Why Claude shows Plugins instead of MCP
This is Claude's current product model, not a Corvio compatibility problem. A Connector is Claude's name for the live remote MCP connection. A Plugin is the installable package that can bundle that Connector with Skills and other instructions. Cowork supports both.
If Corvio is visible in Claude's directory, install it there. Until its listing has completed review, use the direct Plugin upload or custom Connector path below.
Fastest complete setup in Cowork
Download the Corvio Claude Plugin ZIP in your browser, open Claude Customize → Plugins, choose the add or upload action, and upload the ZIP. The package contains the official corvio-operate-workspace Skill, a short SessionStart reminder, and a remote MCP definition for https://api.corvio.ai/mcp; it contains no API key.
When Claude asks to connect the bundled Corvio Connector, continue to the Corvio authorization page. Sign in, review the scopes, approve, return to Claude, and start a fresh Cowork task. For research, reports, comparisons, plans, decisions, meeting notes, or project work, Claude must make one authorized Corvio read before committing to a plan or answer while keeping its normal file workflow. A one-off result normally should not be saved, but that alone does not cancel the read.
- Download corvio-workspace.zip in your browser.
- Upload it from Claude Customize → Plugins.
- Connect Corvio and approve OAuth.
- Start a fresh Cowork task and verify the tools.
Use Corvio beyond search
Claude should preserve the original file as an Asset first. A supported UTF-8 Markdown Asset can then become an editable Page through source_asset_id; other formats or coherent source sets should go through organize_files or ask_corvio so Corvio can produce the representation that best serves the reader.
Poll the returned operation to terminal and inspect output_document, source_reconciliation, and skills_evaluation. Stable facts/preferences may enter Memory; only a qualifying reusable method becomes a Project Skill. always requires the evaluation, not a synthetic Skill, and evaluated_no_qualifying_skill is valid.
- Finalize and verify the Asset.
- Choose direct Markdown-to-Page or semantic organization.
- Poll and read back the durable output.
- Retain the Skill candidate/resource receipt only when it qualified.
Update the copy you actually installed
First identify the installation source. In Claude Code, run claude plugin list. A name ending in @synced is the copy synced from your Claude account; "synced" means newest in that account, not necessarily newest from Corvio. In Cowork, check whether an administrator installed a directory or organization copy, or whether you uploaded corvio-workspace.zip yourself.
Remote MCP tools update on Corvio's server and normally only need a fresh task; reconnect OAuth when scopes change. A directory or marketplace Plugin follows that channel's update control. Replace a directly uploaded Plugin ZIP from the same official source; shared or organization-managed copies must be updated by their owner. Reinstall a standalone Skill from its original package. corvio update check applies only to the optional CLI.
A reviewed directory or marketplace source is the long-term managed path. Until external listing acceptance, direct ZIP upload is an explicit fallback because Claude provides no Corvio-upstream auto-update channel for a user-uploaded package; that is a host boundary, not a switch this task can enable.
- Ask Corvio get_collaboration_contract for distribution.claude_plugin.current_version.
- Record the installed source and version; do not infer upstream freshness from @synced.
- Update only the stale local package or marketplace installation.
- Start a fresh task, call list_workspaces, and verify one natural read plus durable readback.
Connector-only fallback
If your Claude surface cannot upload a Plugin, open Customize → Connectors, choose Add custom connector, and enter https://api.corvio.ai/mcp. This gives Claude live Corvio tools. Install the standalone Skill separately only when that surface exposes a Skills upload UI.
On Pro or Max, a user can add a custom Connector. In Team or Enterprise, an Owner or Primary Owner normally adds the Connector for the organization, after which members connect their own Corvio account. This administration rule is owned by Claude, not Corvio.
No API key is required
The ordinary Claude connection uses browser OAuth. Corvio supports its current account sign-in methods on that page. CORVIO_API_KEY is only an advanced Developer API or non-interactive CLI option, and the optional CLI uses corvio auth login for an interactive device link.
Do not ask Claude to create, reveal, or paste an API key. Do not replace a failed OAuth callback with a shared key.
If Claude refuses the ZIP download
A message such as connect_rejected (organization policy) comes from the isolated Cowork execution environment's network-egress policy. The Corvio download endpoint is public; the refusal occurs before that sandbox reaches it. Browser web search and the Cowork code sandbox can have different network policies.
Use your normal browser to download the canonical ZIP from Corvio, then upload the local file through Claude's Plugin UI. The public Git repository is the managed source for marketplace installs, not a second binary mirror. Directory installation is the long-term zero-download path. After installation, verify list_workspaces, search, and fetch; a successful upload alone does not prove OAuth or Workspace access.