Importing tools from an MCP server

You can import external tools from Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers and add them to your agents to enhance the agent’s ability to accomplish tasks.

First, decide whether to create an MCP server directly in the system or for a specific agent:

  • To create an MCP server in the system:

    1. From the menu Menu, navigate to Build.
    2. Navigate to All tools.
    3. Select an existing tool or click Create tool + to add a new tool.
    4. Select MCP server.

  • To create an MCP server for an agent:

    1. From the menu Menu, navigate to Build.
    2. Navigate to All agents.
    3. Find and click your agent.
    4. From the agent's toolset in the Toolset section, click Add tool.
    5. Click MCP server.

Next, import external tools from an MCP server, complete the following steps:

  1. From the Add a tool dialog, click MCP server.
  2. If MCP servers are not added yet, complete the following steps:
    • Click Add MCP server.
    • Specify the MCP server details such as name, description, app ID, and installation command.
    • Click Connect.
    • Click Done after the connection is successful. All the tools from the MCP server are displayed.
  3. If MCP servers are already added, you can select the external tools to add to your agent.

Adding external tools to your agent

You can add external tools that are imported from MCP servers to your agent.

To add external tools, select the MCP server from the list, and then set the toggle switch for the tool to On.

By default, all the tools from the imported MCP servers are listed on the page. You can also search for tools by using the search option on the page.

Managing MCP servers

On the Manage MCP servers page, you can edit the MCP server details and also delete MCP servers that are no longer needed.

To manage MCP servers, complete the following steps:

  1. Click Manage MCP servers.
  2. To edit the details for an MCP server, click the Options icon option icon, and then click Edit details.
  3. To delete an MCP server, click the Options icon option icon, and then click Delete.

What to do next

After a tool is added, an agent can start using it. After adding your tools, consider the following:

  • Update the tool's description. The agent uses the tool description field to determine whether it will use the tool and how it will use the tool. Make sure to provide a detailed description for how the agent can use the tool. To update the tool description, click the tool menu and select Edit details. When you are satisfied with your description, click Save. You can continue to iterate on the description, as you test the tool.

  • Test the tool. To test your tool, use the prompt in the Preview chat window to invoke your tool.

  • Make sure the value that is returned from a Python tool matches the data type that you defined for that tool.

  • MCP servers

    Model Context Protocol (MCP) enables agents to discover, connect to, and start external tools that are provided by MCP servers.