diff --git a/docs/source/arm_backend.rst b/docs/source/arm_backend.rst
index 88c6c0f6e..8c32a5184 100644
--- a/docs/source/arm_backend.rst
+++ b/docs/source/arm_backend.rst
@@ -72,7 +72,7 @@ The backend holds a *scene*: the robots and other objects that it has been asked
 The contract
 ------------
 
-This is written down as the :py:class:`~roboticstoolbox.backends.Connector.Connector` protocol.  A backend is *any* object that has these methods and flags, and does not have to inherit from it: Swift does not, since it does not depend on the Toolbox.  The PyPlot backends inherit from it, which supplies the default values of the flags and makes a missing method an error when the backend is made.  The arguments differ from one backend to another, so the methods are declared with ``*args, **kwargs``, and the details are in each backend.
+This is written down as the :py:class:`~roboticstoolbox.backends.Connector.Connector` abstract class.  A backend inherits from it, which supplies the default values of the flags and makes a missing method an error when the backend is made.  The arguments differ from one backend to another, so the methods are declared with ``*args, **kwargs``, and the details are in each backend.
 
 .. autosummary::
     :nosignatures:
diff --git a/src/roboticstoolbox/backends/Connector.py b/src/roboticstoolbox/backends/Connector.py
index f6e810e62..1f457760d 100644
--- a/src/roboticstoolbox/backends/Connector.py
+++ b/src/roboticstoolbox/backends/Connector.py
@@ -5,20 +5,18 @@
 
 from __future__ import annotations
 
-from abc import abstractmethod
-from typing import Any, Protocol, runtime_checkable
+from abc import ABC, abstractmethod
+from typing import Any
 
 
-@runtime_checkable
-class Connector(Protocol):
+class Connector(ABC):
     """
     What RTB needs of a graphical backend
 
-    A backend is any object that has these methods and flags: it does not have to
-    inherit from this class.  Swift does not, since it does not depend on RTB.
-    The PyPlot backends inherit from it explicitly, which supplies the default
-    values of the flags and of :meth:`_add_teach_panel`, and makes a missing
-    method an error at construction.
+    A backend inherits from this class, which supplies the default values of the
+    flags and of :meth:`_add_teach_panel`, and makes a missing method an error
+    when the backend is made.  A backend from outside the Toolbox inherits from
+    it too.
 
     The methods take different arguments in different backends, so they are
     declared with ``*args, **kwargs``; see the backend for the details.
diff --git a/src/roboticstoolbox/backends/swift/__init__.py b/src/roboticstoolbox/backends/swift/__init__.py
index 4017ba22e..0a39fc738 100644
--- a/src/roboticstoolbox/backends/swift/__init__.py
+++ b/src/roboticstoolbox/backends/swift/__init__.py
@@ -15,14 +15,18 @@
 )
 from swift.Swift import Swift as _SwiftBase
 
+from roboticstoolbox.backends.Connector import Connector
 
-class Swift(_SwiftBase):
+
+class Swift(_SwiftBase, Connector):
     """Swift backend with RTB capability flags."""
 
     supports_teach: bool = True
     supports_ellipse: bool = False
 
-    def _add_teach_panel(self, robot: Any, q: Any, handle: Any, block: Any) -> Any:
+    def _add_teach_panel(
+        self, robot: Any, q: Any, handle: Any = None, block: bool = True
+    ) -> Any:
         """
         Add a joint-slider teach panel plus a live end-effector pose
         readout, and wire the sliders to drive ``handle`` (the
diff --git a/tests/test_pyplot_backend_fixes.py b/tests/test_pyplot_backend_fixes.py
index 6724f5d90..c2be3b4d1 100644
--- a/tests/test_pyplot_backend_fixes.py
+++ b/tests/test_pyplot_backend_fixes.py
@@ -82,31 +82,16 @@ def test_animation_without_a_window_manager(self):
         self.assertIn("Robotics Toolbox", title.call_args.args[1])
 
 
-class TestConnectorProtocol(unittest.TestCase):
+class TestConnector(unittest.TestCase):
     def test_backends_are_connectors(self):
         self.assertIsInstance(PyPlot(), Connector)
         self.assertIsInstance(PyPlot2(), Connector)
 
-    def test_a_class_need_not_inherit(self):
-        # Swift does not depend on RTB, so it cannot inherit from Connector
+    def test_a_class_that_does_not_inherit_is_not_a_connector(self):
         class Standalone:
-            supports_teach = False
-            supports_ellipse = False
-
             def launch(self, *a, **k): ...
-            def step(self, *a, **k): ...
-            def reset(self, *a, **k): ...
-            def restart(self, *a, **k): ...
-            def close(self, *a, **k): ...
-            def add(self, *a, **k): ...
-            def remove(self, *a, **k): ...
-            def hold(self, *a, **k): ...
-            def _add_teach_panel(self, *a, **k): ...
-
-        self.assertIsInstance(Standalone(), Connector)
 
-    def test_an_object_without_the_methods_is_not(self):
-        self.assertNotIsInstance(object(), Connector)
+        self.assertNotIsInstance(Standalone(), Connector)
 
     def test_inheriting_gets_the_defaults(self):
         class Minimal(Connector):
@@ -132,23 +117,13 @@ def launch(self, *a, **k): ...
         with self.assertRaises(TypeError):
             Incomplete()
 
-    def test_swift_satisfies_the_protocol(self):
+    def test_swift_is_a_connector(self):
         swift = __import__("importlib").util.find_spec("swift")
         if swift is None:
             self.skipTest("swift is not installed")
         from roboticstoolbox.backends.swift import Swift
 
-        for name in (
-            "launch",
-            "step",
-            "reset",
-            "restart",
-            "close",
-            "add",
-            "remove",
-            "hold",
-        ):
-            self.assertTrue(callable(getattr(Swift, name, None)), name)
+        self.assertTrue(issubclass(Swift, Connector))
 
 
 class TestShapePlot(unittest.TestCase):