MCP Connections
Register custom HTTP MCP servers to extend Clevername with your own tools. Choose between always-on injection or plugin mode for fine-grained control over when tools are available.
What is an MCP connection?
An MCP connection is a custom HTTP MCP server that you register with Clevername. Unlike integration directory servers (which are pre-configured), connections let you point to any HTTP endpoint that speaks the MCP protocol — your own internal tools, self-hosted servers, or third-party services not yet in the integration directory.
Injection modes
| Mode | Behavior | Use when |
|---|---|---|
| Always-on | Tools injected into every chat and agent session | Core tools you want available at all times (e.g., internal knowledge base) |
| Plugin | Tools available only when explicitly activated | Specialized tools you use occasionally (e.g., deployment scripts) |
Authentication
Connections support an optional Bearer token for authentication. The token is stored encrypted and sent as an Authorization: Bearer <token> header with every request to your server.
Open MCP Connections
Navigate to Dashboard → Integrations and click the Connectionstab. You'll see a list of your existing custom connections, if any.
Add a new connection
Click Add Connection. Fill in the required fields:
- Name — A display name for the connection (e.g., “Internal Wiki MCP”)
- URL — The HTTP endpoint of your MCP server (must be HTTPS in production)
- Bearer token (optional) — Authentication token if your server requires it
Choose the injection mode
Select Always-onto inject the server's tools into every session, or Plugin to make tools available only when explicitly activated via the tool picker or activate_mcp command.
Test the connection
After saving, click the Ping button to verify that Clevername can reach your server. A successful ping confirms network connectivity and valid MCP handshake. If the ping fails, check that your server is reachable from the public internet and returns valid MCP responses.
Use the connection
Once connected, the server's tools appear in the chat tool picker (plugin mode) or are automatically available (always-on mode). Tools from custom connections are prefixed with the connection name to avoid conflicts with integration directory tools.