> For clean Markdown of any page, append .md to the page URL. > For a complete documentation index, see https://docs.ada.cx/docs/automation/tools/mcp-tools/connect-a-server/llms.txt. > For AI client integration (Claude Code, Cursor, etc.), connect to the MCP server at https://docs.ada.cx/_mcp/server. # Connect a server > **Tip** > > **Not sure where to begin?** Explore our [Getting started](/docs/welcome/getting-started) guidelines to set up your first AI Agent, review [Key concepts](/docs/welcome/key-concepts) to understand the essentials, or check out [Improvement tactics](/docs/welcome/improvement-tactics) to resolve issues and keep things running smoothly. Connect an MCP server once, and every tool the server exposes is discovered and listed for you to turn on. This page covers connecting a server, the credentials Ada supports, and how a tool decides whose identity it runs as. ## Connect a server A connection has two parts: your server's **URL** and the **credential** Ada connects with. **To connect a server:** 1. On the **Tools** page, select **＋ Tools**, then **Connect an MCP server**. 2. Enter the server's **URL**. 3. Choose how Ada **authenticates** to the server (see below). 4. Save. Ada connects and lists the server's tools. Remote MCP servers reachable over HTTPS are supported. The server stays the source of truth. Ada reads the tools it declares, but it does not define or change them. ## How Ada connects The **Authentication** setting on the connect form controls how Ada connects to the server. You set it once, and Ada connects with a single **company account**. Pick the option your server requires. | Type | What you provide | How it connects | | :-------------------- | :----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | :---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | **OAuth** | Nothing to paste for servers that support Dynamic Client Registration, or a **client ID and secret** for servers that need one | Opens the server's sign-in page in the browser to authorize the connection, then returns to Ada | | **API key** | An **API key** and the **header** to send it in | Connects right away, with no browser step | | **No authentication** | Nothing | Connects directly. Use it for public servers that need no credential | For **OAuth**, the token refreshes automatically, whether the tool uses the connected account or customer sign-in. You do not manage token expiry. An **API key** does not refresh. Rotate it on your own schedule. Each time you rotate the key, update it here to match, or the connection stops working. By default, every tool on the connection runs with this company account. Set a tool to make the end user sign in when it should reach that person's own data, as described under **Who a tool acts as** below. The AI Agent can reach whatever this account can. Use a dedicated service account, scoped to what the enabled tools need. Do not connect a personal or admin login. Some tools read parameters like `me` or `my`, so a personal account can act as that person and return the wrong data. ## Who a tool acts as The **Authentication** setting on each tool decides whose identity a call carries: the company's, or the identity of the person in the conversation. You set it per tool: * **Connected account (no sign-in):** the tool runs with the company account you connected above. No end user signs in. Use it for company-wide or public data. * **Customer signs in:** the end user signs in during the conversation, and the tool acts as that person, reaching only their own data. Available on **OAuth** connections only. If your platform can obtain a token that the MCP server accepts for the end user, an **OAuth** connection can forward it, so the tool runs without the authorization step in the conversation. Set the field name under **Customer token field name** in the server's **Edit** menu. For what each option reaches, which channels it works on, and how to forward a token, see [Authentication and channels](/docs/automation/tools/mcp-tools/authentication-and-channels). ## Turn on tools Every discovered tool starts **off**. Turn on each tool you want the Agent to use. Connecting a server does not enable anything on its own. * Enable tools **one at a time**, so the Agent can only call the ones you have chosen. * Start with **read-only** tools, and add write tools deliberately. See [Limits and best practices](/docs/automation/tools/mcp-tools/limits-and-best-practices). * The Agent chooses a tool from its **name and description**, declared by your server. Clear, specific descriptions make the Agent pick the right tool at the right moment. ## Connection status The **Tools** page shows the state of each connected server, so a broken connection is visible rather than silent. | Status | What it means | | :------------------- | :--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | **Connected** | The server is reachable, and its enabled tools can be called. | | **Pending** | The connection is being set up, or waiting on authorization to finish. | | **Reconnect needed** | The connection expired. Reconnect to restore the tools. | | **Error** | The server could not be reached, or it rejected the credential. Check the URL and credentials. | | **Disconnected** | The server is turned off. Its tools are unavailable until you reconnect. | When a server is not connected, its tools do not run, and the Agent continues the conversation without them. ## Related features * [MCP tools overview](/docs/automation/tools/mcp-tools): What MCP tools are and how they work. * [Authentication and channels](/docs/automation/tools/mcp-tools/authentication-and-channels): Connected account vs. customer sign-in, and channel support. * [Limits and best practices](/docs/automation/tools/mcp-tools/limits-and-best-practices): Choosing safe tools and writing good descriptions. --- Have any questions? Contact your Ada team, or email us at [](mailto:help@ada.cx?subject=Help%20Docs%20inquiry). > Add an MCP server and turn on its tools