MCP connectors

MCP connectors let the assistant call tools from other services that support the Model Context Protocol (MCP), an open standard for connecting AI assistants to applications. Once an administrator adds a connector, the assistant can use its tools while answering questions for anyone in your organisation.

For EtherInsights, use the dedicated EtherInsights integration instead.

Before you begin

• Only organisation administrators can add, test, change, or delete connectors. Other users can see which connectors exist.
• Your organisation can add up to 10 connectors.
• You need the service's MCP server URL. It must be an HTTPS address.
• You need the credential the service expects, if any: a bearer token or a value for a custom header.
• Use a credential with only the access the assistant needs. Prefer read-only access where the service offers it.
• Do not include secrets, customer identifiers, or private tenant values in examples or screenshots.

Step 1: Add a connector

1. Open Integrations and select MCP connectors.
2. Select Add connector.
3. Enter a Name. Users see this name in chat when the assistant uses the service, for example Jira Cloud.
4. Enter the Server URL, the service's MCP endpoint, for example https://mcp.example.com/mcp.
5. Choose the Authentication type:

   Authentication	When to use it	What to enter
   No authentication	The service does not need a credential.	Nothing else.
   Bearer token	The service expects a token in the standard authorisation header.	Bearer token
   Custom header	The service expects a key in a named header.	Header name (for example X-API-Key) and Header value

6. Select Add and test.

Expected result: EtherAssist saves the connector and tests the connection straight away. The secret is stored encrypted and is never shown again. To change it later, select Edit and paste a new one, or leave the field blank to keep the stored secret.

Step 2: Test the connection

EtherAssist tests a new connector when you add it. To test again at any time, select Test on the connector.

A successful test shows the service name and the tools it offers. A failed test explains the cause and how to fix it. See Troubleshooting.

If you change the URL, authentication type, header name, or secret, the previous test result no longer applies. Test the connector again before you change its tool choices.

Step 3: Choose which tools the assistant can use

After a successful test, Tools the assistant can use lists every tool the service offers. Each tool has two choices:

1. Review each tool and its description.
2. Tick Read-only only for tools you are confident only read data.
3. Tick Use for the tools you want the assistant to use.
4. Decide whether to allow tools that make changes. See Tools that make changes.
5. Select Save tool choices.

Expected result: the connector summary shows how many tools are enabled and how many are marked read-only. Until an administrator saves a choice, the summary shows Not chosen yet.

Select Reset to read-only tools to return to the default: every tool marked read-only is on, and every other tool is off.

How read-only is decided

EtherAssist treats every connector tool as able to change data unless an administrator marks it Read-only.

• Some services describe their own tools as read-only. EtherAssist shows this as a suggestion only: Server says read-only (not trusted until an admin marks it).
• A tool you mark shows Marked read-only by an admin.
• Read-only marks reset when the tool changes on the service, or when you change the connector's URL, authentication type, header name, or secret. The tool is then treated as able to change data until an administrator tests the connector and marks it again.

Tools that make changes

Tools that are not marked read-only show a Makes changes label and stay off by default.

To let the assistant use them:

1. Turn on Allow tools that make changes.
2. Tick Use only for the tools you trust the assistant to run.
3. Select Save tool choices.

Even when these tools are allowed, the assistant never runs one on its own. Each time it wants to use one, the user is asked to approve it in chat.

Approve or decline an action in chat

When the assistant wants to use a tool that can change data, the answer pauses and an Approve this action? card appears. The card shows:

• which service and tool the assistant wants to use;
• Exact data that will be sent, the full details the tool will receive.

Check the data, then select Approve to run the tool once, or Decline to stop it. Nothing runs unless you approve. If you decline, the assistant is told and continues without running the tool.

If the data is too large to show in full, the card cannot be approved. Decline it, or ask the assistant to try again with less data. An approval request expires after 10 minutes; ask again to retry. If the connector or tool changes before you approve, the assistant asks again.

What users see in chat

• While the assistant is using a connector, the chat shows which service and tool it is calling.
• Answers that used a connector show the connector's name so users can see where information came from.
• If the outcome of an approved action is unclear, for example because the service did not respond in time, the assistant says so. Check the service before asking it to try again.

When connector tools are not used

Manage connectors

Troubleshooting

Next steps

• Integrations overview
• EtherInsights integration
• Agent integrations