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Add tools and resources from a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server to your agent

Once an existing MCP server is connected to Copilot Studio, you can add the server to an agent as a tool, and access server tools and resources. The process is the same, whether for prebuilt Microsoft MCP connectors or for an MCP server to which you configured a connection.

To add an MCP server to an agent, follow these steps:

  1. Go to the Tools page for your agent.

  2. Select Add a tool.

  3. Select Model Context Protocol. A list of available MCP connectors is displayed.

    Catalog of available MCP servers

  4. Select the desired MCP connector from the list.

  5. Authorize the connection, entering any information that is needed.

  6. When you're done, select Add to agent or Add and configure to proceed.

    The first option simply adds the MCP server and its tools and resources to the agent. The second adds the server and its tools and resources while also giving you an opportunity to configure details at the same time.

The MCP server is now connected to your agent.

View tools and resources in an existing MCP server

Each MCP server in Copilot Studio is a tool that you can add to your agent. Once you add the MCP server to your agent as a tool, the server appears as an tool on the agent's Tools tab.

The MCP server provides access to all the MCP tools and resources offered by the server. To view information about the MCP tools and resources that come with an MCP server:

  1. Go to the Tools tab for your agent.

  2. Select the MCP server from the list of tools.

    A setings page for the MCP server appears.

From the settings page, you can view and configure details related to your agent's use of the MCP server. As with any agent tool, you can view and update Details and Inputs.

For MCP connectors, you can view two other MCP-specific sections with details on functionality offered by the server:

  • Tools: A list of names and descriptions for the MCP tools offered by the server.
  • Resources: A list of names and descriptions for a sampling of the MCP resources offered by the server.

Important

For a resource to be used by Copilot Studio agents, the MCP server owner needs to configure the resource as an output of one of the MCP tools on the server.

Customize tool selection from an MCP server in your agent

If you don't want to use all the tools offered by an MCP server, you can selectively turn off MCP server tools directly in your agent.

All tools are turned on by default when you add an MCP server. An Allow all toggle is turned on.

To turn individual tools on and off:

  1. Turn off the Allow all toggle. Toggles become available for each of the individual tools.

  2. Use the individual toggles to turn off tools that aren’t needed to ensure your agent only uses the most relevant features.

[!NOTE> When you turn off Allow all, any new tools added to the MCP server are turned off by default.