AGE OF AIMPIRES

HOW-TO / 03

Connect The Source, Not Your Entire Digital Life

Connecting another service makes sense when the assistant needs information that already lives there — not because connecting everything sounds useful.

What You'll Achieve

You'll connect only the source a task needs and confirm what that connection can read or do.

When It Helps

Use a connection when the information lives in another service and needs to stay accessible there. Upload a file when one fixed copy is enough.

Connect Only What The Job Needs

  1. Name the job.

    Be specific: "Summarise the Q3 budget spreadsheet" not "Work with my files."

  2. Identify the exact source.

    Identify the information the job actually needs. If a single PDF, export or uploaded file will do, use that instead of connecting an account.

  3. Check what the connection can read and what it can do.

    Before approving, review the requested permissions. Reading information and taking action are different levels of access.

  4. Choose the narrowest useful access.

    Prefer the narrowest access the product actually offers. Use read-only access when available and sufficient. Avoid connecting broader accounts or sources than the task requires.

  5. Review or remove the connection later.

    When the work finishes or the source changes, revisit the connection settings and disconnect what is no longer needed.

Example: ChatGPT

In ChatGPT, open Settings → Plugins, select the relevant app, then connect the account that already has access to the information you need. Review the permissions before approving the connection. Depending on the app and workspace settings, access may include reading information or performing supported actions. ChatGPT cannot use files the connected account cannot open.

Try This

Find the document called "Holiday Ideas" in my Google Drive. Tell me its title and the first three destinations listed. Do not edit anything.

Start with something harmless whose contents you already know. You are testing the connection, not the assistant's general knowledge.

Quick Test

Ask for one specific fact from a known file, then open the original file yourself and compare the answer. If they match, you have confirmed that the assistant can reach the intended source — and nothing more.