connector-ops

Connector Operations Skill

Manage Unstract connectors with full lifecycle support: add, remove, and modify operations for database, filesystem, and queue connector types.

When to Use This Skill

• User requests adding a new connector (e.g., "add a Redis connector", "create MongoDB database connector")
• User requests removing a connector (e.g., "remove the Oracle connector", "delete Box filesystem")
• User requests modifying a connector (e.g., "add SSL support to MySQL", "update BigQuery schema")

Architecture Overview

Connectors live in /unstract/connectors/src/unstract/connectors/ with three categories:

Connector Structure

Each connector follows this structure:

connector_name/
├── __init__.py          # Metadata dict with is_active flag
├── connector_name.py    # Main connector class
├── constants.py         # Optional constants
└── static/
    ├── json_schema.json # Configuration UI schema
    └── settings.yaml    # Optional settings

Key Files

---

Operation: ADD Connector

Step 1: Gather Requirements

Ask the user for:

1. Connector name (e.g., "Redis", "MongoDB", "Wasabi")
2. Connector type (database, filesystem, or queue)
3. Brief description of use case

Step 2: Research the Service

Use web search to discover:

1. Official Python library for the service
2. Existing fsspec provider — check if a mature fsspec-compatible library exists (e.g., s3fs for S3, adlfs for Azure, gcsfs for GCS, boxfs for Box). Always prefer wrapping an existing provider over building a custom one.
3. All supported authentication modes (API key, OAuth, connection string, certificates, etc.)
4. Required connection parameters for each auth mode
5. Official logo/icon source

Document findings before proceeding. If no fsspec provider exists, note that a custom AbstractFileSystem subclass will be needed (see Step 5b).

Step 3: Generate Connector ID

Create a unique connector ID using this pattern:

f"{short_name}|{uuid4()}"
# Example: "redis|a1b2c3d4-e5f6-7890-abcd-ef1234567890"

Step 4: Create Directory Structure

# For database connector
mkdir -p unstract/connectors/src/unstract/connectors/databases/{connector_name}/static

# For filesystem connector
mkdir -p unstract/connectors/src/unstract/connectors/filesystems/{connector_name}/static

# For queue connector
mkdir -p unstract/connectors/src/unstract/connectors/queues/{connector_name}/static

Step 5: Create Connector Files

5a. Create __init__.py

from .{connector_name} import {ClassName}

metadata = {
    "name": {ClassName}.__name__,
    "version": "1.0.0",
    "connector": {ClassName},
    "description": "{Description of the connector}",
    "is_active": True,
}

5b. Create Main Connector Class

Use the appropriate template from assets/templates/:

• database.py.template for database connectors
• filesystem.py.template for filesystem connectors
• queue.py.template for queue connectors

Read the template and adapt it for the specific service. Key methods to implement:

For Database Connectors:

• get_engine() → Return database connection
• sql_to_db_mapping() → Map Python types to DB types
• execute() → Execute queries (inherited, may override)

For Filesystem Connectors:

There are two approaches depending on whether an fsspec provider exists:

Approach 1: Wrapping an existing fsspec provider (PREFERRED) When a library like s3fs, adlfs, gcsfs, boxfs exists, the connector only extends UnstractFileSystem:

• get_fsspec_fs() → Return the provider's filesystem instance (e.g., S3FileSystem(...))
• test_credentials() → Verify connection works
• extract_metadata_file_hash() → Extract file hash from metadata
• is_dir_by_metadata() → Check if path is directory
• extract_modified_date() → Extract last modified date
• Do NOT implement ls, walk, info, etc. — the provider handles all file operations.
• See minio.py for reference.

Approach 2: Custom AbstractFileSystem (ONLY when no provider exists) Create a custom AbstractFileSystem subclass with ONLY these core methods:

• ls(path, detail=True) — List directory contents (REQUIRED)
• info(path) — Get single item metadata (optimization, optional)
• _open(path, mode) — Open a file for reading
• cat_file(path) — Read file contents
• pipe_file(path, value) — Write bytes (NOT write_bytes — that's an alias)
• rm(path) — Delete a file
• mkdir(path) — Create directory

CRITICAL: NEVER override listdir(), stat(), exists(), isdir(), isfile(), delete(), read_bytes(), or write_bytes(). These are provided by AbstractFileSystem and delegate to ls()/info()/pipe_file().

walk() exception: Override walk() ONLY if the filesystem has path normalization that differs from _strip_protocol (e.g., SharePoint maps "" to "root"), or if the service raises exceptions that aren't FileNotFoundError/OSError (the only types the base catches). If you override walk(), you MUST support the detail kwarg (return dicts when True, lists when False) and the on_error callback.

• See sharepoint.py for reference.

For Queue Connectors:

• get_engine() → Return queue connection
• enqueue() → Add message to queue
• dequeue() → Get message from queue
• peek() → View next message without removing

5c. Create JSON Schema

Generate static/json_schema.json based on researched auth modes:

{
  "title": "{Connector Display Name}",
  "type": "object",
  "allOf": [
    {
      "required": ["connectorName"],
      "properties": {
        "connectorName": {
          "type": "string",
          "title": "Name of the connector"
        }
      }
    },
    {
      "oneOf": [
        // Add each auth mode as a separate option
      ]
    }
  ]
}

Use "format": "password" for sensitive fields.

Step 6: Fetch Logo

Execute the logo fetch script:

python .claude/skills/connector-ops/scripts/fetch_logo.py "{service_name}" "{output_path}"

The script tries these sources in order:

1. SimpleIcons (simpleicons.org)
2. Devicon (devicon.dev)
3. Logo.dev API
4. Web search for official logo
5. Skip if not found (log warning)

Place logo at: /frontend/public/icons/connector-icons/{ConnectorName}.png

Step 7: Add Dependencies

Research required Python packages and add to pyproject.toml:

# Read current dependencies
cat unstract/connectors/pyproject.toml

# Add new dependency in the [project.dependencies] section
# Follow existing version pinning patterns (e.g., ~=, ==, >=)

Step 8: Create Tests

Generate both mock-based and integration tests in unstract/connectors/tests/:

Mock-based Test (always runnable):

import unittest
from unittest.mock import patch, Mock

class Test{ClassName}(unittest.TestCase):
    def setUp(self):
        self.config = {
            # Test configuration
        }

    @patch("{module_path}.{connection_method}")
    def test_connection_params(self, mock_connect):
        mock_connect.return_value = Mock()
        connector = {ClassName}(self.config)
        # Assertions

Integration Test (requires real service):

import os
import unittest

class Test{ClassName}Integration(unittest.TestCase):
    @unittest.skipUnless(
        os.getenv("{CONNECTOR}_HOST"),
        "Integration test requires {CONNECTOR}_* environment variables"
    )
    def test_real_connection(self):
        config = {
            "host": os.getenv("{CONNECTOR}_HOST"),
            # ... other env vars
        }
        connector = {ClassName}(config)
        self.assertTrue(connector.test_credentials())

Step 9: Verify

Run verification in order:

# 1. Syntax/type check
cd unstract/connectors && python -m py_compile src/unstract/connectors/{type}/{name}/{name}.py

# 2. Run mock tests
cd unstract/connectors && python -m pytest tests/{type}/test_{name}.py -v

# 3. Run full connector test suite
cd unstract/connectors && python -m pytest tests/ -v --ignore=tests/{type}/test_{name}_integration.py

Step 10: Report to User

Provide summary:

## Connector Added: {Name}

**Files created:**
- `src/unstract/connectors/{type}/{name}/__init__.py`
- `src/unstract/connectors/{type}/{name}/{name}.py`
- `src/unstract/connectors/{type}/{name}/static/json_schema.json`
- `tests/{type}/test_{name}.py`
- `tests/{type}/test_{name}_integration.py`
- `frontend/public/icons/connector-icons/{Name}.png`

**Dependencies added:**
- `{package}~={version}`

**Verification:**
- Syntax check: PASSED
- Mock tests: PASSED (X tests)
- Test suite: PASSED

**To run integration tests:**
```bash
export {CONNECTOR}_HOST=your_host
export {CONNECTOR}_USER=your_user
export {CONNECTOR}_PASSWORD=your_password
cd unstract/connectors && python -m pytest tests/{type}/test_{name}_integration.py -v

---

## Operation: REMOVE Connector

### Step 1: Identify Connector

Locate the connector by name or ID:
```bash
# Search for connector
grep -r "class {Name}" unstract/connectors/src/

Step 2: Check Dependencies

Search for usages across the codebase:

grep -r "{connector_id}" --include="*.py" .
grep -r "from.*{connector_name}" --include="*.py" .

Warn user if connector is referenced elsewhere.

Step 3: Remove Files

# Remove connector directory
rm -rf unstract/connectors/src/unstract/connectors/{type}/{name}/

# Remove tests
rm -f unstract/connectors/tests/{type}/test_{name}*.py

# Remove icon
rm -f frontend/public/icons/connector-icons/{Name}.png

Step 4: Clean Dependencies (Optional)

If the removed connector was the only user of a dependency, offer to remove it from pyproject.toml.

Step 5: Verify

# Ensure no import errors
cd unstract/connectors && python -c "from unstract.connectors.connectorkit import Connectorkit; Connectorkit()"

# Run test suite
cd unstract/connectors && python -m pytest tests/ -v

Step 6: Report to User

## Connector Removed: {Name}

**Files deleted:**
- `src/unstract/connectors/{type}/{name}/` (directory)
- `tests/{type}/test_{name}.py`
- `tests/{type}/test_{name}_integration.py`
- `frontend/public/icons/connector-icons/{Name}.png`

**Verification:**
- Import check: PASSED
- Test suite: PASSED

---

Operation: MODIFY Connector

Step 1: Understand the Change

Ask user what modification is needed:

• Add new configuration field?
• Add new authentication mode?
• Fix a bug?
• Update dependency version?
• Change behavior?

Step 2: Locate Files

# Find connector files
find unstract/connectors -name "*{connector_name}*" -type f

Step 3: Make Changes

Based on modification type:

Adding configuration field:

1. Update static/json_schema.json with new field
2. Update connector class __init__ to read new field
3. Update usage of field in connector methods
4. Update tests to cover new field

Adding authentication mode:

1. Research new auth mode parameters
2. Add new oneOf option in JSON schema
3. Update connector class to handle new auth
4. Add tests for new auth mode

Note: For connectors that support both OAuth and Client Credentials (like SharePoint/OneDrive), use the Dual Authentication pattern documented in references/connector_patterns.md. This pattern uses an auth_type field with JSON Schema dependencies to conditionally show/hide credential fields based on the selected authentication method.

Bug fix:

1. Identify root cause
2. Implement fix
3. Add regression test

Dependency update:

1. Update version in pyproject.toml
2. Check for breaking changes
3. Update connector code if needed
4. Run tests to verify

Step 4: Update Tests

Ensure tests cover the modification:

• Add new test cases for new functionality
• Update existing tests if behavior changed
• Run full test suite

Step 5: Verify

# Type check modified files
cd unstract/connectors && python -m py_compile src/unstract/connectors/{type}/{name}/{name}.py

# Run connector tests
cd unstract/connectors && python -m pytest tests/{type}/test_{name}*.py -v

# Run full suite
cd unstract/connectors && python -m pytest tests/ -v

Step 6: Report to User

## Connector Modified: {Name}

**Changes:**
- {Description of each change}

**Files modified:**
- {List of modified files}

**Tests:**
- Added: {count} new test(s)
- Modified: {count} existing test(s)

**Verification:**
- Syntax check: PASSED
- Connector tests: PASSED
- Full suite: PASSED

---

Reference Materials

Consult these files for detailed patterns:

• references/connector_patterns.md - Common patterns and anti-patterns
• references/json_schema_examples.md - JSON schema examples for all auth types
• references/test_patterns.md - Test patterns and fixtures

Asset Templates

Use these templates as starting points:

• assets/templates/database.py.template
• assets/templates/filesystem.py.template
• assets/templates/queue.py.template
• assets/templates/init.py.template
• assets/templates/json_schema_template.json
• assets/templates/test_mock.py.template
• assets/templates/test_integration.py.template

---

Important Notes

1. Fork Safety: For connectors using Google APIs or gRPC, implement lazy loading to prevent SIGSEGV in Celery workers. See Google Drive connector for pattern.

2. UUID Consistency: Once a connector ID is assigned, never change it. Existing installations may reference it.

3. Schema Backwards Compatibility: When modifying schemas, ensure existing configurations remain valid.

4. Icon Naming: Use PascalCase with spaces URL-encoded (e.g., Google%20Drive.png).

5. Test Isolation: Mock tests should never require external services. Use @unittest.skipUnless for integration tests.

6. fsspec Delegation: NEVER override walk(), listdir(), stat(), exists(), isdir(), isfile(), delete(), read_bytes(), or write_bytes() in custom AbstractFileSystem subclasses. These are provided by fsspec's base class and delegate to ls()/info()/pipe_file(). Overriding them creates maintenance burden and introduces subtle bugs. See references/connector_patterns.md for the "Anti-Pattern: Reimplementing fsspec Base Methods" section.

7. pipe_file vs write_bytes: When implementing file writes in a custom AbstractFileSystem, override pipe_file() (not write_bytes()). The base write_bytes() is an alias that delegates to pipe_file().