MCP Servers

An MCP server is an external service that exposes tools an agent can call while it works — for example to look something up or trigger an action in another system. You connect a server once at the workspace level, then turn it on for the individual agents that should use it.

MCP servers have two surfaces in Studio: a workspace-level MCP Servers page (its own item in the left sidebar, next to Members and Admin), where you connect and remove servers; and an MCP Servers tab in a conversation agent’s editor, where you enable a connected server for that agent.

Optional feature — ask to have it enabled. MCP servers are turned on per workspace. If you don’t see MCP Servers in the Studio sidebar, the feature isn’t enabled for your workspace yet — contact the Bayes team to request it.

How MCP servers work

• A server is connected to the workspace with a Name, a URL, and an optional API Key. The key is stored encrypted and is never shown again after you save it.
• Connecting a server does not by itself give any agent access to it. You enable each server per agent from the agent’s MCP Servers tab — a server that is off for an agent is invisible to it.
• There is no edit: a server has only connect and delete. To change a URL or key, delete the server and connect it again.
• Deleting a server removes it for every agent that was using it — those agents immediately lose access to its tools.

The full flow at a glance

The walkthrough below replays every step in the real interface. Use Prev / Next to move at your own pace; each step highlights the button to click and the area to watch.

Step by step

1. Open MCP Servers

In Studio, open the left sidebar and select MCP Servers (server icon). It sits in the settings group below Sources, alongside Members and Admin.

2. Start connecting a server

The page lists the servers already connected to the workspace, with a short description: Manage external tool servers connected to this workspace. When none exist yet, an empty state reads No MCP servers configured yet. Add one to give your agents access to external tools. Click New Server (top-right) to connect one.

3. Fill in the server details

The Add MCP Server dialog opens (Connect an external MCP server to this workspace.). Fill in:

• Name — a label for the server (placeholder Enter server name). Required.
• URL — the server’s address, e.g. https://mcp.example.com. Required, and must be a valid URL.
• API Key — an optional authentication key (placeholder Optional authentication key). It’s write-only: stored encrypted and never displayed again.

Click Create to connect the server (or Cancel to close without saving).

4. See the connected server

The server appears as a card in the list, showing its Name and its URL. Repeat New Server for as many servers as you need.

5. Remove a server

A server you connected has a single action: the trash icon on its right. There is no edit or overflow menu — connect and delete are the only actions. The built-in PDF export server (see below) has no trash icon and can’t be deleted.

6. Confirm the deletion

Clicking the trash icon opens the Delete MCP Server confirmation: Are you sure you want to delete “…”? Agents using this server will lose access to its tools. Confirm with Delete, or Cancel to keep it.

7. Open an agent to enable a server for it

Connecting a server doesn’t enable it anywhere yet. In Studio, open a conversation agent to edit it (from the sidebar Agents list or its card on the workspace overview).

8. Open the MCP Servers tab

In the agent editor, open the MCP Servers tab. It’s the last tab, after Orchestration and Embed. When the platform is configured for it, every workspace has at least the built-in PDF export server, so this tab is always there once the feature is enabled.

9. Toggle a server on for this agent

The tab lists every server connected to the workspace, each with a switch. Toggle a server on to give this agent access to its tools; toggle it off to remove that access. The change takes effect immediately — there’s no separate Save on this tab.

10. Jump back to manage servers

The tab header has a Manage servers link (external-link icon) that opens the workspace MCP Servers page in a new tab, so you can connect or remove servers without losing your place in the editor.

The built-in PDF export server

When the platform is configured for it, every workspace ships with a PDF export server marked Built-in. It cannot be deleted, but you still switch it on per agent like any other server. Once it’s on, the agent can turn a markdown answer into a downloadable PDF, shown to the user as a card with a Download button. That link is valid for 15 minutes.

Tips

• Give each server a clear Name — it’s what you (and the per-agent switch list) see, so it should say what the server does.
• Keep the API Key handy elsewhere: because it’s never shown again, the only way to change it is to delete and reconnect the server.
• Enable a server only for the agents that actually need it — a server left off for an agent is invisible to it.

Troubleshooting

• There’s no MCP Servers item in the sidebar — the feature isn’t enabled for your workspace; contact the Bayes team to request it.
• Create is blocked — the URL must be a valid address (for example starting with https://), and the Name can’t be empty.
• An agent stopped using a server’s tools — check the server is still on for that agent in its MCP Servers tab, and that the server wasn’t deleted on the workspace page (deleting removes it for every agent).
• The download link says it expired — ask the agent to export again.