Open Connector — Auth Gateway Connecting 1000+ SaaS to AI Agents

Introduction

Open Connector is an open-source authentication gateway by Oomol Lab that bridges AI agents with over 1000 SaaS providers. It handles the complexity of OAuth flows, token refresh, and credential storage so that agents can securely access external services through a unified interface. The gateway exposes connections via SDK, CLI, MCP server, HTTP API, and OpenAPI specs, making it compatible with virtually any agent framework.

What Open Connector Does

• Manages OAuth authentication flows for 1000+ SaaS providers
• Exposes authenticated connections as MCP tools for AI agents
• Provides SDK, CLI, HTTP, and OpenAPI interfaces for flexible integration
• Handles token refresh, rotation, and secure credential storage
• Self-hosts on Cloudflare Workers or any Node.js environment

Architecture Overview

Open Connector runs as a TypeScript service that acts as an OAuth middleware layer. When an agent needs to access a SaaS provider, the gateway handles the authentication handshake, stores tokens securely, and proxies authenticated requests. Provider configurations are defined as declarative connector specs that describe OAuth endpoints, scopes, and API schemas. The MCP server interface lets agents discover and use authenticated connections as tools without managing credentials directly.

Self-Hosting & Configuration

• Initialize a project with npx open-connector init
• Add provider connectors via the CLI or configuration files
• Deploy to Cloudflare Workers for serverless hosting or run on Node.js
• Store credentials in encrypted local storage or external secret managers
• Configure per-agent access policies to restrict which providers each agent can use

Key Features

• Pre-built connectors for 1000+ SaaS providers including Google, Slack, GitHub, and Salesforce
• MCP server interface for seamless AI agent integration
• Self-hosted with no external dependencies for credential storage
• Declarative connector specs make adding new providers straightforward
• Multi-agent support with per-agent permission scoping

Comparison with Similar Tools

• Composio — SaaS-hosted tool integration; Open Connector is fully self-hosted
• Nango — OAuth proxy with managed hosting; Open Connector runs on your infrastructure
• Zapier/Make — workflow automation platforms; Open Connector focuses on agent auth
• Auth0 — user authentication; Open Connector handles service-to-service OAuth for agents
• Clerk — user-facing auth; Open Connector manages API credentials for agent tool access

FAQ

Q: Does it store credentials securely? A: Yes, tokens are encrypted at rest. You can also configure external secret managers like Vault.

Q: Can I add custom SaaS providers? A: Yes, define a connector spec with the provider's OAuth endpoints and API schema.

Q: Does it work with Claude Code and Codex CLI? A: Yes, the MCP server interface makes it compatible with any MCP-capable agent.

Q: What happens when tokens expire? A: Open Connector automatically refreshes tokens before they expire using stored refresh tokens.

Sources

• https://github.com/oomol-lab/open-connector
• https://github.com/oomol-lab/open-connector/blob/main/README.md