# Connect your HR system

This guide is for **Mesh administrators**. You'll add the unified HRIS connector,
authorize Mesh inside your HR provider, and confirm the connector starts syncing.

One connector covers every supported HR platform — see
[HR system connectors](./index.md) for the list. There is nothing to install per
provider.

There are two ways in — **System configurations** and the **AI assistant**. Both run the
same flow and produce the same connector, so use whichever you prefer.

## Before you begin

- A **Mesh administrator** account with permission to manage connectors.
- **Admin access to your HR system**, or someone with it available to help. The
  authorization step happens inside your HR provider, not in Mesh.
- For **Workday**, complete the Workday-side configuration first — an Integration
  Systems User with the right domain security policies. See
  [Workday setup](./workday-integration.md). Without it, the
  authorization step cannot succeed.

> **note**
If your tenant is configured for a region where HR data cannot be routed, the HRIS
option is unavailable and Mesh will not start a connection. This is deliberate:
Mesh blocks the setup rather than collecting data it should not route. Contact
[Axiad Customer Success](mailto:customer.success@axiad.com) if you believe this is
applied incorrectly.

## Option A — from System configurations

### Step 1 — Open the connectors list

In the Mesh dashboard, go to **System configurations > Connectors**. This page lists
every connector configured for your tenant.

### Step 2 — Select Add HRIS

Select **Add HRIS** and give the connector a **name**. This is the name you'll see
in the connectors table afterwards, so choose something recognizable — for example
`Workday — Global`.

### Step 3 — Choose your provider and authorize

Mesh opens a secure connection window, in Mesh branding. Select your HR provider,
then follow its prompts to authorize access.

What you're asked for depends on the provider — typically a sign-in, or a
credential you generated in the HR system. Mesh never sees your HR password; the
credential is exchanged directly with your provider.

> **tip**
Workday's authorization has several steps. The window stays open while you work
through them — Mesh doesn't cut you off partway.

### Step 4 — Confirm the connector appears

When the provider reports success, the new connector appears in the connectors
table as **Connection pending**.

## Option B — from the AI assistant

Ask the Mesh AI assistant to connect your HR system — for example,
*"connect our Workday"*.

The assistant replies with an **action card** in the chat. Select it and the same
connection window opens as in Option A. Continue from **Step 3**.

## Step 5 — Wait for Connected

**Connection pending** means Mesh is waiting for your HR provider to confirm the
connection and signal that the first sync is ready. When that arrives, the status
becomes **Connected** and syncing begins on a schedule.

How long this takes depends on your provider and how much history it prepares —
minutes for a small directory, considerably longer for a large one on its first
full sync.

> **note**
Mesh won't fail the connector, prompt you to retry, or turn it red merely because
time has passed. If it stays pending far longer than your directory size explains,
see [Troubleshooting](./troubleshoot-hr-connectors.md) — don't delete and recreate
it as a first move.

## Step 6 — Confirm data is arriving

Once the connector reads **Connected**, open its actions menu and select
**View collections** to see what has been ingested — people, organizations and
locations.

If the connector is **Connected** but collections stay empty after the first sync
has had time to finish, see
[Troubleshooting](./troubleshoot-hr-connectors.md).

## What happens next

- Mesh syncs on a schedule using **incremental syncs**: after the first run, each
  sync asks your provider only for records changed since the last successful one.
- Employment-status changes flow into your identity graph, so joiners, movers and
  leavers are reflected without manual work. See
  [Employment status](./employment-status.md).