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

# Connect your app to Retool

> Connect your app to Retool to manage organization users and groups, browse apps and workflows, and embed existing tools in your Lovable app.

[Retool](https://retool.com/) is a platform for building internal tools. The **Retool** connector lets your Lovable app manage a Retool organization and embed existing Retool apps. It's designed for team administration dashboards and portals that bring those tools together.

**Retool** is available as an [app + chat connector](https://docs.lovable.dev/integrations/app-connectors.md): one shared connection that works in [Chats](https://docs.lovable.dev/features/chats.md), in the project chat while you build, and in your published apps.

With **Retool**, your app can:

* List organization members and add people to groups
* Manage groups and permissions
* Browse apps, folders, and workflows
* Read organization usage
* Create single-use URLs to [embed a Retool app](#embed-a-retool-app)

The connector does not run queries inside Retool apps or read data from their connected databases.

## Common use cases and example apps

These examples show what you can build with **Retool**, each with a prompt to start from.

| Example app | Example prompt | Description |
| :- | :- | :- |
| **Team directory** | *Use Retool and build an internal directory where my team can search the members of our Retool organization by name or email.* | **Find people in your Retool organization.** The app reads organization members and shows their details in a searchable list. |
| **Onboarding dashboard** | *Use Retool and build an admin-only form that adds a teammate to our organization and a selected group, with a confirmation before saving.* | **Manage onboarding from one form.** The app adds the person and assigns the group an admin selects. |
| **Access review dashboard** | *Use Retool and build a read-only dashboard where our admins can review groups and their permissions before changing access.* | **Review who has access to your Retool tools.** The app displays groups and permissions for an admin to check. |
| **Internal tool catalog** | *Use Retool and build a searchable catalog of the apps and workflows in our organization.* | **Browse your existing Retool tools.** The app lists apps and workflows without running them. |
| **Embedded tool portal** | *Use Retool and build a signed-in portal that embeds our published Retool app and gives each person access through the appropriate Retool permission group.* | **Use an existing tool inside your Lovable app.** The app creates an embed URL for the signed-in person, subject to [Retool's embedding requirements](#embed-a-retool-app). |

## How to connect Retool

Who can create **Retool** connections depends on your plan and workspace settings. **App + chat connectors** are available by default. On Business and Enterprise plans, [Who can create connections and clients](https://docs.lovable.dev/integrations/admin-controls.md#who-can-create-connections-and-clients) starts at **Admins**.

Some Enterprise workspaces start at **No one**, which disables the connector. An admin or owner changes it in **Connectors → Admin settings → App + chat connectors**.

You can create multiple **Retool** connections using different access tokens, for example, to connect separate organizations or give projects different permissions.

When the connection is created, you can [link it to the projects](https://docs.lovable.dev/integrations/app-connectors.md#link-a-connection-to-a-project) where you want to use it. Anyone building in a project can ask Lovable in the project chat to link their project to it. Linking follows the connection's access rules.

### Prerequisites

Before connecting **Retool**, make sure you have:

* A Retool Cloud or self-hosted organization with an HTTPS address that Lovable can reach
* A Retool API access token created by an organization admin, as described in Step 1
* Permission to **create connections** in your Lovable workspace (see [Who can create connections and clients](https://docs.lovable.dev/integrations/admin-controls.md#who-can-create-connections-and-clients))

Your Retool plan and the token's scopes determine which operations your app can use. Check the [Retool API reference](https://docs.retool.com/api) for the operations you need.

### Step 1: Get a Retool access token

A Retool access token grants access to your organization. Choose scopes, the permissions attached to the token, for the tasks your app needs.

**1. Open your Retool organization**

Sign in to your Retool organization as an organization admin.

**2. Create an access token**

Go to **Settings → Retool API** and click **Create new**. Enter a name and description that identify the connection, for example `Lovable integration`.

**3. Choose scopes**

Select the permissions your app needs. For example, listing organization members needs `users:read`. Grant write access only for the changes your app needs to make.

See [Retool's authentication and scope guide](https://docs.retool.com/org-users/guides/retool-api/authentication) for the available permissions.

**4. Copy the token**

Save the token and copy it to a secure location. Retool displays the token only once.

> [!WARNING]
>
> Your access token functions like a password. Keep it secure and never share it publicly. You need it in the next step.

### Step 2: Connect Retool to Lovable

Create the connection with your organization address and the token from Step 1.

**1. Open Retool in Connectors**

Open [Connectors](https://lovable.dev/dashboard?connectors) and select **Retool**. For the other places to open the catalog from, see [Where to find connectors](https://docs.lovable.dev/integrations/introduction#where-to-find-connectors).

**2. Add a connection**

Click **Connect** on the connector page to open the connection form.

**3. Name the connection**

Under **Details**, Lovable fills in a name for the connection, which you can change. The name is only used inside Lovable to identify the connection.

**4. Configure the connection**

Under **Configure connection**, enter these required fields:

1. **Instance URL**: your Retool organization's HTTPS address, for example `https://your-org.retool.com` or `https://retool.yourdomain.com` for a self-hosted instance. Use the organization address without an app or API path.
2. **Access token**: paste the Retool API access token from Step 1.

**5. Choose who can use this connection**

Under **Sharing**, the connection is private to you by default and shows a **Private** label. To share it, click **Share with others**. Then add workspace members by email, or click **Invite entire workspace** to make the connection available to everyone in your Lovable workspace.

See [Who can use connections and clients](https://docs.lovable.dev/integrations/admin-controls.md#who-can-use-connections-and-clients) for more information.

**6. Connect**

Click **Connect** at the bottom of the form. Lovable checks the token against the Retool API before saving the connection.

Retool can accept the token while denying a request because of its scopes or your Retool plan.

Lovable confirms that the connection is created.

When connected, anyone building in a project can ask Lovable in the project chat to link their project to Retool. Linking follows the connection's access rules. Your Lovable apps can then use the Retool operations your token and plan allow.

## Embed a Retool app

Your Lovable app can create a single-use URL that signs a person into an embedded Retool app. API-authenticated embedding requires a Retool Business or Enterprise plan and a token with embedding permission.

Prepare the Retool app and its permission groups using the guide for your app type:

* [Retool apps](https://docs.retool.com/build/apps/guides/manage/embed): publish the app and allow your Lovable app's domain to embed it. API authentication supports Retool Cloud organizations on standard Retool domains, such as `your-org.retool.com`. Self-hosted instances and custom-domain organizations do not support this flow for this app type.
* [Retool classic apps](https://docs.retool.com/classic-apps/guides/app-management/embed-apps): follow the classic-app setup for embedding and custom authentication.

After linking the connection, tell Lovable which Retool app to embed and which permission group each signed-in person should use. Retool bills embedded users according to your Retool plan.

## Limitations

The **Retool** connector cannot:

* Run queries inside Retool apps or read data directly from their connected resources
* Trigger workflows through Retool's separate webhook API
* Import or convert a Retool app into a Lovable app
* Create or list Retool API access tokens
* Let each person using your app connect their own Retool organization. Each connection uses one access token across the projects linked to it.

## Manage your Retool connection

Connections are managed from [**Connectors**](https://lovable.dev/dashboard?connectors): select **Retool**, then open the connection.

* **Unlink projects** to remove Retool access from specific projects while keeping the connection available for others. See [Unlink projects from a connection](https://docs.lovable.dev/integrations/app-connectors.md#unlink-projects-from-a-connection) for the steps.
* **Delete the connection** to remove it from the workspace entirely. Deleting is permanent. It removes the credentials from all linked projects, and app features that use Retool stop working until a new connection is added. See [Delete a connection](https://docs.lovable.dev/integrations/app-connectors.md#delete-a-connection) for the steps and who can delete.