Extending Poggio with MCP servers

Overview

This guide walks enterprise IT administrators through connecting Poggio to external MCP servers, enabling your AI agents to access tools and capabilities from third-party systems. By connecting MCP servers, your Poggio workspace gains access to specialized tools that can interact with databases, APIs, file systems, custom applications, and more.

Business impact

  • Extended AI capabilities: AI agents gain access to specialized tools beyond Poggio's built-in functionality

  • Streamlined workflows: Users can access external systems through AI conversations without switching contexts

  • Real-time data access: Agents can query live data from connected systems during conversations

  • Custom tool integration: Connect organization-specific tools and services to your AI infrastructure

Prerequisites

System requirements

  • Poggio workspace with administrator privileges

  • Access to external MCP servers (URLs and authentication tokens)

  • Network connectivity between Poggio and MCP servers

  • MCP Client feature enabled for your workspace

Access requirements

  • Poggio workspace administrator role

  • MCP server endpoints and credentials

  • Firewall permissions for outbound HTTPS connections to MCP servers

Supported integration types

  • HTTP/HTTPS MCP servers using the MCP streamable HTTP transport

  • MCP servers that implement tool discovery

  • Servers requiring Bearer token authentication

  • Public and private MCP server instances

Step 1: Access MCP client settings

  1. Navigate to your Poggio workspace

  2. Click on "Settings" in the left sidebar

  3. Select "MCP Client" from the settings menu

Note: If you don't see the MCP Client option, this feature may not be enabled for your workspace. Contact your Poggio administrator or support.

Step 2: Add Your first MCP server

  1. On the MCP Client settings page, click "Add server"

  2. The Add MCP Server dialog will open

Step 3: Configure server connection

In the Add MCP Server dialog, provide the following information:

Required fields

  • Name: A descriptive name for your MCP server (e.g., "Company Database Tools", "Highspot Connector", etc.)

  • URL: The full endpoint URL for your MCP server, including the /mcp path (e.g., https://mcp-server.example.com/mcp)

Optional fields

  • Authentication token: Bearer token for server authentication (if required by your MCP server)

Validation rules

  1. Server names must be unique within your workspace

  2. URLs must be valid HTTPS endpoints and unique within your workspace

Authentication tokens are securely stored and never displayed again after saving the configuration

Step 4: Test the server connection

  1. After filling in the server details, click "Add" to save the configuration

  2. The server will appear in your MCP servers list

  3. Click "Test connection" to verify the server is accessible and discover available tools

Connection test results

  • Success: Green checkmark with discovered tools listed

  • Failure: Red error indicator with error message details

  • In progress: Loading spinner during connection attempt

Step 5: Enable and disable tools

Once connection testing succeeds, you can manage which tools are available to your AI agents:

  1. Expand the server entry to see discovered tools

  2. Use the toggles next to each tool to enable or disable them

  3. Only enabled tools will be available for AI agents to use

Tool management

  • Tools are automatically discovered during connection testing

  • You can enable/disable individual tools without affecting others

  • Tool availability updates immediately for all workspace agents

  • On first discovery, tools are disabled by default; enable only what you need

  • A workspace-wide limit of 64 enabled MCP tools applies across all servers

Step 6: Enable and disable MCP servers

You can temporarily disable an entire MCP server without deleting the configuration:

  1. Use the toggle switch next to the server name to enable/disable

  2. When disabled, all tools from that server become unavailable to agents

  3. Re-enabling the server restores tool availability

Step 7: Verify agent access

Test with the Poggio agent

  1. Create a new task that requires the agent to use tools from your connected MCP server

  2. The agent should automatically use available tools when appropriate

Example test prompt: "Use the [tool name] tool with these parameters: ..."

Managing MCP servers

Edit server configuration

  1. Click the "Edit" button (pencil icon) next to any server

  2. Modify the name, URL, or authentication token as needed

  3. Click "Save" to update the configuration

Delete server configuration

  1. Click the "Delete" button (trash icon) next to any server configuration

  2. Confirm deletion in the confirmation dialog

  3. All tools from that server will be immediately removed from agents

Security best practices

Network security

  • Always use HTTPS endpoints for MCP servers

Authentication management

  • Use dedicated service accounts with minimal required permissions

  • Rotate authentication tokens regularly according to your security policy

  • Store tokens securely and never share them outside your organization

  • Monitor authentication token usage and set up alerts for unanticipated access patterns

Access control

  • Limit MCP server configuration (and all Poggio workspace administration) to a trusted group of authorized users

  • Utilize Poggio's SSO and IdP integration with SCIM enabled to ensure consistent application of organizational access policy

  • Regularly review enabled tools and servers for continued business need

  • Implement audit logging for all MCP server configuration changes

  • Set up notifications for server connection failures or security events

Troubleshooting common issues

Connection failures

  • Symptom: "Unable to connect to MCP server" or timeout errors

  • Solution:

    • Verify the server URL is correct and accessible

    • Check network connectivity and firewall rules

    • Confirm the MCP server is running and responding

    • Test the URL independently using tools like curl or browser

Authentication errors

  • Symptom: "Authentication failed" or 401/403 HTTP errors

  • Solution:

    • Verify the authentication token is correct and not expired

    • Check that the token has necessary permissions on the MCP server

    • Confirm the token format matches the server's expected format

    • Contact your MCP server administrator to verify account status

No tools discovered

  • Symptom: Connection succeeds but no tools are found

  • Solution:

    • Verify the MCP server implements the tool discovery protocol correctly

    • Check server logs for any errors during tool enumeration

    • Confirm the authentication token has permissions to access tools

    • Contact the MCP server provider for support

Tools not available to Poggio agent

  • Symptom: Agents don't use MCP tools despite successful connection

  • Solution:

    • Verify tools are enabled in the MCP server configuration

    • Check that the server is enabled (not disabled)

    • Test connection again to refresh tool cache

    • Try asking agents specifically to make use of available tools

Next steps

After successfully connecting MCP servers, consider:

  1. Expand tool coverage: Connect additional MCP servers to provide more capabilities

  2. User training: Educate team members on how to effectively use new MCP tools

  3. Performance monitoring: Track tool usage and optimize server configurations

  4. Integration development: Work with development teams to create custom MCP servers for internal tools

For additional assistance, contact the Poggio support team or your account manager.

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