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Connecting third-party tools to Knowledge Agents using MCP

Guru's third-party MCP integration lets you connect external tools and services to your Knowledge Agents using the Model Context Protocol (MCP). This enables your agents to retrieve data and take actions in tools like Asana, Slack, Salesforce, and more - directly within Guru's chat interface.

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Access Required

Admins manage which MCP servers are available. Knowledge Agent Owners configure which MCPs each agent uses. Individual users authenticate and control permissions for their own connections.

What is third-party MCP integration?

Third-party MCP integration uses the Model Context Protocol to connect Knowledge Agents to external tools that support OAuth authentication. This standardized approach lets you:

  • Retrieve data from connected tools in real-time
  • Execute actions like creating tasks, sending messages, or updating records
  • Maintain security with granular permission controls at every level
  • Track activity with full logging in the AI Agent Center

How it's different from Guru's MCP Server: Guru's MCP Server lets external tools access your Guru knowledge. Third-party MCP integration works in the opposite direction - it lets Guru's Knowledge Agents access external tools.

How third-party MCP works

MCP integration operates with three layers of control:

Workspace level: Admins determine which MCP servers your workspace can use. Adding an MCP server requires a URL that supports OAuth - Guru validates this during setup.

Knowledge Agent level: Agent Owners select which MCPs each agent should access. Each MCP can be marked as Required or Optional:

  • Required MCPs block chat until users authenticate
  • Optional MCPs can be activated by users as needed

User level: Individual users authenticate via OAuth and manage their own permission preferences for each MCP action.

Setting up MCP servers (Workspace Admins)

  1. Navigate to Manage > Apps & Integrations > Third-Party MCP Servers.
  2. Click Add MCP Server.
  3. Enter the MCP server URL. The server must support OAuth authentication. Guru will validate the URL and display a status:
  • Valid – The server supports OAuth and can be added
  • Invalid – The server doesn't support OAuth or the URL is incorrect
  1. Click Add to make the MCP server available to your workspace.
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Note

Adding an MCP server at the workspace level doesn't automatically enable it for any Knowledge Agents—Agent Owners must explicitly add it to their agents.

Configuring MCPs for Knowledge Agents (Agent Owners)

  1. Navigate to Manage > Knowledge Agents.
  2. Select the Knowledge Agent you want to configure.
  3. Go to the MCP Connectors tab.
  4. Click Add MCP Connector and select from available workspace MCPs.
  5. Choose whether the MCP is Required or Optional:
  • Required: Users must authenticate before using the agent
  • Optional: Users can choose to enable the MCP during chat
  1. Click Save.
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Tip

Mark MCPs as Required when the agent's core functionality depends on data from that tool. Use Optional for supplementary data sources.

Authenticating and managing MCPs (Users)

When you first interact with a Knowledge Agent that uses MCPs, you'll see a connector option in the chat interface.

Authenticating an MCP:

  1. Click the connector icon in the chat interface.
  2. Select the MCP you want to authenticate.
  3. Follow the OAuth flow to sign in to the external tool.
  4. Grant Guru permission to access your account.

Managing MCP permissions:

During chat, you'll see permission prompts when the agent wants to use an MCP action:

  • Allow Once – Approve this specific action
  • Allow Always – Pre-approve all read-only actions from this MCP
  • Deny – Block this action

Your permission preferences are remembered across chat threads.

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TIp

Read-only actions (like searching or viewing data) can be pre-approved if the MCP server marks them with read-only hints. Destructive actions (like creating or deleting content) always require confirmation.

Resetting your MCP connection:

To clear all permission preferences and start fresh:

  1. Click the connector icon in chat.
  2. Find the connected MCP.
  3. Click Disconnect.
  4. Reconnect and re-authenticate to reset all settings.

How MCPs work in Chat and Research

In Chat: When a Knowledge Agent with MCPs is active, you can:

  • Ask questions that pull data from connected tools
  • Approve or deny each MCP action individually
  • See which MCP was used in the agent's citations

In Research: When starting a Research task, you'll:

  • Review the research plan upfront
  • Batch-approve all MCP actions needed for the research
  • See MCP data integrated into the final research report with proper citations
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Important

In the AI Agent Center, only the person who asked a question that used MCPs can see the full answer. This prevents data leakage across users with different permissions

Understanding permission controls

Third-party MCP integration includes multiple permission layers:

Tool-level permissions: Users must have appropriate access in the external tool itself (e.g., access to specific Asana projects).

Guru workspace permissions: Users must have access to the Knowledge Agent using the MCP.

Source permissions: If the MCP server is also connected as a Source in Guru, standard Source permissions apply.

User authentication: Each user authenticates their own MCP connections—permissions can't be shared.

Updated about 4 hours ago