TendrlDocs / Strand / connectors/mcp-server
MCP Server
Direction: Read / Write | Type: mcp.server
Model Context Protocol (MCP) server connector for providing external tools to AI nodes. MCP connectors are not used as standalone nodes; they are selected within an AI node's configuration to give the model access to external tools.
Operations
| Operation | Direction | Description |
|---|---|---|
tool_call |
Read / Write | Discover and execute tools from the MCP server |
Connector Configuration
| Field | Required | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| URL | Yes | - | MCP server endpoint (Streamable HTTP) |
| Auth Type | No | none |
Authentication method: none, api_key, or bearer |
| API Key | No | - | API key (sent as Authorization: Bearer <api_key> header, encrypted) |
| Bearer Token | No | - | Bearer token (sent as Authorization: Bearer <bearer_token> header, encrypted) |
| Custom Headers | No | - | Additional HTTP headers for requests |
| Tool Prefix | No | - | Prefix added to all tool names (avoids collisions) |
| Timeout | No | 30 |
Request timeout in seconds (5-300) |
Using MCP with AI Nodes
- Create an MCP server connector with the server URL and authentication
- Add an AI connector node (OpenAI, Anthropic, or Gemini) to your workflow
- In the AI node configuration, select the MCP server connector(s)
- The AI model can then invoke tools provided by the MCP server
Tip
You can attach multiple MCP server connectors to a single AI node, giving the model access to tools from multiple servers. Use Tool Prefix to avoid name collisions (e.g., prefix mydb makes tool query available as mydb_query).
Health Monitoring
MCP server connectors include health monitoring with a circuit breaker:
- Test Connection: verifies the server is reachable and lists available tools
- Circuit Breaker: auto-disables the connector after 3 consecutive failures
- Reset: manually re-enable a disabled connector from the connector manager
Example
Connector Setup:
json
{
"url": "https://mcp.example.com/mcp",
"auth_type": "api_key",
"api_key": "your-api-key",
"tool_prefix": "myapi",
"timeout": 60
}
AI Node Configuration:
- Select the MCP server connector in the "MCP Servers" dropdown
- The AI model will automatically discover and can invoke tools from the server
Related
- MCP Integration Overview: Full tool list, client setup, and orchestration patterns
- OpenAI | Anthropic Claude | Google Gemini
- Connector Output Structure