2. Register a Tool (MCP Server)

Why does your agent need a "tool"?

Right now, your agent can only talk — it can respond using its instructions, but it can't do anything else. It can't search the web, look things up in a database, or check today's weather.

To give your agent a new ability, you connect it to a tool.

Where do tools come from?

Tools come from something called an MCP Server.

• MCP stands for Model Context Protocol — don't worry about memorizing that, it's just a technical name.
• An MCP Server is a service that offers a set of tools. For example, one MCP Server might offer a "search our documentation" tool.

Think of an MCP Server like an app store: it's a catalog of abilities your agent can "install."

The two-step process

Adding a tool to your agent happens in two steps:

1. Register the MCP Server — you do this once. After that, the server (and its tools) is available to any agent on the platform, not just yours.
2. Give your specific agent permission to use one or more of that server's tools.

Don't have a real MCP Server yet? That's okay! You can skip ahead and come back to this step later. An agent with no tools attached will still respond to chat messages — it will just rely on its instructions alone, without looking anything up.

Step 1: Register the MCP Server

1. Go to the "MCP Servers" page (/mcp-servers).

2. Click "+ Add Server."

3. Fill in the form:

   • Name — a short label for the server.

   • Example: docs-search

   • URL — the web address of the MCP Server.

   • Transport — how the platform talks to the server.

   • Usually streamable_http.

   • Use sse instead if the server uses something called Server-Sent Events (your platform admin will tell you if this applies).

   • Auth Type — how the platform proves its identity to the server. Pick whichever one the server actually requires:

   • none
   • bearer
   • api_key
   • oauth2_client_credentials
   • token_passthrough

4. Click Save. The platform will connect to the server and automatically discover the list of tools it offers — for example, a "search documentation" tool.

Good to know: this registers the server globally. That means it's now available to be attached to any agent on the platform, not only the one you built in step 1.

Step 2: Give your agent access to the tools

Registering the server isn't enough on its own — you also need to tell your specific agent which of its tools it's allowed to use.

1. Go back to your agent and click "Edit Agent" to open it for editing.

2. Click into the "Integrations" tab.

3. Find the MCP Server you just registered in the list.

4. Check the boxes for the tools you want this agent to use.

5. You don't have to grant every tool a server offers.

6. Only pick the tools that are actually relevant to this agent's job.

7. Save your changes.

This is exactly how an agent "gets" abilities — like searching the web, checking a database, or talking to another system. It doesn't happen automatically; you grant it, tool by tool.

✅ Checkpoint: What you just did

Nice work! 🎉 Here's a recap:

• You registered an MCP Server — a catalog of tools now available platform-wide.
• You granted your agent permission to use one or more of those tools.
• Your agent now has a real ability it didn't have before, like looking something up instead of guessing.

Next

Time to see it in action. Head to 3. Test the Agent.