System integration builders having a sandbox system can quickly try simple MCP tool automations that demonstrate the ability of an AI model to invoke tool automations via MCP.
MCP (Model Context Protocol) is an open-source standard that allows artificial intelligence models to connect with external data sources and tools, enhancing their ability to access information and perform tasks. It simplifies the integration of AI applications with various systems, making them more effective and context-aware.
MCP tools can be built as automations that can be made available to an AI model that supports MCP. The AI model will intelligently utilize one or more MCP tools based on the context of the conversation.
Begin by opening your automation editor and switch account via the top right account menu:
Switch to the Automation Samples account:
The sample account may have many different samples loaded. For this discussion, select the MCP sample folder:
Turn both tools on, then get the MCP URL from either one of the automations (it doesn’t matter which one):
The MCP URL is used to configure MCP clients so they can connect to your MCP tool automations.
For this example, we’ll connect it to the Claude Desktop app. Go to Claude’s settings,. select Connectors, then add a custom connector:
Give the connector a name and paste the MCP URL you obtained from the dashboard:
Now you can open a conversation and the AI model will utilize the available tools based on the context of the conversation. Here we ask the AI model to explicitly test them:
For more info on building MCP tool automations, see MCP Tools - APIANT