Connections and data

Connect an app so your agent can use it

Connect an app when an agent needs current information or needs to take an approved action in one of your accounts. Otto keeps the sign-in outside the conversation: you authorize the service in its own sign-in flow, and the connection then becomes available to the agent on your Otto.

What connecting enables

A connection is the account-level permission for an app. It does not give an agent every possible action without review. Reading can proceed when the app is connected; actions that change or send something may still ask for your approval. Disconnecting the app removes that access.

Connect only the account an agent's job needs. For example, connect a work calendar for an agent that schedules work, rather than a personal calendar that it does not need.

Before you begin

  • Make sure Otto is online and you can sign in to the service you want to use.
  • Decide which agent needs the app and whether it should read information, prepare work, or make changes.
  • If you are setting up an automation, connect every app it will use first. Automations run unattended and cannot stop to ask you to connect an app.

Connect an app from Integrations

  1. Open Settings, then choose Integrations.
  2. Search for the service. You can browse apps you could add or review apps that are already connected.
  3. Choose the app and tap Connect.
  4. Complete the sign-in or authorization flow in the service's own window. Read the permissions before accepting them.
  5. Return to Otto and wait for the app to appear as connected.
  6. Ask the agent to start with a small, read-only task or a draft. This checks the connection before you allow an external change.

Some services use a code or a browser redirect; others connect immediately because they do not require a sign-in. Follow the flow Otto shows for that app. Never paste a sign-in link, token, or password into a chat with an agent.

Add another account

If the app supports multiple accounts, open its connected entry and choose the option to add another account. When you ask an agent to work, name the account when more than one is available—for example, “check the work calendar, not my personal calendar.” Otto keeps the accounts separate.

Add an app that is not in the catalog

From Settings > Integrations, tap + and choose one of the owner-added connection types:

  • MCP server — paste the server URL. Use this when the service exposes an MCP connection and you trust the server.
  • API — provide the API's base URL and the requested credential, such as a token, key, or username and password.

Review the endpoint and access it grants. Test a custom connection with a read-only or no-op request before allowing an agent to change external data. See Add a custom API or MCP server for the full setup guidance.

What happens next

The app appears in your connected-app list, and the agent can search its available tools for a task. Otto asks for approval when an action is classified as a change, unless you have already granted that exact action. A connection does not mean the agent will use the app on every task; tell it which account and outcome you want.

For a recurring report, connect the app before creating the automation, then set the automation's permissions and limits separately.

Troubleshooting

  • The app is still not connected: finish the provider's sign-in page, then return to Otto. Check that Otto is online and reopen Integrations.
  • The browser returned to the wrong place or timed out: start Connect again. If it keeps happening, use the desktop Otto app when the app says its sign-in requires a desktop redirect.
  • The app says setup is incomplete: finish the additional setup step the provider requires, such as choosing which account, workspace, repository, or installation the connection may reach.
  • The agent says the app is not connected: confirm you connected the same app and account the task names. For an automation, confirm the connection was completed before the automation was saved.
  • You no longer want access: disconnect the app in Integrations. Review or retire automations that depended on it.

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