MCP

MCP (Model Context Protocol) is an open-source standard for connecting AI applications to external systems. Follow these steps to connect your agent in AI21 Studio to an MCP server.

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Step 1: Go to the Playground Section

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Navigate to Maestro Playground from the left-hand menu in AI21 Studio.

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Step 2: Add a Tool

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 In the Configuration panel, go to the Tools section and click Add.

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Step 3: Select MCP

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In the tools dropdown, select MCP.

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Step 4: Fill in the Fields

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4.1 Add a URL
Enter the MCP server address in the URL field.

Handling “Invalid URL” Errors

If you see the “Invalid URL” error when adding your MCP server in AI21 Studio, it usually means:

• The server is using http:// instead of https://
• The server is running on a raw IP address and isn’t exposed as a public HTTPS endpoint

How to fix it: Set up an ngrok tunnel (or a similar tool) to expose your local server over HTTPS, which passes validation.
For full setup instructions, see the MCP Server Setup guide.

4.2 Add a Label
Enter a descriptive Label to identify the MCP server.4.3 Add Authentication
From the Authentication dropdown, select the authentication method (for example, API key or access token) and provide the credentials.

Authorization headers are not saved with the agent. If you save the agent, the headers will not be stored. When you reload the agent, you’ll need to enter the authorization headers again.

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Step 5: Review Allowed Tools

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Click Review allowed tools.You will see a list of tools available from the MCP server.

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Step 6: Save the Tools

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After verifying the tools are correct, click Save.

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Step 7 (Optional): Edit MCP Tools

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Edit an existing MCP tool by following these steps:

1. Click the ⋮ (colon icon).
2. Select Edit, make your changes, and click Save.

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Next Steps

Use MCP in AI21 Stuido.