> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://agenticbanking.backbase.io/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Get started with Connector Studio

> Find Connector Studio in Grand Central, upload vendor API specifications, and create your first connector project.

This page covers where to find Connector Studio, and the pages you use before and while you create a connector project.

## Prerequisites

Before you start, make sure you have the following:

* Access to Grand Central. To sign in, see [Sign in and select a runtime](/grand-central-app/sign-in).
* The vendor API specifications you want to integrate with, in OpenAPI or Web Services Description Language (WSDL) format.
* Permission to upload specifications. If you don't have it, ask your Grand Central administrator.

If you belong to more than one organization, select an organization in **Select org** before Grand Central loads.

## Find Connector Studio in the menu

In the left sidebar, open **Development**. The following table describes the two menu items you use most:

| Menu item          | What it contains                                          |
| :----------------- | :-------------------------------------------------------- |
| API Specs          | Your library of vendor APIs and uploaded specifications   |
| Connector Projects | Your connector builds, from first draft to generated code |

Your role controls whether you also see **Marketplace**, **Settings**, **Connector Packs**, and **CS Admin**. To start, you need only **API Specs** and **Connector Projects**.

Connector Studio shows the projects and organizations for the installation you select in Grand Central. To confirm you're in the right installation, see [Work across installations](/connector-studio/work-across-installations).

## Browse the specification library

To open the specification library, go to **Development** > **API Specs**.

### What the page shows

The summary cards at the top of the page report the following counts:

| Card                           | What it counts                                                      |
| :----------------------------- | :------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| Vendors                        | Vendor organizations in the library                                 |
| Specs Loaded                   | Specification files you uploaded                                    |
| Endpoints, Schemas, Properties | The parts that Connector Studio extracted from those specifications |
| Indexed                        | Specifications that are ready for search and mapping                |

Below the cards, you can:

* Search by specification name, vendor, or banking concept, such as *customer* or *account*.
* Filter by organization, by format such as OpenAPI 3.1, Swagger 2.0, or WSDL, and by status.

### Target and vendor entries

The library contains two kinds of entry:

* **Target** cards, which carry a **Target** badge, hold the canonical Grand Central or platform API specifications.
* **Vendor** rows hold the third-party or in-house systems you integrate with.

To see the specifications for a vendor, expand its row. The table lists the format, endpoint count, status, and upload date of each specification.

### Specification statuses

The following table describes each status and what it means for your work:

| Status      | Meaning                                                                                                                                                    |
| :---------- | :--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Indexed     | Connector Studio parsed the specification and can search it. You can use it in a connector project.                                                        |
| Validated   | The specification passed validation checks. **Validated** alone does not make the specification usable in a project. Wait until the status is **Indexed**. |
| Not indexed | The specification is still processing, or Connector Studio can't search it yet.                                                                            |
| Error       | The upload or the parsing failed. Check the file, then upload it again.                                                                                    |

Wait until a specification reaches **Indexed** before you use it in a connector project.

## Add a vendor

A vendor is an organization entry for the system whose API you integrate with. Add a vendor the first time you integrate with a new system, or when the vendor doesn't appear in the **API Specs** list.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open the vendor form">
    Go to **API Specs** and select **Add Vendor**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Complete the form">
    Enter a **Name** of 2 to 100 characters. Use the name your team recognizes.

    The other fields are optional: a short **Description** of what the vendor provides, a **Website URL**, an **API Portal URL** that links to the vendor's developer portal, and a **Logo** in PNG, JPG, or SVG format of up to 2 MB.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Create the vendor">
    Select **Create Vendor**. The form closes and the vendor appears in the **API Specs** list.
  </Step>
</Steps>

If a similar vendor exists, Connector Studio shows **Similar vendor already exists** with either **Strong match** or **Possible match**. To avoid duplicate vendors, select **Use existing**.

After you create the vendor, upload its specifications.

## Upload API specifications

You can start an upload in two places:

* Select **Upload Specs** on the **API Specs** page to upload for any vendor.
* Select the upload icon on a vendor row to upload for that vendor.

<Note>
  **Upload Specs** and **Add Vendor** require upload permission. If a button is unavailable, point to it to see why, then ask your Grand Central administrator to grant you the permission.
</Note>

### Complete the upload wizard

The **Upload Files to API Specs** wizard has four steps:

| Step            | What you do                                            |
| :-------------- | :----------------------------------------------------- |
| 1. Source       | Select **Local Files**, **GitHub**, or **Artifactory** |
| 2. Configure    | Set the connection details for the source you selected |
| 3. Select Items | Select the files or folders to import                  |
| 4. Upload       | Confirm your choices and start the upload              |

You can upload OpenAPI specifications and SOAP or WSDL specifications.

If an upload stops before it finishes, select **Resume** to continue it or **Cancel** to discard it. If the upload data expired, cancel the upload and start it again.

### Check the result

After the upload finishes:

* The specification appears under the vendor with a status. See [Specification statuses](#specification-statuses).
* To browse the endpoints inline, expand the row.
* To see the full detail of endpoints, schemas, and operations, expand the specification to open **Spec Manager**.

### Edit or delete a vendor

To edit a vendor, select the settings icon on its row, change the details in the **Edit Vendor** panel, then select **Update Vendor**.

To delete a vendor, open **Edit Vendor**, go to **Danger Zone**, select **Delete Vendor**, and confirm that you understand the risks.

<Warning>
  Deleting a vendor also deletes its specifications from the library. Any project that uses those specifications loses its source data. Delete a vendor only when you are certain that no project needs it.
</Warning>

## Track your connector projects

To see your projects, go to **Development** > **Connector Projects**.

### What the page shows

The summary cards report the total number of projects, how many are active, and how many are drafts, together with the number of operations mapped and the average coverage.

The toolbar has two actions:

* **Import from GitHub** brings in an existing connector repository. This action requires import permission.
* **New Project** starts a new connector.

You can also search the list, filter it by status and type, switch between card view and table view, and page through the results.

### Read a project card

Each card shows the following information:

* The **Source** and **Target** organizations, which tell you who consumes the API and who provides it.
* The **Status**, such as Draft, In Progress, In Analysis, or Published.
* The **Mapping Coverage**, which is the percentage of source operations that have mappings.
* The number of operations that are mapped, approved, draft, and rejected.

To open the project overview, select the card.

If you have no projects yet, the page shows **No connector projects yet**. Select **New Project** to create your first one.

## Create a connector project

On the **Connector Projects** page, select **New Project**. The **New Connector** form asks you to define the project, the organizations that take part, and the API category.

The following table describes each field:

| Field                 | What to enter                                                                                         |
| :-------------------- | :---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Connector name        | A name your team recognizes, such as *Mambu Accounts REST Connector*                                  |
| Requester             | The organization that consumes the API. This is often Grand Central or your bank integration layer.   |
| Responder             | The organization that provides the API. This is usually the vendor whose specifications you uploaded. |
| Target API type       | **REST** or **SOAP**. This field appears only when the target has both types of specification.        |
| Connector category    | A predefined recipe, or **Custom Specification**                                                      |
| Authentication (APIM) | The API management authentication pattern for the connector                                           |
| Description           | Optional notes about the connector                                                                    |

If you set the requester and the responder the wrong way around, select the swap button (↔) to exchange them.

When the form is valid, select **Create Connector**. Connector Studio opens the project overview, and the breadcrumb shows **Projects** followed by your project name.

### Troubleshoot the create form

The following table lists common problems with the create form and how to resolve them:

| Problem                                | What you see                                                             | What to do                                                                                 |
| :------------------------------------- | :----------------------------------------------------------------------- | :----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| The target has no specifications       | *The selected target organization has no registered API specifications…* | Go to **API Specs**, upload specifications for that vendor, and wait until they're indexed |
| The source and target are reversed     | The card shows the organizations the wrong way around                    | Select the swap button before you create the project                                       |
| You can't browse custom specifications | *Select a requester first to browse their specifications*                | Choose the **Requester** first, then choose the category                                   |

## Next steps

* [Map endpoints and fields](/connector-studio/mapping-workflows)
* [Transformations and generated code](/connector-studio/transformations)
* [Connect from your IDE with MCP](/connector-studio/connect-with-mcp)