Both approaches end in the same place — an assistant reaching a system it does not own — but they get there differently, and the differences show up in procurement and governance rather than in the chat window.
| Dimension | Packaged connector | MCP server |
|---|---|---|
| Who operates it | The AI platform vendor | The tool vendor, a third party, or you |
| Where it is enabled | In the assistant's settings | By registering a server endpoint |
| Typical governance | Vendor admin controls | Your own deployment and access controls |
| Portability | Specific to that platform | Any client implementing the protocol |
| Customisation | Fixed feature set | You define the tools exposed |
Choosing between them
- Prefer a packaged connector when the capability you need already exists and centralised administration is an advantage.
- Prefer an MCP server when you need tools that no gallery offers, or when the data must not leave infrastructure you control.
- Treat a self-hosted server as production software: it needs an owner, monitoring, and a patching plan.
Connector Scout records the connection type
Every connection record stores its connection type, so a first-party connector is never presented as equivalent to a third-party automation or a self-hosted MCP server.
Questions
Sources
- Developer documentationModel Context Protocol
Model Context Protocol specification (opens in a new tab)
Accessed 28 Jul 2026