Adding MCP Servers

Register a remote MCP server by its URL, install one from the MCP Library, or add a local package or a REST API.

Go to Settings > AI Gateway > MCP Gateway and click Add MCP server. The drawer asks Where does this MCP run?

Choice	Use it for	Next
Remote server	An MCP server you reach by URL. Always on.	Steps below
Local package (CLI MCP)	A Python or Node MCP that runs on each user's computer, version pinned	Local MCP: Administrator Setup
API	A REST API turned into tools, from its OpenAPI spec or as generic HTTP calls	API to MCP

The MCP Gateway Smart Assist panel at the bottom of the drawer answers setup questions, such as which sign-in method to choose or why a connection check failed. Keep keys and credentials out of the chat.

Add a remote server

The drawer walks through Connection > Credentials > Registered.

1. Enter a Name. This is what users see in their AI app.
2. Optionally enter a Slug. It is derived from the name when left blank. The Quilr gateway endpoint preview shows the URL agents will call.
3. Enter the Transport URL: the server's Streamable HTTP or SSE endpoint, including https://.
4. Optionally add a Description. It is shown beside the server wherever it is listed.
5. Under How the gateway signs in, choose a mode (see below).
6. Optionally open Custom headers & query parameters (optional).
7. Click Probe and continue (or Continue if you chose a mode yourself).
8. Finish the Credentials step if one appears, then click Create MCP.

The server is registered and its settings open. Its tools stay off until you enable them in Tools.

How the gateway signs in

Mode	What happens
Auto-detect (recommended)	The gateway probes the server once and follows what it reports. No sign-in: the server is created. OAuth: the Connect with OAuth step opens. A key without OAuth: the Upstream API key step opens.
OAuth passthrough	Each client's own bearer token is forwarded to the server unchanged. The gateway holds no credential. Passthrough servers are direct-connection only and are not available through OneMCP.
Upstream API key	The gateway holds a key and attaches it to every call it forwards.

Connect with OAuth shows the OAuth callback URL to register in your OAuth app. If the server registers its own client, OAuth client ID and OAuth client secret are optional. Otherwise enter them from an OAuth app you created with the provider. See MCP Provider Setup for provider steps.

Upstream API key fields:

Field	Options
Upstream API key	The key value
Authentication scope	Shared by the whole tenant (one key serves every user) or Each user brings their own (each user enters their own key on the user dashboard or in OneMCP)
Authentication placement	Authorization bearer header, Custom header or Query parameter
Value prefix	Optional scheme placed before the key, for example Bearer

To change the sign-in later, open the server's Settings > General > Upstream authentication.

Custom headers and query parameters

Static values sent on every call to this server, regardless of its sign-in method. Agents never see them, and their values can't be read back after saving. Use them for a tenant ID, a region or a header the server needs before it will answer.

For a server inside your private network, allowlist the gateway IPs listed in MCP Library: Internal MCPs.

Connect an OAuth server as an administrator

An OAuth server can't list its tools until an administrator signs in to it once. Until then it shows Awaiting connection, and the page shows a banner.

1. Click Review all on the banner (or Connect and the server name when only one is waiting), or Connect OAuth on the server card.
2. In General, under Connect OAuth to discover tools, click Connect to fetch capabilities and sign in.
3. If you signed in already, click Already connected? Refresh.

General then reads OAuth is connected and the gateway has discovered N tools. This sign-in is administrator-only. Users still connect their own accounts. See OAuth Connect.

Install from the Library

Click Library to browse ready-made remote servers and local packages.

Button	When
Install	The MCP needs no setup. It installs at once.
Set up	The MCP needs an API key or a custom OAuth app. Enter the key, or the OAuth client ID and OAuth client secret (register the OAuth callback URL shown), then click Install.

Users who can't install can click Request. Their requests appear under Requested by your team at the top of the MCP Library, and the Library button shows a count. See MCP Library.

Related

• MCP Library - filters, requests and uninstalling.
• API to MCP - add a REST API.
• Local MCP - run an approved package on the user's computer.
• Tool visibility - enable the tools after you add a server.