Connecting MCP Servers

What is MCP?

The Model Context Protocol (MCP) is an open standard that enables AI models to interact with external data and tools. Instead of building custom integrations for every tool (GitHub, Slack, Notion) into every AI model, MCP provides a universal language for connection.

In Agent Bridge, the server acts as an MCP Client. It connects to one or more MCP Servers, discovers their tools, and exposes them to the AI Agent.

Adding a New MCP Server (Frontend)

Step 1: Open Settings

1. Click on Settings in the sidebar
2. Navigate to the Connections tab

Step 2: Choose a Preset (Optional)

Use the Load Preset dropdown to autofill settings for popular providers:

• Notion - Official Notion MCP Server
• GitHub - Official GitHub MCP Server

Selecting a preset will automatically fill in the Server Name, URL, and OAuth requirements.

Step 3: Fill in Server Details

Field	Description	Required
Server Name	A friendly name for this connection (e.g., "My GitHub")	Yes
Server URL	The HTTP(S) endpoint for the MCP server	Yes
Description	Notes about this server or its purpose	No

Step 4: Configure OAuth (If Required)

If the server requires authentication, toggle Requires OAuth? and fill in:

Field	Description
Client ID	Your OAuth application's Client ID
Client Secret	Your OAuth application's Client Secret
Scope	Permission scopes (e.g., read:user)

Need credentials? Refer to the official documentation for Notion or GitHub.

Advanced Options (toggle to reveal):

• Authorization URL - Manual OAuth authorize endpoint
• Token URL - Manual OAuth token endpoint

Agent Bridge will attempt to discover these automatically from the Server URL.

Step 5: Save

• Without OAuth: Click Test Connection to verify, then Save Connection
• With OAuth: Click Authenticate & Connect to open the OAuth popup

Managing Existing Servers

From the Connections tab, you can:

• Configure - View and manage individual tools (enable/disable)
• Reconnect - Refresh tokens and verify connection
• Delete - Remove the server configuration
• Toggle - Enable/disable the server without deleting

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Connection Types (Technical)

1. Remote Servers (SSE/HTTP)

Remote servers run as independent web services. This is the primary and recommended method for connecting to all MCP servers.

Example Preset (from servers.json):

{
  "presets": {
    "Notion": {
      "server_url": "https://mcp.notion.com/mcp",
      "description": "Official Notion MCP Server.",
      "requires_oauth": true
    }
  }
}

2. Local Servers (via HTTP Proxy)

Why HTTP, not Stdio?
Agent Bridge is designed for full containerization. Running stdio-based MCP servers as subprocesses would break in Docker/Kubernetes environments. Instead, expose local MCP servers as HTTP endpoints.

How It Works:

1. Run your local MCP server with an HTTP/SSE wrapper
2. Expose it on a local port (e.g., http://localhost:8002/sse)
3. Add it to Agent Bridge like any remote server

Example: Exposing a Filesystem MCP Server

npx @anthropic-ai/mcp-server-sse-adapter -- npx @modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem /path/to/directory

Then add via the UI with URL: http://localhost:8002/sse

Benefits:

• Container-friendly (Docker/Kubernetes)
• Decoupled architecture
• Consistent HTTP/SSE interface

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Pre-configured Server Presets

Server	URL	OAuth Required
Notion	https://mcp.notion.com/mcp	Yes
GitHub	https://api.githubcopilot.com/mcp/	Yes

API Reference

Endpoint	Method	Description
/api/mcp/settings/	GET	List all configured servers
/api/mcp/settings/	POST	Add a new server
/api/mcp/settings/{id}	PATCH	Update a server
/api/mcp/settings/{id}	DELETE	Delete a server
/api/mcp/settings/{id}/reconnect	POST	Reconnect/refresh tokens
/api/mcp/presets	GET	Get available presets
/api/mcp/test-connection	POST	Test a server URL

Inspecting Servers

Use the CLI tool to debug connections:

python server/inspect_mcp.py <SERVER_URL>