Eight Gemini and Grok connectors ranked on one job: leaving a plan behind that your team can open. Includes Gemini's custom-app rules, Grok's connector steps and a six-week launch built with both.

Category
AI Tools
Author
Storyflow Team
Product & Research Team
Topics
2026-10-09
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34 min read
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AI ToolsThe best Gemini and Grok connectors for planning creative work in 2026 are Storyflow, Google Workspace and Notion. Storyflow ranks first because it connects to both the Gemini app and Grok as a custom MCP app and turns the conversation into a visual project board you can share: plan, tables, shot cards, decks and open questions on one canvas. Google Workspace is the better pick if your plan lives in Docs, Gmail and Calendar, since it is built into Gemini and is a built-in Grok connector. Notion fits teams already running their wiki in Notion, especially from Grok, where it is a native connector.
Full disclosure: Storyflow is our product. It ranks first because the criteria for this list weight working in both Gemini and Grok and leaving a visible, shareable plan behind, which is what its MCP server does. Its main limits: it is paid-only during early access, browser-only, has no calendar view, and Gemini's custom-app rules (personal US account, 18+, English, Keep Activity on) apply to it like any custom app.
Google Workspace is the most trusted connector in Gemini because Google builds and runs it, and xAI's built-in connectors (Gmail, Drive, Outlook, SharePoint, OneDrive, Teams, Salesforce) carry the same weight in Grok. Custom MCP connectors such as Storyflow, Notion's or Linear's run outside Google's and xAI's control, so trust rests on their own permissions. Storyflow lets you pick projects, choose read-only, and disconnect with access ending within a minute.
Miro and Milanote publish clear prices, and Miro states its MCP cap of 100 calls a day on Free. Storyflow publishes three plans, Plus at $7.99 a month billed annually, Pro at $14 and Max at $39, with no MCP limit on any of them. It is paid-only during early access; its Free plan launches before the end of 2026 and invited collaborators join free now. Notion Plus is $10 per member a month billed annually.
Storyflow and Canva do the most from a single prompt. Canva generates and edits finished designs through Gemini Spark. Storyflow builds a whole planning section on a board, such as a timeline table, a mind map, shot cards or a slide deck, and later reports what changed and who changed it. Figma's remote server also writes to the canvas, but Figma does not list Gemini or Grok as clients.
Google Workspace has the longest record: its Gemini apps for Gmail, Drive, Docs, Calendar, Keep and Tasks became generally available in May 2025. Grok's connectors launched in May 2026 and Gemini's custom apps are newer than Google's own apps, so every MCP connector here is young, Storyflow's included, which launched in October 2026. Judge the newer ones on a two-week trial with a real project rather than on tenure.
Storyflow, when the plan has to be seen by a team or client: a launch board, a shoot plan, a content month or a pitch. It builds the plan on a canvas people open in a browser and reads it back next session. Choose Google Workspace if the plan is a document plus calendar invites, Notion if your team already runs its wiki there, and Canva when you need the finished design.
Linear's read-only endpoint is underrated: an assistant can summarise a sprint with no chance of editing an issue. Storyflow's change history is the other. Its get_board_changes tool tells Gemini or Grok what changed on a board and who changed it, so a weekly catch-up becomes a precise answer. Google Workspace in Grok is easy to overlook too: one connector reads and writes Gmail, Drive, Docs, Sheets and Calendar.
Four connectors cover most planning work from Gemini and Grok. Here is where each one fits and what it costs on top of your AI plan.
| Tool | Best For | AI Features | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Storyflow | Visual project plans on a board | Custom MCP app in Gemini and Grok; builds tables, mind maps, shot cards, decks; reads board changes | $7.99 mo annual (paid-only today; Free plan due before the end of 2026) |
| Google Workspace | Docs, email and calendar | Built into Gemini; built-in Grok connector with read and write | Included with a Google account |
| Notion | Wikis and task databases | Native Grok connector; remote MCP server | Free plan; Plus $10/member/mo annual ($12 monthly) |
| Linear | Issue tracking | Native Grok connector; MCP server with read-only endpoint | Not stated on the MCP page |
Most "best connectors" lists rank by how many apps a connector touches. That is the wrong test for planning work. A founder plotting a launch, an agency producer turning a brief into a shoot, or a creator mapping a month of content needs the assistant to do two things: read what already exists and leave behind a plan other people can open. So the criteria below are specific to that job, and the weights are published so you can re-score with your own priorities.
We checked every vendor's own documentation and pricing page on October 9, 2026. Where a vendor did not state something (a price in US dollars, a supported client, a plan limit), we left it out rather than guess.
Many people now keep both assistants open: Gemini for anything touching Google accounts, Grok for fast research. A connector you can add to both means one plan and two ways in. Full marks went to connectors with a documented path into both apps. Half marks went to connectors that are native in one and only reachable as an untested custom app in the other.
This is the job. Can the assistant build structured output (a board, a page, a design, an issue list) that a client or teammate opens without the chat? A connector that only searches scores low here, however good the search is.
Planning is iterative. The second conversation should start from what the first one built. We scored whether the connector reads its own output back, including what changed since the last session.
Giving an assistant write access to everything is a risk. We scored whether you can limit a connection to chosen projects or folders, choose read-only, and remove access quickly.
Built-in connectors in Gemini or Grok score highest. A custom MCP address with sign-in scores well. Anything that needs a token pasted by hand, a tunnel or an admin form scores lower.
A connector is rarely free when you count the account it connects to. We scored the published price of the connected product and any usage caps on its MCP server.
We did not score model quality. The connector does not change how smart Gemini or Grok is. We also did not score email, calendar booking or code review on their own merits, because this list is about planning creative and project work.
| Rank | Connector | In Gemini | In Grok | Builds a visible plan | Read-only option | Score /10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Storyflow | Custom app (MCP) | Custom connector (MCP) | Boards, tables, mind maps, shot cards, decks | Yes, chosen at sign-in | 8.9 |
2 | Google Workspace | Built in (Gmail, Drive, Docs, Calendar, Keep, Tasks) | Built-in connector | Docs, Sheets, events | Depends on Google settings | 8.6 |
3 | Notion | Custom app only, Gemini not a listed client | Native connector | Pages and databases | Not documented for MCP | 7.9 |
4 | Linear | Custom app only (mcp.linear.app/mcp) | Native connector | Issues and projects | Yes, a read-only endpoint | 7.4 |
5 | Canva | Connected app in Gemini Spark | Not confirmed | Designs and exports | Not documented | 7.1 |
6 | Miro | Not a listed client | Not a listed client | Boards and diagrams | Not documented | 6.6 |
7 | Microsoft 365 (SharePoint, OneDrive, Outlook, Teams) | No | Built-in connectors | Documents, lists, pages | Write needs permission | 6.4 |
8 | Dropbox | Connected app in Gemini Spark | Not confirmed | Files only | Not documented | 5.6 |
| Criterion (weight) | Storyflow | Google Workspace | Notion | Linear |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Works in both apps (25%) | 10 | 10 | 6 | 6 |
Leaves a visible plan (25%) | 10 | 8 | 9 | 7 |
Reads context back (15%) | 9 | 8 | 8 | 8 |
Permission scoping (15%) | 9 | 7 | 7 | 9 |
Setup friction (10%) | 6 | 10 | 8 | 7 |
Cost on top of AI plan (10%) | 6 | 9 | 7 | 7 |
Storyflow loses points on setup (Gemini's custom-app rules are strict) and on cost (it is paid-only during early access). It wins on the two heaviest criteria. If setup matters more to you than a visual plan, move ten points of weight from criterion 2 to criterion 5 and Google Workspace takes first place. That is an honest result, not a flaw in the method.

Storyflow board with a team launch plan built from an AI assistant
Add one address as a Gemini custom app or a Grok custom connector, pick the projects it may use, and ask your assistant to build your next launch, shoot or campaign plan on a board.

Each review below follows the same shape: the verdict, who it suits, what it costs, how it gets into Gemini and Grok, and its limits. Read the setup line carefully. The difference between "built in" and "custom app only" decides whether a connector works for you at all.

Verdict: the connector to add when you want Gemini or Grok to build a plan you can see and share, not just answer in chat.
Best for: founders, agency producers, marketing leads and creators who plan launches, shoots, campaigns and content months.
Pricing: Plus $7.99 a month billed annually ($9.99 monthly), Pro $14 ($19 monthly), Max $39 ($49 monthly), per the pricing page. Paid-only during early access; the Free plan launches before the end of 2026, and anyone a paid member invites to a board joins free now.
Storyflow is a visual project planning workspace: an infinite canvas board that holds notes, tables, documents, images, moodboards, storyboards, mind maps, kanban, charts and slide decks. Its MCP server lives at one address, mcp.storyflow.so/mcp, and speaks Streamable HTTP. In Gemini you add it under Settings, Connected Apps, Custom apps. In Grok you add it at grok.com/connectors as a Custom connector. Either way you sign in to Storyflow and choose what the assistant may touch.
The reason it ranks first is the second criterion. Ask Grok to "turn this brief into a launch board" and the server's build_section tool places a planning section on the board where it belongs. Other tools create mind maps, charts, diagrams, colour palettes, shot cards, strip boards, carousel pages and slide decks, or apply one of the board templates. What it adds appears live on a board you have open in another tab. Next week, get_board_summary and get_board_changes let the assistant read the board and see what your team changed, so the conversation picks up where the board is, not where the chat left off.
Permissions are chosen at sign-in: all projects or only the ones you pick, whether it may make changes (without that it can only read), and whether it may use documents outside projects. Disconnect in Settings, Connected apps, and access ends within a minute. Every connection expires after 30 days.
Strengths:
Limitations:
Try it: follow the connect guide in the help center, then ask your assistant to list your projects. If that works, everything else will.
Verdict: the zero-setup choice in Gemini and a strong built-in connector in Grok, best when your plan is a document, a spreadsheet and some calendar events.
Best for: anyone whose work already runs in Gmail, Drive and Google Calendar.
Pricing: included with your Google account. Google AI plan prices vary by region, so check Google's AI plans page for yours.
In Gemini, Google's own apps are connected apps you switch on in Settings, Connected Apps, then call with @ in a prompt (Gemini Apps Help). Gmail, Drive, Docs, Calendar, Keep and Tasks reached general availability in the Gemini app in May 2025, per Google's Workspace Updates blog. In Grok, xAI's Google Workspace connector covers Gmail, Drive, Docs, Sheets and Calendar and can read and write emails, documents, spreadsheets and events.
It ranks second because it nearly ties on reach and wins on setup. It loses on the plan itself: a Doc is linear, a Sheet is a grid, and neither shows how a launch, a shoot or a campaign fits together. For a two-page brief, that is fine. For a 40-task launch with owners, assets and dependencies, you end up with three files and no picture.
Strengths:
Limitations:
Verdict: the right connector if your team's wiki, task databases and meeting notes already live in Notion, and the best native Grok connector for documents.
Best for: startups and content teams that run their operating system in Notion.
Pricing: Notion has a Free plan with a Notion AI trial; Plus is $10 per member a month billed annually ($12 monthly) and Business, where full Notion Agent access sits, is $20 ($24 monthly), per Notion's pricing page.
Grok's launch post lists Notion as a native connector that searches pages, databases and wikis and edits them. In Gemini, Notion is not a connected app; you would add Notion's remote MCP server (mcp.notion.com/mcp, Streamable HTTP, OAuth) as a custom app. Notion's MCP setup guide documents clients such as Claude Code, Cursor, Codex and VS Code and does not list the Gemini app, so treat Gemini as untested.
Notion builds pages and databases well, which is why it scores high on the plan criterion. The gap is shape: a Notion database is a list of rows with views, so a moodboard, a shot list with frames or a deck stays in another tool.
Strengths:
Limitations:
Verdict: the best connector for turning a plan into tracked issues, and the cleanest read-only option on this list.
Best for: product teams and technical founders who run delivery in Linear.
Pricing: Linear does not state on its MCP page which plans include MCP access.
Linear is a native Grok connector that searches the backlog, summarises sprint progress, drafts updates and creates issues. For Gemini, Linear's MCP docs give mcp.linear.app/mcp over Streamable HTTP with OAuth 2.1 and dynamic client registration, which matches what Gemini's custom-app form expects. There is also a read-only endpoint at mcp.linear.app/mcp/readonly. Gemini is not on Linear's documented client list, so test it with a read before you trust a write.
Linear ranks below Notion because its output is issues, not plans. It is where a plan goes after you have agreed it.
Strengths:
Limitations:
Verdict: the connector to pick when the output is a finished design (a flyer, a social graphic, a deck) rather than a plan.
Best for: marketers and creators who already design in Canva.
Pricing: Canva's MCP tools for generating, editing, searching, exporting and commenting work on all plans; resizing, autofill and brand kits need Canva Pro or above (Canva MCP access docs).
Google added Canva as a connected app for Gemini Spark in its June 2026 Spark update, with designing custom flyers as the example. Canva also runs a remote MCP server that generates designs, edits them, exports to PDF, PNG, PPTX and MP4 and adds comments (Canva MCP docs). For Grok, we could not confirm a path: Canva requires each AI client to be a recognised OAuth client, and some must join an allowlist through a review form.
Canva ranks fifth because it makes the deliverable, not the plan. Use it at the end of a project, after the board says what to make.
Strengths:
Limitations:
Verdict: a capable canvas MCP for teams already in Miro, held back by an unlisted path into Gemini and Grok.
Best for: product and workshop teams with existing Miro boards.
Pricing: Free, Starter $8 and Business $20 per member per month billed yearly. The Free plan includes 100 MCP calls per day and 3 editable boards (Miro pricing).
Miro's MCP server summarises and searches boards, builds boards, generates diagrams and acts on comments, and it works on every Miro plan. Its documented clients are Claude, ChatGPT and Codex, Claude Code, Cursor, Gemini CLI and VS Code. The Gemini app and Grok are not listed, and Miro's page does not show the server address, so adding it as a custom app means hunting for the endpoint.
Strengths:
Limitations:
Verdict: the Grok answer for teams on Microsoft 365; not available in Gemini.
Best for: agencies and companies whose files and calendars sit in SharePoint and Outlook.
Pricing: included with your Microsoft 365 account.
xAI maintains built-in connectors for SharePoint, OneDrive, Outlook Mail and Calendar and Microsoft Teams. The SharePoint connector creates and edits documents, lists and pages once write permissions are enabled, and the Outlook connector drafts emails and creates calendar invites. On Grok Business, an admin provisions these in the xAI console, and Microsoft services may need admin consent (xAI connector management).
It scores low on reach because Gemini has no Microsoft connector. It earns a place because for many agencies, "where are the files" is the first question in any plan.
Strengths:
Limitations:
Verdict: useful for finding and sharing files from Gemini Spark; not a planning connector.
Best for: photographers, video teams and studios with assets in Dropbox.
Pricing: included with your Dropbox account.
Dropbox is one of the connected apps Google added to Gemini Spark in mid-2026, for accessing and sharing files. We could not confirm a Grok connector for Dropbox on xAI's documentation.
Strengths:
Limitations:
The same MCP address behaves differently depending on which assistant you plug it into. The rules below decide whether you can connect at all.
| Assistant | Where you add it | Who can add a custom connector | Admin step on business plans | Write confirmations |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Gemini app | Settings, Connected Apps, Custom apps | Personal account, US, 18+, English, Keep Activity on | Work and school accounts not supported | Gemini asks you to confirm each write |
Grok | grok.com/connectors, New Connector, Custom | All Grok users per xAI docs | Business and Enterprise: admin adds it in console.x.ai | Not documented |
ChatGPT (web) | Developer mode, then chatgpt.com/plugins | Plus or above | Admin turns on Developer mode on Business and Enterprise | Depends on client |
Claude | Customize, Connectors, Add custom connector | All plans; Free allows one custom connector | Depends on plan | Depends on client |
Google's custom apps help page lists four gates: 18 or over and in the US, a personal Google account, Keep Activity on, and English. Custom apps are added on the web only, then work in both the Gemini web and mobile apps. Google also warns that it does not control or secure third-party MCP servers and that Gemini may share chat content with the app. That warning is about every custom app, not one vendor.
xAI launched connectors in May 2026 with a "Bring Your Own MCP" option for any remote server. The connector docs say the server must be reachable over the public internet; a local server needs a tunnel. Storyflow's server is public, so no tunnel is needed.
Claude and ChatGPT shipped custom connectors before Gemini and Grok did. If you are choosing between assistants rather than connectors, see our best ChatGPT connectors and best Claude connectors rankings. The Storyflow address and permissions are identical in all four.
A built-in connector is run by Google or xAI. A custom one is run by its vendor. The question to ask is not "is this connector official" but "what can it touch, and can I take that away in one click". For Storyflow, the answers are: the projects you picked, changes only if you allowed them, and Settings, Connected apps to remove it.
Both setups take under five minutes. The full reference, including Claude Code, Cursor and VS Code, is the Storyflow MCP help article.
If you work in a terminal, Gemini CLI takes remote servers directly. Run: gemini mcp add --transport http storyflow https://mcp.storyflow.so/mcp, then type /mcp auth storyflow inside Gemini CLI to sign in. The syntax comes from the Gemini CLI MCP docs.
| Job | Projects | Allow changes | Documents outside projects |
|---|---|---|---|
Weekly status questions | All | No | Off |
Building one launch board | Only the launch project | Yes | Off |
Turning private drafts into a plan | Only the target project | Yes | On |
A client's assistant reading your plan | Only the shared project | No | Off |
Start read-only for a week if you are unsure. Reconnecting with changes allowed takes a minute.
A founder of a four-person skincare brand is launching a new serum in six weeks. The brief lives in a Google Doc, the creator list in a Sheet, and the team argues in a group chat. Here is how the plan gets built with two assistants and one board. The scenario and action counts are illustrative, not measured.
In Grok, with the Google Workspace and Storyflow connectors added, the founder asks Grok to read the brief from Drive and build a launch board in the "Serum launch" project. Grok calls list_projects (1 action), list_boards (1 action), then build_section four times: goals and audience, a 6-week timeline table, a channel plan and an open-questions group (4 actions). It adds a mind map of the three message pillars (1 action) and a 5-slide pitch deck for the retailer meeting (1 action). That is 8 Storyflow actions for the first build.
The co-founder moves two tasks, renames a pillar and adds a note about a packaging delay. Nobody touches the chat.
In the Gemini mobile app (a custom app added on the web carries over), the founder types "@Storyflow what changed on the serum launch board in the last week, and who changed it?" Gemini calls get_board_changes (1 action) and answers with the three edits and their authors. She asks it to add the packaging delay to the timeline table; Gemini asks her to confirm the write, she confirms (1 action).
| Step | Assistant | Storyflow actions | What appears on the board |
|---|---|---|---|
Read brief, build board | Grok | 8 | 4 sections, mind map, 5-slide deck |
Weekly catch-up (x6) | Gemini | 6 | Nothing new, answers in chat |
Timeline updates (x6) | Gemini | 6 | Edited table rows, kept in date order by hand |
Content plan for 24 posts | Grok | 3 | Table of 24 posts, carousel pages for 4 |
Retailer deck revisions | Grok | 4 | Updated slides |
Total over 6 weeks | Both | 27 | One board the whole team uses |
On Plus, Pro or Max there is no MCP limit, so the count does not matter. On a free invited account, the limit is 25 actions a week, and these 27 are spread over six weeks: the first build is the heaviest step at 8, so no single week comes close, but the whole plan would not fit in one week. The counts above are what this plan needs if each request maps to one tool call; a longer conversation with more reads uses more.
The board held one version of the plan, and both assistants read from it. What it did not do: post the 24 social posts (Storyflow does not publish or schedule) or show a calendar (dates live in table cells). The founder scheduled the posts in her social tool from the table.
Each prompt assumes Storyflow is connected with changes allowed for the named project. Replace the words in capitals.
| Job | Prompt |
|---|---|
First look | List my Storyflow projects and the boards in PROJECT. Tell me what each board is for in one line. |
Brief to board | Read the brief I pasted and build a launch board in PROJECT: goals, audience, a 6-week timeline table, channels and open questions. |
Catch-up | What changed on BOARD in the last week, and who changed it? List anything that moves a deadline. |
Content month | Build a table of 20 posts for MONTH on BOARD: date, platform, hook, format, asset needed, owner. Keep rows in date order. |
Shoot plan | From the references on BOARD, create shot cards for 12 setups and a strip board for a two-day shoot. |
Pitch deck | Create a 6-slide deck on BOARD that pitches the three concepts to CLIENT, one slide each plus problem, plan and ask. |
Mind map | Make a mind map of our three message pillars with four supporting points each. |
Clean-up | Group the loose notes on BOARD into walls by theme and move the open questions next to the timeline. |
Read-only audit | Without changing anything, list every task on BOARD that has no owner or no date. |
In Gemini, start each prompt with @Storyflow so it picks the right app. In Grok, name Storyflow in the first sentence when you have several connectors on.
Your Gemini or Grok subscription is a separate cost; Google and xAI prices vary by region and plan, so check them where you live.
| Connector | Entry price for the connected product | Free option | MCP or connector cap |
|---|---|---|---|
Storyflow | $7.99 a month billed annually (Plus) | Coming late 2026 (invited collaborators join free now) | None on Plus, Pro, Max; 25 actions a week on a free invited account |
Google Workspace | Included with a Google account | Yes | Not stated |
Notion | $10 per member a month billed annually (Plus) | Yes, with an AI trial | Not stated |
Linear | Not stated on the MCP page | Not stated | Not stated |
Canva | Core MCP tools on all plans | Yes | Not stated |
Miro | $8 per member a month billed yearly (Starter) | Yes, 3 editable boards | 100 MCP calls a day on Free |
Microsoft 365 | Your existing licence | Not checked | Not stated |
Dropbox | Your existing plan | Not checked | Not stated |
Milanote (not connectable) | $9.99 a month billed annually | Yes, 100 notes, images or links and 10 uploads | No MCP or AI listed |
A solo founder on Storyflow Plus pays $7.99 a month billed annually for the board and connects it to the Gemini or Grok account she already pays for. A team of four does not need four Storyflow plans to work on the same board: anyone a paid member invites to a board joins free and edits in real time. Max at $39 a month adds a team workspace with roles and permissions when the team wants shared ownership.
The expensive part is not the connector. It is the re-explaining. Every time a plan lives only in a chat, the next conversation starts from zero. A connector that reads the plan back is what saves the hour.
Top picks: Storyflow and Google Workspace. The launch plan goes on a board, the paperwork stays in Docs and Gmail. Grok reads both in one conversation.
Top picks: Storyflow and Microsoft 365 (on Grok) or Google Workspace (on Gemini). Client briefs arrive as files; the production plan, shot list and pitch deck belong on a board the client can open with no account and sign in to comment on.
Top picks: Storyflow and Canva. Plan the campaign and the content month on the board, then make the finished graphics in Canva through Gemini Spark.
Top picks: Storyflow and Google Workspace. A 20-post table and a video plan on a board, with scripts in Docs. See how creators plan with AI tools for the wider stack.
Top picks: Notion and Linear. The wiki and the backlog already live there, and both are native in Grok. Add Storyflow when a launch needs a visual plan.
Top picks: Storyflow and Dropbox. Shot cards and strip boards on the board, raw files in Dropbox. Our AI storyboarding tools list compares the tools that draw storyboard frames.
Gemini will not take custom apps. Use Grok for Storyflow, Notion and Linear, and use Gemini for Google's own apps only.
Gemini's custom apps are US-only today. Use Grok, Claude or ChatGPT for MCP connectors and come back to Gemini when Google widens access.
Use Google Workspace or Notion. A two-page brief does not need a canvas.
Use Storyflow. A board with the timeline, references, shot cards and deck beside each other is what a client opens and understands in a minute. Read our guide to AI tools that generate project boards for the comparison against non-connector options.
Connect Storyflow without changes, or use Linear's read-only endpoint. Read-only connections cannot break anything.
Use Canva for designs. Storyflow plans the asset; Canva makes it.
With six connectors on, Grok has to guess which one you mean. Name the app in the first sentence ("In Storyflow, ...") or keep only the two you need for the session.
Pick the one project. If the assistant misreads a request, the damage stays inside it.
Images you attach in Gemini or Grok stay in the chat. Ask for an upload link; Storyflow's request_photo_upload tool returns one.
Google is explicit: custom apps are unavailable when Keep Activity is off. If Storyflow disappears from @, check that setting first.
Storyflow's canvas cannot sort a table. Ask for rows kept in date order when they are written, and re-ask when dates change.
Every Storyflow connection ends after 30 days by design. When Gemini or Grok asks you to sign in again, do it and re-pick your projects.
The chat scrolls away. Ask the assistant to put the result on the board before you close the tab, so the next session starts from it. Our post on why ChatGPT loses the plot explains the same failure in long conversations.
Storyflow ranks first for planning creative work on a board from Gemini or Grok. It is the wrong connector in these cases, and the right one is named for each.
Storyflow has no calendar tool or calendar view, and it does not publish or schedule posts. Use Google Calendar through Gemini or Grok's Google Workspace connector, and your social scheduler for posting.
Use Linear. Issues, cycles and projects belong in a tracker built for them.
Use Canva through Gemini Spark. Storyflow builds the plan and the deck, but it is not a design editor.
Storyflow runs in the browser only. If your team works on planes and in basements, choose a tool with an offline mode.
If you are on a work Google account and Gemini is your only assistant, a custom connector is not available to you yet. Use Google's built-in apps until your admin or Google changes that.
Storyflow does not do versioned approvals with an approve button, call-sheet confirmations, contracts or invoices. Pair it with the tool your studio already uses for those.
Storyflow is paid-only during early access. Its Free plan launches before the end of 2026. Until then, the genuinely free path is being invited to a board by a paid member.
Figma's remote MCP server (mcp.figma.com/mcp) is available on all seats and plans, reads design context and, in beta, writes to Figma Design and FigJam (Figma's MCP guide). It did not make the list because Figma's documented clients do not include the Gemini app or Grok.
GitHub is a native Grok connector for searching code and summarising pull requests. It is excellent for engineering and outside the scope of creative planning.
A built-in Grok connector maintained by xAI. Useful for sales teams, not for planning a shoot or a launch.
Milanote is a well-loved board for creative work, with a Free plan of 100 notes, images or links and 10 uploads, and a paid plan at $9.99 a month billed annually (Milanote plans). Its plans page lists no AI features, MCP server or assistant connector, so Gemini and Grok cannot reach it today. If you compare the two boards directly, see our Milanote alternatives.
Paste this into either assistant with Storyflow connected and changes allowed for one project. It builds a reusable planning board in about eight actions.
| Section | What the assistant builds | Tool it uses |
|---|---|---|
Goal and audience | Two notes: one-sentence goal, one-paragraph audience | create_whiteboard_element |
Timeline | A table: week, milestone, owner, due date, status | build_section |
Deliverables | A table: item, format, owner, date | build_section |
Ideas | A mind map with three pillars | create_mindmap |
Open questions | A group of notes, one question each | build_section |
Pitch | A 5-slide deck: problem, idea, plan, cost, ask | create_deck |
The prompt: "In Storyflow, in PROJECT, build a planning board for GOAL with these six sections: goal and audience, a timeline table, a deliverables table, a mind map of three idea pillars, an open-questions group and a 5-slide pitch deck. Keep table rows in date order. Tell me what you could not fill and list it under open questions."
The last sentence matters. It makes the assistant name its gaps instead of inventing them. For written briefs to feed into this template, the AI creative brief generator is a starting point, and the AI project plan generator shows the same plan built inside Storyflow's own AI.
If you plan creative work and keep Gemini or Grok open all day, connect Storyflow first and Google Workspace second. Storyflow turns the conversation into a board your team and clients can open, and it reads that board back so the next conversation starts from the plan, not from zero. Google Workspace covers the documents and calendar around it with no setup. Add Notion or Linear if your team already lives there.
Take your next launch, shoot or campaign, connect Storyflow at storyflow.so/mcp, and ask your assistant to build the board from the brief you already have. Within one week you will know whether the plan holds better on a board than in a chat.
Storyflow is the best Gemini connector for planning creative projects visually. Added as a custom app, it lets Gemini build a launch, campaign or shoot plan on a board with tables, mind maps, shot cards and a deck, then read the board back later. If your plan is a document and some calendar events, Google Workspace is simpler, since Gmail, Drive, Docs and Calendar are built into Gemini and need no setup.
Open gemini.google.com on a computer, click Settings, then Connected Apps, and under Custom apps click Add a custom app. Paste the server's MCP address, click Next and sign in to the service. Google requires a personal account, US location, age 18 or over, English and Keep Activity on. Once added on the web, the custom app also works in the Gemini mobile app.
Not today. Google's help page says custom apps are not available when you sign in with a work or school Google account. Workspace users can still use Google's own apps in Gemini if their administrator allows connected apps. For third-party MCP connectors on a work account, use Grok, Claude or ChatGPT instead, or ask your administrator to watch for changes.
Go to grok.com/connectors, click New Connector, choose Custom, paste the MCP server address and complete sign-in. Grok then discovers the server's tools and uses them in conversations. xAI's docs say connectors are available to all Grok users. On Grok Business and Enterprise, an admin must first add the connector in the xAI console under Grok Business, Connectors.
No, according to xAI's connector documentation, which says connectors are available to all Grok users. Grok's business plans add one step: on Grok Business and Enterprise, an admin provisions each connector in the xAI console before members can link their accounts. The Storyflow side still needs a Storyflow account, either a paid plan or an invitation from a paid member.
xAI's docs list Gmail and Google Calendar, Google Drive, OneDrive, Outlook Mail and Calendar, Microsoft Teams, SharePoint and Salesforce as built-in connectors maintained by xAI. The May 2026 launch post adds Google Workspace, Notion, GitHub and Linear. Anything else, Storyflow included, connects through the Custom option with an MCP server address.
Yes. Gemini's custom apps are MCP servers: you add one by its MCP server URL, and Google requires the server to follow standard MCP specifications. If the server does not support Dynamic Client Registration, you enter credentials under Advanced features. Developers can also add remote MCP servers to Gemini CLI with gemini mcp add and the http transport.
Not on its own. Storyflow is paid-only during early access, starting at $7.99 a month billed annually, and Plus, Pro and Max have no MCP limit. A free account, which today means one invited by a paid member, gets 25 actions a week, resetting Monday UTC. The MCP runs on Gemini's or Grok's model, so it does not use Storyflow AI credits.
Only if you allow changes when you sign in. With changes allowed, the assistant can edit and move elements, remove deck slides and clear table cells, so it is not read-only. Without changes, it can only read. Gemini also asks you to confirm each write action. Limit the connection to the projects you need to keep any mistake contained.
It builds notes, groups, tables, charts, diagrams, mind maps, documents, slide decks, shot cards, strip boards, colour palettes and carousel pages, and it applies board templates. It places each piece on the board where it belongs, and what it adds appears live on a board you have open. It also reads boards, documents and files, and reports what changed and who changed it.
The show_board tool draws the live board inside clients that support MCP apps. In any other client, keep the Storyflow board open in a browser tab, where every element the assistant adds appears live as it works. Either way, the board itself is the record your collaborators open; the chat is only the way the plan got there.
Connected Apps is Google's current name for what started as Gemini extensions: Google's own apps and a list of partner apps such as Spotify and WhatsApp. Custom apps are newer and different. They are any MCP server you add by URL, run by their vendor rather than Google, with stricter rules on account type, location, age and language.
Yes. Each assistant signs in separately and gets its own connection, and both read and write the same boards. You can scope them differently, for example Grok with changes allowed on one project and Gemini read-only on all of them. Each connection appears in Storyflow's Settings, Connected apps, where you can remove either one.
Google designed it that way. The custom apps help page says Gemini requires manual confirmation for write actions, because a third-party server can change data outside Google. Reads go through without a prompt. For a big build, ask Gemini to describe the full plan first, then confirm the writes in one sitting, or run the build in Grok and use Gemini for questions.
After 30 days, the connection ends and the assistant asks you to sign in again. Your boards are untouched; only the permission lapses. Sign in, pick your projects and choose changes again. If you remove the assistant in Settings, Connected apps, access ends within a minute instead of waiting for the expiry.
Table of Contents
Every Storyflow board starts from real structure and an AI that reads the whole canvas. Open one of these templates and make it yours.
A visual AI workspace where every feature lives inside one canvas. No tab-switching, no context lost.
Build your entire board from a single message
Type what you need in the AI chat at the bottom of your canvas. The AI adds cards, headings, and structure directly onto your board.
Use expert frameworks as AI context
Type @ in the AI chat and choose any Tactic. The AI tailors every response to that framework instead of giving generic advice.
Turn your board into a mind map in seconds
Ask the AI to restructure your canvas as a mindmap. It connects your ideas into a visual hierarchy so you can see how everything relates.
Storyflow actually began as a personal tool while working on creative and research projects.
We kept running into the same problem: ideas were scattered everywhere: notes, documents, and whiteboards.
Nothing helped us see how everything connected.
So we started building a workspace designed around how ideas actually grow.
→ Read how Storyflow was createdStoryflow Team
Product & Research Team
Published: 2026-10-09
Extremely simple, seriously capable

Watch a real project come together, from a blank board to a finished plan, clicked through step by step.
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