Connect external MCP servers
Add administrator-approved Model Context Protocol servers and complete authentication for each Lifecycle Agent user.
Model Context Protocol (MCP) lets Lifecycle Agent use tools from an external service. Administrators specify shared server settings. Individual users complete personal credentials or OAuth connections if necessary.
Your Lifecycle release and administrator policy control MCP availability. Tools & integrations can be unavailable to some users.
Understand shared and personal settings
An MCP integration has two layers:
| Layer | Managed by | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Shared server | Lifecycle administrator | Name, transport, URL or command, shared arguments, allowed tools |
| User connection | Each user | Personal access token, OAuth grant, or a different field for one user |
Lifecycle does not share secrets entered for a user with other users. Do not put a personal token into a shared URL, argument, or repository file.
Add a shared server
- Open Settings.
- Go to Tools & integrations.
- Add an MCP server or select an available preset.
- Select the server’s documented transport:
- HTTP
- SSE
- stdio
- Enter only the connection fields supplied by the MCP service owner.
- Discover the advertised tools.
- Examine the advertised tools.
- Allow only the tools necessary for the intended workflow.
- Save the server.
- Test the server with an Agent session that contains no sensitive data.
Lifecycle does not auto-detect or negotiate a transport. A mismatched transport, URL, or stdio command prevents discovery.
Complete a personal connection
If authentication for each user is necessary for a shared server:
- Open Settings.
- Open My connections.
- Select the server.
- Enter the requested personal fields or complete the OAuth flow.
- Make sure that the connection operates correctly.
- Start a new Agent session so its tool list reflects the connection.
An administrator can make a shared server available to selected users and tools. Agent approval policy continues to apply after a connection operates correctly.
Recognize MCP tool names
Lifecycle namespaces external tools to prevent collisions:
Lifecycle converts unsupported characters in the server slug to underscores.
For example, a server slug my-server can expose
mcp__my_server__search.
API routes
The Settings UI is the primary management surface. Authenticated v2 routes include:
/api/v2/ai/config/mcp-presets/api/v2/ai/config/mcp-servers/api/v2/ai/agent/mcp-connections
Use the generated API reference from your deployment for methods and schemas.
Lifecycle tests an MCP server through tool discovery. It does not use a
/health route.
Security checklist
- Trust the MCP operator.
- Make sure of the destinations for requests and data.
- Before you allow discovered tools, examine their descriptions.
- Require approval for external writes unless there is a documented reason not to.
- Store credentials only through the connection UI or approved secret system.
- When access must end, revoke the upstream credential.
- Revoke the Lifecycle connection.
- After the upstream server changes its advertised tools, test the connection again.
An MCP tool can send Lifecycle context to a different system or make changes in that system. Examine each tool description and approval policy before you allow the tool.
Troubleshooting
- Discovery fails: make sure of the explicit transport and the URL or stdio command from the server owner.
- A user sees no tools: make sure of the shared server, user connection, discovered-tool allowlist, and Agent capability policy.
- OAuth cannot complete: the administrator must make sure that the registered redirect URI and upstream client configuration are correct.
- A changed tool is missing: Rediscover the tools. Examine the new tool description. Start a new Agent session.
The Lifecycle MCP server has a different support boundary. See Lifecycle MCP server.