s gateway. The full catalogue is on the [connectors page](https://oncroft.net/connectors/);\nthis guide explains how connectors work and which ones fit which job.\n\n## How Croft connectors work\n\nWhen an AI assistant builds an app that needs an outside service, the easy path is to paste the API key into the code. That works until the app is shared, copied or leaked, and then the key goes with it.\n\nCroft does it differently:\n\n1. **You connect the tool once.** Sign in or paste your own key in Croft. You\ncan ask your assistant to do it, for example “connect our Stripe account.”\n2. **Croft holds the credential.** It is stored encrypted and never shown to an\napp or written into generated code.\n3. **Apps ask through a gateway.** An app does not call the tool directly. It\nasks Croft, which checks the app is allowed, adds the key on the way out and\nhands back only the result.\n4. **One connection, many apps.** Every app you allow can use the same\nconnector. Change the key in one place and everything keeps working.\n\nSome connectors, such as [Xero](https://oncroft.net/connectors/xero/) and\n[Google Search Console](https://oncroft.net/connectors/googlesearchconsole/), are also **kept in\nsync**: Croft keeps a curated copy of the data on your own server so your AI can\nquery it. [How synced data works](https://oncroft.net/data/) covers that side. The rest of this\nguide is about the apps you build.\n\nYou bring your own AI assistant and your own accounts with each tool. Croft holds the connection, not the subscription.\n\n## Finance and accounting\n\nFinance is where leaking a key hurts most, so it is the clearest case for keeping credentials out of app code.\n\n- **[Xero](https://oncroft.net/connectors/xero/)** : read invoices, reconcile payments and pull\naccounting data into reporting tools. Typical apps are a month-end close\nchecklist, or a view of overdue supplier invoices for people who should not\nhave a full Xero login. If you mainly want to ask questions about your books,\nsee[how to ask Claude about your Xero data](https://oncroft.net/blog/ask-claude-about-your-xero-data/) ,\nor[use Xero data in a private internal app](https://oncroft.net/blog/use-xero-data-in-private-internal-apps/) .\n- **[Stripe](https://oncroft.net/connectors/stripe/)** : payments and subscriptions. Examples\ninclude a refund approval app where support requests and finance approves, or\na subscription health dashboard. Read more in[how to connect an AI app to Stripe](https://oncroft.net/blog/how-to-connect-an-ai-app-to-stripe/) .\n- **[Square](https://oncroft.net/connectors/square/)** and**[Paddle](https://oncroft.net/connectors/paddle/)** cover\npoint-of-sale and subscription billing in the same way.\n\n## Email and messaging\n\nMost internal apps end up needing to tell someone something. The email connectors let an app send mail without carrying a sending key:\n\n- **[SendGrid](https://oncroft.net/connectors/sendgrid/)** ,**[Postmark](https://oncroft.net/connectors/postmark/)** ,**[Mailgun](https://oncroft.net/connectors/mailgun/)** and**[Resend](https://oncroft.net/connectors/resend/)** for transactional email such as approval requests, receipts and weekly\nreports.\n- **[Brevo](https://oncroft.net/connectors/brevo/)** for email plus contact and list management,\nfor example adding a contact to a sequence when a demo request form comes in.\n- **[Loops](https://oncroft.net/connectors/loops/)** ,**[ConvertKit](https://oncroft.net/connectors/convertkit/)** and**[beehiiv](https://oncroft.net/connectors/beehiiv/)** for lifecycle email and newsletters.\n- **[Slack](https://oncroft.net/connectors/slack/)** for posting messages and reading channels. A\ncommon pattern is an approval app that posts a request to a channel and\nupdates the thread when someone decides.\n\nIf you are picking one, the apps work the same way from your side. Choose the\nprovider you already pay for. The step-by-step version for email is in\n[how to send email from an AI-built app](https://oncroft.net/blog/how-to-send-email-from-an-ai-built-app/).\n\n## Forms, scheduling and project tools\n\nMany small teams already collect work in forms and calendars and track it in a project tool. Connectors let a Croft app sit on top of those:\n\n- **Forms:**[Jotform](https://oncroft.net/connectors/jotform/) ,[Typeform](https://oncroft.net/connectors/typeform/) and[Tally](https://oncroft.net/connectors/tally/) let an app read submissions, for example to\nroute a signed contract to the right reviewer or triage inbound leads.\n- **Scheduling:**[Cal.com](https://oncroft.net/connectors/caldotcom/) and[Calendly](https://oncroft.net/connectors/calendly/) give apps access to bookings, for example a\nmeeting prep view or a no-show tracker.\n- **Project and task tools:**[Linear](https://oncroft.net/connectors/linear/) ,[Asana](https://oncroft.net/connectors/asana/) ,[ClickUp](https://oncroft.net/connectors/clickup/) ,[Monday.com](https://oncroft.net/connectors/mondaydotcom/) and[Todoist](https://oncroft.net/connectors/todoist/) . A sprint health dashboard or a roadmap\nstatus page for stakeholders is a typical Linear app.\n- **Docs and data:**[Notion](https://oncroft.net/connectors/notion/) ,[Coda](https://oncroft.net/connectors/coda/) and[Airtable](https://oncroft.net/connectors/airtable/) work as a\nsource or destination for an app’s data. If you are starting from a\nspreadsheet, see[how to turn a Google Sheet into an app](https://oncroft.net/blog/how-to-turn-a-google-sheet-into-an-app/) .\n\nThere are also connectors for CRM ([HubSpot](https://oncroft.net/connectors/hubspot/),\n[Pipedrive](https://oncroft.net/connectors/pipedrive/), [Attio](https://oncroft.net/connectors/attio/)),\n[GitHub](https://oncroft.net/connectors/github/), and AI model providers such as\n[OpenAI](https://oncroft.net/connectors/openai/) and [Anthropic](https://oncroft.net/connectors/anthropic/), so an\napp can call a model without a model key in its code.\n\n## Credentials and admin governance\n\nHolding the key is the first half. The second half is deciding who gets to use it.\n\n- **The key stays with Croft.** It is encrypted, never shown to an app, and not\nwritten into the code your assistant generates. A leaky app cannot spill a\nkey it never had.\n- **Sensitive connectors can need approval.** Mark a connector, such as\npayroll or your customer database, as needing an admin’s approval. Anyone can\nbuild an app that asks to use it, but it stays off until an admin says yes.\n- **Approve narrowly.** Approve a connector for a specific app or person, not\nthe whole company.\n- **There is a record.** Connectors, approvals and use are logged, so “who can\nreach our billing data?” has an answer.\n\nRoles still apply on top. See [roles and permissions](https://oncroft.net/docs/roles-and-permissions/)\nand the [security overview](https://oncroft.net/security/). For the technical detail, including how\nrequests are made, read the [connectors docs](https://oncroft.net/docs/connectors/).\n\n## Request a connector\n\nIf the tool you need is not in the catalogue, you have two options:\n\n- **Use the custom connector.** It lets apps call any HTTP API through Croft’s\ngateway. You set the base URL and auth method once and the credentials stay\nwith Croft. This is how you would reach an internal system, a niche SaaS tool\nor a legacy API. See the[custom connector](https://oncroft.net/connectors/custom/) .\n- **Ask for a dedicated one.** Email[\\[email protected\\]](https://oncroft.net/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#2551404448654a4b46574a43510b4b4051) with the tool’s name and what you want to build. Please do not send keys or\npasswords. More on[support](https://oncroft.net/support/) .\n\n## FAQ\n\n### What is a connector on Croft?\n\nA connector lets an app use an outside tool such as Xero, Stripe, Slack or Linear, with the credential held by Croft and never written into the app’s code.\n\n### Does my AI-built app hold my API keys?\n\nNo. The app asks Croft to make the call. Croft checks the app is allowed, adds the key on the way out and returns the result.\n\n### Can I connect a tool that is not in the list?\n\nYes, with the [custom connector](https://oncroft.net/connectors/custom/), or by emailing us to\nrequest a dedicated one.\n\n### Can I restrict who can use a connector?\n\nYes. Sensitive connectors can require an admin’s approval for a specific app or person, and use is logged.\n\n### Do I need my own account with each tool?\n\nYes. You sign in or paste your own key for each tool, and Croft holds it. See\n[pricing](https://oncroft.net/pricing/) for current Croft plans.\n\n[Browse all connectors →](https://oncroft.net/connectors/)  ·  [Start free trial →](https://app.oncroft.net/signup)  ·  [Connectors docs →](https://oncroft.net/docs/connectors/)\n\n## Start your free trial.\n\nYour team's first app could be live before lunch.\n\nNo card. 7 days. Cancel anytime.", "url": "https://wpnews.pro/news/croft-connectors-xero-stripe-slack-linear-and-more-for-your-ai-built-apps", "canonical_source": "https://oncroft.net/blog/croft-connectors-for-ai-built-apps/", "published_at": "2026-10-25 11:00:00+00:00", "updated_at": "2026-10-26 19:11:54.423307+00:00", "lang": "en", "topics": ["ai-agents", "ai-tools", "developer-tools", "ai-products"], "entities": ["Croft", "Rich Chetwynd", "Xero", "Stripe", "Slack", "Linear", "Brevo", "Jotform"], "also_reported_by": [], "alternates": {"html": "https://wpnews.pro/news/croft-connectors-xero-stripe-slack-linear-and-more-for-your-ai-built-apps", "markdown": "https://wpnews.pro/news/croft-connectors-xero-stripe-slack-linear-and-more-for-your-ai-built-apps.md", "text": "https://wpnews.pro/news/croft-connectors-xero-stripe-slack-linear-and-more-for-your-ai-built-apps.txt", "jsonld": "https://wpnews.pro/news/croft-connectors-xero-stripe-slack-linear-and-more-for-your-ai-built-apps.jsonld"}}