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Use MCP when you want to integrate a system that isn’t supported out of the box. MCP lets you expose tools (lookups and actions) from your own services so Typewise agents can use them with controlled inputs, permissions, and auditability.

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When to use MCP

Use MCP if you want Typewise to interact with:
  • Internal systems (for example, an ERP, warehouse system, or billing backend)
  • A third-party tool that isn’t supported yet
  • A custom workflow that requires a company-specific action
If a system is supported out of the box (for example, Salesforce or Zendesk), prefer the supported integration to minimize maintenance.

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Connect an MCP server in Typewise

Connecting an MCP server makes its tools available so you can configure them as:
  • Lookups (read-only tools): used to fetch up-to-date information during a conversation
  • Actions (state-changing tools): used to perform approved tasks in your systems
At a high level:
  1. Go to Integrations and add an MCP integration.
  2. Enter the MCP server URL and configure authentication (if needed).
  3. Save and verify the server is reachable.
  4. Configure tools:
Once you connect your MCP server, you can’t change its URL. If the URL changes, add a new MCP integration.

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How Typewise uses MCP tools (Lookups vs Actions)

Typewise only supports MCP tools (not resources or prompts). Each tool should be designed as either:
  • Lookup: reads data without side effects (recommended readOnlyHint: true)
  • Action: changes state (recommended readOnlyHint: false)
Typewise uses tool metadata (especially ToolAnnotations) to help categorize tools and present them in the right place in the platform.

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Capabilities

  • Tool discovery and schema inspection
  • Tool execution with structured inputs/outputs
  • Streaming responses where supported

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Requirements

  • Transport: Streamable HTTP (no SSE or stdio)
  • Authentication: None, Token (header-based), or OAuth
  • Capabilities: Tools only (resources and prompts not supported)
  • Hosting: Your MCP server must be reachable over HTTPS from Typewise

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Limits

  • Request/response size limits per environment
  • Execution timeouts; retries on transient errors

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Security

  • Transport: HTTPS required
  • Authentication: None, Token (header-based), or OAuth
  • Approvals: actions can require human approval when configured in Typewise

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Observability

  • Logs include tool name, inputs (redacted), outputs summary, and status
  • Errors surface in timeline and monitoring

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Updating your MCP safely

  • Adding new tools is fully supported. You can immediately add them to Knowledge or Action Hub once they become available.
  • Deleting a tool: remove all tool references in the Typewise platform before deleting it from your server. Otherwise, agents that reference it can hand off unexpectedly.
  • Modifying an existing tool signature or return shape can confuse agents. Avoid changes whenever possible.
If you do change a tool, update the tool’s description in Typewise by reverting it to the new default. Update action description

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Developer guide

Audience: Backend engineers building or adapting MCP servers This section is for implementing, testing, and maintaining MCP tools.

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Building an MCP server

For a step-by-step tutorial, see Build an MCP server — Model Context Protocol.

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Testing your server

You can test your server locally with the MCP Inspector: 
# install node lts and execute
npx @modelcontextprotocol/inspector

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Best practices

  • Use concise, descriptive tool names.
  • Provide clear descriptions for inputs and outputs.
  • Use ToolAnnotations (especially readOnlyHint and title) so tools are categorized correctly.
  • Return appropriate HTTP error codes (for example, 401 for expired tokens) so agents can react correctly.

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Example tool schema

{
  "name": "notion-search",
  "description": "Perform a search over your workspace content. Supports internal search and user lookup.",
  "inputSchema": {
    "type": "object",
    "properties": {
      "query": {
        "type": "string",
        "minLength": 1,
        "description": "Search query."
      },
      "query_type": {
        "type": "string",
        "enum": ["internal", "user"],
        "description": "Type of query."
      },
      "page_url": {
        "type": "string",
        "description": "Optional: restrict search within a page."
      },
      "filters": {
        "type": "object",
        "properties": {
          "created_date_range": {
            "type": "object",
            "properties": {
              "start_date": { "type": "string", "format": "date" },
              "end_date": { "type": "string", "format": "date" }
            },
            "additionalProperties": false
          }
        },
        "additionalProperties": false
      }
    },
    "required": ["query"],
    "additionalProperties": false
  },
  "annotations": {
    "title": "Search Notion and connected sources",
    "readOnlyHint": true
  }
}

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Resources

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Troubleshooting

If your MCP integration isn’t responding or tools aren’t showing up as expected, see MCP tools troubleshooting.

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See also