> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.alquimia.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# MCP Servers

> Register external tool servers that agents can call to interact with the world.

MCP (Model Context Protocol) is an open standard for connecting AI agents to external tools and services. Each MCP server exposes a set of callable functions — tools — that agents can use during a conversation.

Examples: GitHub operations, ClickUp task management, database queries, calendar access, custom internal APIs.

## Adding an MCP server

Click **Add MCP Server** and configure both the staging and production stages:

| Field              | Description                                                      |
| ------------------ | ---------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Name**           | Display name used when selecting MCP servers in agent creation   |
| **Description**    | What tools this server provides. Helps you identify it later.    |
| **Staging URL**    | Endpoint for the test/development MCP server                     |
| **Production URL** | Endpoint for the live MCP server                                 |
| **Transport**      | Protocol for communicating with the server                       |
| **Credentials**    | Auth credentials if the server requires them (stored as secrets) |

## Transport types

| Transport | Description                  | Use when                         |
| --------- | ---------------------------- | -------------------------------- |
| `sse`     | Server-Sent Events over HTTP | Remote MCP servers (most common) |
| `http`    | Plain HTTP requests          | Simple REST-style MCP servers    |
| `stdio`   | Standard input/output        | Local process-based MCP servers  |

## Staging vs Production stages

Each MCP server has two stages with independent URLs and credentials:

* **Staging** — used during agent development and testing
* **Production** — used when the agent goes live

This lets you point agents at a test MCP server during development without risking production data. Toggle the active stage per server independently.

<Note>
  Agents always use whichever stage is currently marked active on the MCP server. You don't need to update agents when you switch a server from staging to production.
</Note>

## Health check

Studio periodically checks the server's availability. A **green indicator** means the server is reachable. A **red indicator** means the server is down or unreachable — agents using this server may fail to call its tools.

## Credentials

If the MCP server requires authentication (API key, bearer token, etc.), enter the credentials when configuring the server. They're stored as secrets and injected at runtime via the `$secretRef` pattern.

## Using MCP servers in agents

Once registered here, MCP servers appear under **MCP Tools** during agent creation. See [MCP Tools](/platform/agent-creation/mcp-tools) for how to assign them to agents.

## Next steps

<Card title="MCP Tools in Agent Creation" icon="wrench" href="/platform/agent-creation/mcp-tools">
  Add registered MCP servers to an agent.
</Card>