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Daily Use
Connecting Your Apps to HQ
Anyone who wants HQ to look things up or take action in the apps their team already uses, like Linear, Notion, or Sentry. The connecting and permissions parts are for company owners and admins.
HQ can connect to your company's other apps. Once an app is connected, you can ask HQ things like "list my open Linear issues" or "find the Notion page about onboarding," and it goes and gets the answer. It works the same for everyone in the company, whether they're using Claude Code, Codex, or a bot.
These connections are called integrations. An integration belongs to your company, so it's connected once and then shared with the people who need it. Every use is recorded, so owners can see what was done.
This is different from using HQ inside ChatGPT or Claude.ai. For that, see Using HQ from ChatGPT and Claude.ai.
Which apps can connect#
HQ connects to apps that offer an MCP server hosted on the web. MCP is a standard way for AI tools to talk to apps, and many popular apps offer one. HQ has a catalog of apps that are ready to connect. You can also connect an app that isn't in the catalog by giving HQ its web address or its documentation page.
Apps that only run as a program on your own computer (local connectors) can't be connected as company integrations. See "Bringing in your Claude Desktop connectors" below for how HQ handles those.
Connecting an app (owners and admins)#
You don't need to type any commands. In Claude Code or Codex, ask HQ in plain words:
- "What apps can I connect to HQ?"
- "Connect Linear to HQ."
- "Connect the app whose docs are at docs.example.com."
HQ works out how the app signs in:
- Apps that use sign-in: your browser opens so you can sign in to the app and approve the connection. When HQ says Connected, it's ready to use.
- Apps that use an API key: HQ asks for the key and passes it in securely. Never paste an API key into a chat message or a command.
- Apps with no sign-in: HQ connects them right away.
If HQ gives you a sign-in link and says the connection will finish in the console, the app isn't connected yet. Open the link, finish signing in, then ask HQ "is Linear connected?" to check.
If you'd rather use a screen than a chat, the HQ console has an Integrations page that does all of this too.
Using a connected app#
Anyone with access can just ask. "Show me the Sentry errors from today" or "list the Linear issues assigned to me" works the same as any other request.
Some requests wait for approval. HQ can always read from a connected app. But when a request could change something in the app, like creating an issue or editing a page, it's held until a company owner approves it. HQ will tell you it's waiting for an owner's approval and show the approval command. It doesn't try again on its own, so there's no need to ask twice.
If you're an owner and you asked for the change yourself, HQ can approve it for you straight away. Requests that aren't approved expire after about a week.
Who can use an app, and what needs approval (owners and admins)#
There are two separate settings, and they're easy to mix up.
Who can use the app at all. The person who connected the app, or a company admin, decides who can use it. You can share it with one person, a group, or the whole company. For example: "Share Notion with everyone in the company."
Which changes need approval. Each app has an approval setting:
| Setting | What happens when someone asks for a change |
|---|---|
| Confirm (the default) | The change waits for an owner to approve it |
| Auto-allow | The change goes through right away |
| Deny | Changes aren't allowed; the app is read-only |
Owners can also let specific people skip approval for one specific action. For example, you might let your support lead create Linear issues without waiting, while every other change still needs approval.
Bringing in your Claude Desktop connectors#
If you already use connectors in the Claude desktop app, HQ can bring them in. When you install HQ, it may ask Import Claude Desktop connectors? You can also ask HQ to import them later.
- Web-based connectors become company integrations, just like connecting them yourself. Some may ask you to sign in again.
- Local connectors (ones that run on your computer) are saved in your company's settings with any passwords or keys removed, so teammates can set them up on their own computers.
If something isn't working#
"No connected apps yet." Nothing's connected for your company. Ask an owner or admin to connect the app.
"Only a company owner…" You don't have permission for that change. Ask a company owner.
An app says it needs sign-in. Its connection expired. Ask HQ to reconnect the app, for example "reconnect Linear."
"Integration factory is not enabled for this company." Connecting new apps is turned off for your company. Apps that are already connected still work. Contact Indigo if you need it turned on.
HQ doesn't recognize the integration commands at all. Your HQ tools may be out of date. Ask HQ to update its command-line tools, then try again.
Disconnecting an app removes its sign-in and any approval exceptions, and anything that relied on it stops working. HQ will always check with you before disconnecting.
If you get stuck#
See The "I'm Stuck" Guide, or report it with /hq-bug. It packages the details for the team automatically.