Manage tools (MCP)

What's a tool? What's MCP?

A tool lets an assistant do something in another system — send a Slack message, file a Jira ticket, look up a customer in your CRM — instead of just talking about it.

Tools connect using a standard called MCP (Model Context Protocol). So when you see "an MCP server," read it as "one connected tool."

Connect a tool

Register the tool once, by name and address. Manage this from the command line — see CLI reference → oc mcp.

Give it credentials (safely)

A tool usually needs to authenticate to the system it talks to. OpenCrane stores and brokers those credentials for the assistant — they're never handed to the assistant or the browser. Two modes are available:

• Per-user sign-in — each person authorises with their own account, so the assistant acts as them.
• Shared credential — one credential used on behalf of everyone.

Decide who can use it

A connected tool isn't available to anyone until you grant it. Allow it for a person, team, or whole department — see Control access.

Going deeper

How tool calls are routed, scoped, and audited is covered in the MCP gateway deep dive.