# MCP Servers

The **Model Context Protocol (MCP)** is an open standard that lets AI applications connect to external tools and services through a uniform interface. By configuring MCP servers in indigo.ai, you give your AI Agents access to tools hosted outside the platform — for example, third-party search providers, internal knowledge services, or custom integrations exposed by your team — without writing custom API blocks for every endpoint.

Once an MCP server is connected, its tools become available inside the [Agent Block](/getting-started/agents-workflows-and-triggers/blocks/action-blocks.md) just like any native integration.

{% hint style="info" %}
Looking for general guidance on connecting external systems? Start from the [Tools](/getting-started/agents-workflows-and-triggers/integrations/tools.md) page for a wider overview of how indigo.ai integrates with third-party APIs.
{% endhint %}

## 1. Add a new MCP Server

From your Workspace, open **Agent Settings → Integrations**. This is the section where you manage Tool Collections and MCP Servers. Click **Add MCP Server** to open the configuration window.

<figure><img src="/files/nP666ZkwiSEUq3DY3clD" alt=""><figcaption><p>Add MCP Server window in Agent Settings → Integrations.</p></figcaption></figure>

Fill in the following fields:

* **Name** — A short identifier for the server (e.g. the service name).
* **Server description** *(optional)* — A free-text description that helps you remember what this server is for.
* **Connection** — The URL of the MCP endpoint to connect to (e.g. `https://mcp.example.com`). The URL must **not** contain the transport-specific path (e.g. `/mcp`); use only the base URL as shown in the example.
* **Headers** *(optional)* — Add custom HTTP headers as **Key / Value** pairs if the server requires authentication or signed requests. Click **+ Add secret** to insert sensitive values (tokens, API keys) using [workspace secrets](/getting-started/agents-workflows-and-triggers/integrations/tools.md#secrets-in-tool-headers) — they are stored encrypted and resolved server-side at runtime.

When all required fields are filled, click **Save**. The platform automatically attempts to connect to the server.

## 2. Connection status

After saving, the connection state is displayed in the server's edit window and can take one of three values:

| State                    | Meaning                                                                       |
| ------------------------ | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| 🟢 **Connected**         | The connection succeeded. The server's tools are available to your Agents.    |
| 🔴 **Connection failed** | The connection attempt failed. Verify the URL and any authentication headers. |
| ⚪ **Not connected**      | No connection attempt has been made yet.                                      |

<figure><img src="/files/oFHD8PFIfMi0JdYnAkoY" alt=""><figcaption><p>Connection status shown in the MCP Server edit window.</p></figcaption></figure>

{% hint style="info" %}
If a server is temporarily unreachable, indigo.ai automatically attempts to reconnect the next time one of its tools is invoked, so transient outages do not require manual intervention.
{% endhint %}

## 3. Edit, reconnect, or delete a server

To change a previously configured MCP server, select it from the list to open the **Edit** window. From there you can:

* **Update** name, description, URL, or headers.
* **Reconnect** — Force a new connection attempt and refresh the list of available tools. Useful when the server has added new tools or when the connection has dropped.
* **Delete** — Remove the MCP server from the Workspace.

Remember to click **Save** after any change.

## 4. Use MCP tools in an Agent Block

Once an MCP server is connected and its tools are loaded, you can enable them inside any [**Agent Block**](/getting-started/agents-workflows-and-triggers/blocks/action-blocks.md) of your Workspace:

1. Open the Agent Block where you want the tools to be available.
2. Go to the **Integrations** tab.
3. In the **Choose integration** dropdown, select the MCP server you configured.
4. In the **Choose tool** dropdown, you'll see the list of tools exposed by that server.

<figure><img src="/files/MTchmRc8ynofoYGsBAg9" alt=""><figcaption><p>The "Choose tool" dropdown showing the MCP tools exposed by the selected server.</p></figcaption></figure>

5. Tick the **checkbox** next to each tool you want to make available to that Agent.

<figure><img src="/files/3Lx3NI2zgW9YQoot980p" alt=""><figcaption><p>One MCP tool selected for use in this Agent Block.</p></figcaption></figure>

The selected tools are now callable by the Agent during conversations. As with native tools, the Agent decides at runtime which tool to invoke based on the user's intent and the conversation context — you don't need to define rigid workflows in advance. See [Tools — Multi-tool orchestration](/getting-started/agents-workflows-and-triggers/integrations/tools.md#multi-tool-orchestration-within-a-single-interaction) for details on how the platform handles multiple tool calls in a single turn.


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