App + chat connectors: Add capabilities to your published app and your chat

1. 1

   Go to the 'Connectors' section in your Lovable dashboard.

   This is where you find all the tools Lovable can connect to.

2. 2

   Choose the tool you want to connect (e.g., Slack, HubSpot) and click 'Add connection'.

   This starts the process of setting up the link between Lovable and your chosen tool.

3. 3

   Select 'App + chat connector' if prompted, then sign in or paste your API key for the tool.

   This gives Lovable permission to use your account with that tool. You might need to create an API key in the tool's own settings first.

4. 4

   Decide who else in your workspace can use this connection, or keep it private to yourself.

   This controls whether teammates can also use this connection in their projects.

5. 5

   Click 'Connect' to save your new connection.

   This finishes setting up the connection in Lovable.

6. 6

   In your project's chat, tell Lovable what you want the app to do with the connected tool, for example: "Connect Slack to this project and post a message to #new-signups whenever someone creates an account."

   This links the connection to your specific project and tells Lovable to write the code for the integration.

Connect [Tool Name, e.g., Slack] to this project and [describe what you want it to do, e.g., post a message to #new-signups whenever someone creates an account].

App + chat connectors

These are special links that let your Lovable app talk to other online services (like Slack or Google Sheets) and use their features. They work both when you're building your app and when people are using the finished app.

OAuth

A secure way to let one service (like Lovable) use your account on another service (like Google) without sharing your password. You usually click a button to sign in and grant permission.

API key

A secret code that acts like a password, allowing Lovable to access a specific online service on your behalf. You usually get this key from the settings of the service you want to connect.

Workspace

Your personal or team area within Lovable where you manage all your projects and connections.

Gateway-based connectors

These connectors use a secure middleman service (a 'gateway') provided by Lovable to handle the communication between your app and the external tool. This keeps your secret keys safe and out of your app's code.

REST API

A standard way for different computer programs to talk to each other over the internet. If a tool has a REST API, you can often create a custom connector for it in Lovable.

• Trying to create or link a connection when your user role or workspace settings don't allow it.
• Forgetting that deleting a connection is permanent and will break any apps using it.
• Expecting each user of your app to see their own data when using an 'App + chat connector'; this type of connector uses one shared account. If you need individual user data, you need an 'app user connector' instead.
• Not checking the external tool's documentation first for setup steps like creating an API key or registering an app.