MCP Integration¶

You can attach one or more MCP servers to a channel so model completions can access external tools through the MCP runtime.

llm-expose add mcp is interactive by default. For manual setup, run it without flags and follow prompts. Use headless flags (--no-input, and -y for overwrite confirmation) for scripts and CI.

Typical flow¶

Add MCP server config.
Attach server to a channel.
Run the channel and trigger tool-aware requests.

Use the CLI add mcp, list mcp, and delete mcp commands to manage MCP definitions.

Add MCP servers¶

Interactive (human-friendly):

llm-expose add mcp

Headless examples:

Stdio transport¶

llm-expose add mcp \
    --name web-search \
    --transport stdio \
    --command uvx \
    --args mcp-server-web-search \
    --tool-confirmation never \
    -y --no-input

SSE transport¶

llm-expose add mcp \
    --name remote-tools \
    --transport sse \
    --url http://mcp.internal:3000/sse \
    --tool-confirmation required \
    -y --no-input

HTTP transport¶

llm-expose add mcp \
    --name remote-http-tools \
    --transport http \
    --url http://mcp.internal:3000/mcp \
    --tool-confirmation required \
    -y --no-input

CLI note:

add mcp supports stdio, sse, and http transports.
builtin-core tools are provided by runtime internals and can be attached by name on channels.

Attach MCP servers to channels¶

llm-expose add channel \
    --name ops-discord \
    --client-type discord \
    --bot-token "YOUR_DISCORD_BOT_TOKEN" \
    --model-name gpt4o-mini \
    --mcp-server builtin-core \
    --mcp-server web-search \
    --mcp-server remote-tools \
    -y --no-input

If any referenced MCP server does not exist, headless channel creation fails with a clear error.

Confirmation and safety model¶

MCP confirmation works at two levels:

Global setting in mcp_servers.yaml (settings.confirmation_mode: optional or required).
Per-server override (tool_confirmation: default, required, never).

Practical policy patterns:

Low friction: global optional, read-only tools with per-server never.
Safer operations: global required, and keep risky servers as required.

Example MCP YAML¶

settings:
    confirmation_mode: required
    tool_timeout_seconds: 60
    expose_attachment_paths: false
servers:
    - name: web-search
        transport: stdio
        command: uvx
        args: [mcp-server-web-search]
        enabled: true
        tool_confirmation: never
    - name: remote-tools
        transport: sse
        url: http://mcp.internal:3000/sse
        enabled: true
        tool_confirmation: required
        allowed_tools: [ticket_create, ticket_get]
    - name: remote-http-tools
        transport: http
        url: http://mcp.internal:3000/mcp
        enabled: true
        tool_confirmation: required

Runtime behavior notes¶

MCP runtime initializes lazily on first relevant request.
Tools from disabled servers are not exposed.
Timeout is enforced per tool call via tool_timeout_seconds.

Verify MCP setup¶

llm-expose list mcp
llm-expose list channels

Then start the channel and send a tool-relevant prompt.

Troubleshooting¶

No tools appear: verify server names are attached on the channel config.
Stdio server fails: verify command and args exist in runtime environment.
SSE/HTTP server fails: verify URL/network reachability.
Tool runs are blocked unexpectedly: verify global vs per-server confirmation settings.