Connecting MCP Servers

Give Autobuild access to any external tool or data source by connecting a remote MCP server to your workspace.

Before you connect

You need access to a workspace's connection settings, permission to add a connection, and a remote MCP server that Obvious can reach over HTTP or HTTPS. Have the server URL and any credentials it requires ready. Local MCP servers that use stdio are not supported.

The server administrator can tell you which authentication type to choose. For browser-based OAuth, the server must publish authorization details and support dynamic client registration.

Connect the server

1. Open Settings → Integrations → Connectors.

2. Choose MCP (HTTP).

3. Enter the remote address in Server URL.

4. Under Authentication, choose the type required by the server:

   • None — sends no credentials.

   • Bearer token — sends the token in the Authorization header.

   • API key — sends the key in the X-API-Key header.

   • Custom header — sends the header name and value you enter.

   • OAuth (browser auth) — opens a browser window for authorization.

5. Enter the required credentials, if any.

6. Select Connect. For OAuth, select Authorize instead.

After Obvious saves the connection, the window stays open and shows Test connection. The test uses the saved authentication, initializes MCP, and successfully requests the server's tool list. Connection successful means all three parts completed at that moment. An error appears in the window if the test cannot use the saved authentication, initialize MCP, or successfully request the tool list. A passing test does not confirm that the connection is available to a particular Autobuild agent, that a particular expected tool appears, that the server exposes resources, or that the action you intend to run will succeed.

Authorize with OAuth

When you select Authorize, Obvious discovers the server's authorization details, registers a client through dynamic client registration, and opens the provider's approval page in a browser window. Approve the requested access there.

Obvious checks for completion while the connection window remains open and stops waiting after 5 minutes. If the server does not support dynamic client registration, browser authorization cannot continue. Use another authentication method supported by the server, or ask the server administrator to enable the required OAuth support.

If authorization times out, return to the connection window and start a new authorization attempt. Complete the approval in the new browser window.

Validate the connection with Autobuild

A successful Test connection means the saved authentication worked, MCP initialized, and the server's tool list was successfully requested at test time. It does not prove that Autobuild can access the connection or that the listed tools include the one you expect. To validate the complete path, ask Autobuild to list the server's tools or resources, or request a safe read-only action such as looking up a known record.

Name the connected system and the action in your request. For example, ask Autobuild to use the connected server to look up a specific record. When the connection is available to the agent, Autobuild can discover tools and resources, call a relevant tool, and read a resource. No separate MCP setup is required for each initiative or executable.

If Autobuild cannot find the expected capability, confirm that the connection is available to the agent, then verify that the returned tool list contains the expected tool or that the server exposes the expected resource. Even when the saved authentication works, MCP initializes, and the tool list request succeeds, a particular tool may be absent, resources may be unavailable, or the intended action may still fail.

Manage or replace the connection

Open Settings → Integrations → Connectors, find the MCP connection, and click ⋮ to open the menu. You can:

• Select Edit to change who the connection is available to, then select Save changes.

• Select Disconnect to remove the saved connection from Obvious.

The current Edit flow changes availability, not the server URL or credentials. To replace either one, disconnect the existing connection and create a new connection with the new details. Disconnecting removes the saved Obvious connection; it does not change the remote MCP server. Reconnecting creates a new saved connection, so review its availability before asking Autobuild to use it.

Resolve connection problems

If a connection is not working, check Server URL, internet reachability, Authentication type, and credentials. Confirm that Bearer token, API key, or Custom header is current and entered in the matching field. The server must also allow MCP initialization and return its tool list.

If the OAuth browser window does not open, allow pop-ups for Obvious and select Authorize again. If authorization reaches the 5-minute limit, begin a new attempt. If dynamic client registration is unsupported, use another authentication method or contact the server administrator.

If Connection successful appears but Autobuild still cannot use an expected tool or resource, remember that the message confirms only that saved authentication worked, MCP initialized, and the server's tool list was successfully requested at test time. Verify the connection's availability and inspect what the server exposes. Then retry with the connected system and desired action named explicitly. If the problem continues, contact the server administrator or Obvious Support with the server URL, time of the failure, and the error shown. Do not include tokens, API keys, custom-header values, or other credentials.