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

# Introduction

Embeds let you surface an external tool inside your Assembly Studio workspace. The tool keeps running on its own platform (Calendly, Notion, Airtable, Loom, Google Drive), but it shows up as part of your team's Dashboard and your clients' Portal experience.

## Embeds vs links

Both bring a third-party tool into Assembly, but they surface it differently. For how the three kinds of apps fit together, see [Apps](/docs/core-concepts/apps).

| Type  | What it is                                                                                                                                                                                               |
| ----- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Embed | A simple iframe that displays the tool inline, visible in the Assembly Dashboard for your team and in your portal for clients. You can connect any product that supports embedding.                      |
| Link  | A way to direct clients to an external website. We usually recommend embeds because they make for a more integrated experience, but for applications that block embedding, links are a good alternative. |

## How embeds work

An embed renders the third-party tool's URL inside an Assembly Studio app surface. Your team sees it in the Dashboard, your clients see it in the Portal. Authentication, data, and state live on the third-party platform — Assembly Studio is just the frame.

Some embeds are read-only (a Loom video, a Google Doc you've shared). Others are interactive (a Calendly booking flow, a Typeform). The interactivity depends on what the third-party tool supports inside an embed.

## Setting one up

The flow is roughly the same for every embed:

<Steps>
  <Step title="Install the embed app">
    Click **Add App** in the sidebar, switch to the **Explore** tab, find the embed, and install it.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Connect or configure">
    Most embeds need a URL or an account connection. Paste the link or sign in to the third-party service.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Set visibility">
    Decide which internal users and which clients see the embed. Same model as custom-built apps.
  </Step>
</Steps>

Each embed has a guide page with its specific setup. Search the Assembly Studio guide for the tool name.

## Embed setup type

Client embeds can be configured to be available to all clients or to specific clients only. When adding a client embed, you'll select the **setup type** from the dropdown.

**Automatic setup** means the embed is visible to all of your clients and can be set up in a single step. For example, if you want all your clients to be able to schedule a call with you using Calendly, you'll probably want to use an automatic app.

**Manual setup** requires manual setup for each client, group of clients, or company. For example, if you are sharing a project status dashboard from Airtable, you'll probably want to use a manual app because each client would have their own project status dashboard.

For manual setup, you won't be able to embed the content during the initial setup. You'll need to manually connect the content for each client after creating the app.

## Embeds vs custom-built apps

The two solve different problems.

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="Embed">
    The external tool is the source of truth. Assembly Studio is the wrapper.

    Choose when: you already use the tool, it works well, and you want clients to access it from the Portal.

    Trade-off: no CRM integration, no Assembly Studio notifications, no Assembly Studio auth. The tool's auth model applies inside the embed.
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Custom-built app">
    Assembly Studio is the source of truth. The app is yours.

    Choose when: the workflow is specific to your firm, or no off-the-shelf tool fits, or you want the deeper integration (CRM context, scoping, notifications).

    Trade-off: you build and maintain it. Worth it when the workflow is core to your business.
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

## When you might use both

Common: an embedded Calendly for booking + a custom-built app that tracks what happens after the booking. The booking lives in Calendly; the post-booking workflow lives in your custom app, scoped to the client.

Custom-built apps can call external APIs, so an app that integrates with a tool (rather than embedding it) is a third option when the surface needs more than what an iframe allows.

## Frequently asked questions

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="What if my app does not embed?">
    **Restricted embeds.** Some websites or applications have a policy that restricts link or iframe embeds in external applications. If you encounter this, you can connect these apps as Partner apps using the **Connect as link** setting. The content will open in a new browser tab instead of embedding directly.

    **Unsupported embeds.** Some apps cannot be supported by Assembly because the embed code contains JavaScript or other unsupported HTML tags. This occurs commonly with widgets or other interactive embeds.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="How can I customize my apps?">
    Navigate to the **App Library** page and click **Edit** on any app to delete or disable the app, change the app's icon, update the content of Partner apps, or change the global settings for Assembly apps. You can also reorder the apps directly from the **App Library** page by dragging and dropping.

    <Note>
      When apps are reordered, changes are not visible to internal users but will be visible to clients in their sidebar.
    </Note>
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="How can I disable or delete apps?">
    You can disable core Assembly apps and delete Partner and Custom apps on the **App Library** page. Click the ellipsis next to the app, then click **Disable** for Assembly apps or **Delete** for Partner and Custom apps.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Find a specific integration

Each integration has its own page with setup instructions. Pick a category to browse the tools in it:

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Productivity & project management" icon="list-check" href="/docs/embeds-and-links/productivity-and-project-management">
    Airtable, Notion, ClickUp, Monday.com, Trello, Google Workspace, OneDrive, Squarespace
  </Card>

  <Card title="Scheduling" icon="calendar" href="/docs/embeds-and-links/scheduling">
    Calendly, Acuity Scheduling, Zoom Scheduling
  </Card>

  <Card title="Forms & surveys" icon="clipboard-list" href="/docs/embeds-and-links/forms-and-surveys">
    Typeform, Jotform, HubSpot Forms, HubSpot Meetings, Google Forms
  </Card>

  <Card title="Analytics" icon="chart-line" href="/docs/embeds-and-links/analytics">
    Power BI, Looker Studio, Databox
  </Card>

  <Card title="Design & media" icon="palette" href="/docs/embeds-and-links/design-and-media">
    Figma, Miro, Canva, Loom, YouTube
  </Card>
</CardGroup>