> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.vibely.sh/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Connect a custom MCP server

> Connect any remote MCP server as a chat connector so the agent can use your internal tools, private APIs, and data sources while it builds.

A **custom MCP server** is any remote server that speaks the [Model Context Protocol](https://modelcontextprotocol.io) and isn't already in the Vibely catalog. Connect one as a chat connector, and the agent can call its tools while it builds: an internal CRM, a private API, a company knowledge base, or a niche third-party tool.

<Frame>
  <img src="https://cdn.vibely.sh/doc/v1/connectors-custom-mcp-1.webp" alt="Connect a custom MCP server" width="1200" height="675" />
</Frame>

Custom MCP servers are available on all plans. Like every chat connector, they're **personal to you** and **never part of your published app**. If your published app needs to call a service while people use it, ask the agent to integrate the API directly, or have an admin register a [custom REST connector](/integrations/admin-controls#custom-rest-connectors).

## How to connect a custom MCP server

You need the server's HTTPS URL and, depending on the server, a credential. There are two places to add one.

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="Customize → Connectors">
    The quickest way, for servers that sign you in with OAuth or need no credentials.

    <Steps>
      <Step title="Open the form">
        Open **Customize → Connectors** and click **Add**. The **Add custom connector** dialog opens.
      </Step>

      <Step title="Name the server">
        Enter a **Name**, for example `acme-crm`. It's shown in the connectors list and saved as a lowercase slug.
      </Step>

      <Step title="Enter the URL">
        Enter the **MCP server URL**, the HTTPS address where the server accepts MCP requests, for example `https://mcp.example.com/mcp`.
      </Step>

      <Step title="Add it">
        Click **Continue**. The server appears in the catalog under the **Custom** category. Open it to connect and to see the tools it offers.
      </Step>
    </Steps>
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Settings → Connectors">
    Use this when you need to choose the authentication method, for example to paste an API key.

    <Steps>
      <Step title="Open the form">
        Open **Settings → Connectors** (under **Customization**), choose the **MCP** filter, and click **Add Custom**.
      </Step>

      <Step title="Name the server and enter the URL">
        Enter a name (lowercase letters, digits, `_` or `-`) and the **Remote MCP server URL**.
      </Step>

      <Step title="Choose authentication">
        Open **Advanced settings** and pick **Auth**:

        * **API Key**: for servers that take a bearer token. Paste it into **API key (optional)**. It's sent as an `Authorization: Bearer` header.
        * **OAuth**: after you save, a pop-up opens so you can sign in. Tokens are stored encrypted, and Vibely refreshes them automatically.
        * **None**: for servers that don't require authentication.
      </Step>

      <Step title="Add the server">
        Click **Add**. Use **Test** to check that Vibely can reach it and list its tools, or **Connect (OAuth)** to finish signing in.
      </Step>
    </Steps>
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

To confirm it works, ask the agent something only the server can answer:

```text wrap theme={"system"}
Using the acme-crm connector, list my five most recent customer accounts.
```

<Warning>
  Only connect servers from developers you trust. Vibely doesn't control which tools a server offers and can't verify that they work as intended or won't change. The agent reads the server's responses as context, so a malicious server can try to steer it.
</Warning>

### Requirements

* The URL must be reachable from the public internet. Vibely refuses URLs that point at `localhost` or private network addresses.
* Use an HTTPS URL. The **Customize → Connectors** form only accepts `https://`.
* Each server name must be unique in your account.

## What the agent can do with it

Once connected, the agent can call the server's tools during your builds, in any of your projects. The same [approval rules](/integrations/connectors/catalog#approve-connector-actions) apply as for catalog connectors: read-only tools run without asking, while tools that create, change, delete, or send something ask for your approval first.

<Frame>
  <img src="https://cdn.vibely.sh/doc/v1/connectors-custom-mcp-2.webp" alt="Connect a custom MCP server" width="1200" height="675" />
</Frame>

## Manage custom MCP servers

* **Remove a server:** in **Settings → Connectors**, click **Remove** next to it. This deletes its stored API key or OAuth token.
* **Change the URL or credentials:** remove the server and add it again.
* **Workspace controls:** on the Business plan, an admin can turn off **Remote MCP connectors** in **Settings → Privacy & security**. That withholds every MCP server, custom ones included, from the agent across the workspace. See [Admin controls](/integrations/admin-controls#chat-connector-controls).

## FAQ

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Which plans support custom MCP servers?">
    All plans. The workspace-wide **Remote MCP connectors** switch that turns them off requires Business.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can my published app use a custom MCP server?">
    No. A custom MCP server only gives the agent context while it builds. For functionality in your published app, ask the agent to integrate the service's API, or use an [app connector](/integrations/connectors/catalog#app-connectors).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can other people in my workspace use my custom MCP server?">
    No. MCP servers are stored against your own account. Teammates add the same server themselves with their own credentials.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can I connect a server running on my own computer?">
    No. Vibely's backend connects to the server, so it has to be reachable over the public internet. Local and private-network addresses are refused.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Related

* [App and chat connectors](/integrations/connectors/catalog)
* [Admin controls](/integrations/admin-controls)
* [External MCP servers (reference)](/reference/mcp/external-servers)
* [Vibely MCP server](/integrations/vibely-mcp-server): the other direction, where AI tools build in Vibely


## Related topics

- [Vibely MCP server](/integrations/vibely-mcp-server.md)
- [Publish your app as an MCP server](/features/grow/agent-integrations.md)
- [Manage connectors in your workspace](/integrations/admin-controls.md)
- [Connect tools, services, and APIs](/integrations/connectors/overview.md)
- [External MCP Servers](/reference/mcp/external-servers.md)


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