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MCP (Model Context Protocol) servers give your managed agent access to external tools and data sources. When enabled, the AI platform can call these tools during a conversation to look up information, create records, or perform actions on the user’s behalf.

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Enable an MCP server

1

Open the agent detail page

Open the Novu dashboard and go to your managed agent’s detail page.
2

Open MCP Servers

Open the MCP Servers section in the agent settings.
3

Browse available servers

Browse the list of available servers.
4

Enable the server

Click Enable on the server you want to add.
5

Wait for sync

Novu syncs the configuration to the AI platform.
The server appears on the agent’s settings page with a status indicator showing whether the sync was successful.

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Authentication modes

MCP servers have different authentication requirements:
ModeHow it works
No authThe server is publicly accessible. No credentials needed.
Novu-managed OAuthNovu handles the OAuth flow. End users authorize on first use and Novu stores the tokens.
Provider-managedThe AI platform manages credentials in its own vault.

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Subscriber authorization flow

For servers that require OAuth (like Linear, GitHub, or Slack):
1

Agent encounters a tool call

The agent encounters a tool call that needs authorization.
2

Agent sends authorization link

The agent sends an authorization link to the user in the chat thread.
3

User completes OAuth

The user clicks the link and completes the OAuth flow on the external service.
4

Novu stores tokens

Novu stores the tokens securely and uses them on every subsequent turn.
Authorization is scoped to a single subscriber and a single MCP server. Each user authorizes independently. Once authorized, the connection persists across conversations.

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Disable an MCP server

1

Open MCP Servers settings

Go to the agent’s MCP Servers settings.
2

Disable the server

Click Disable on the server you want to remove.
3

Wait for removal

Novu removes the server from the AI platform and deletes any associated connections.
Disabling an MCP server also removes all subscriber OAuth connections for that server. Users will need to re-authorize if you enable it again.

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Available MCP servers

The exact list depends on your connector and Novu account tier. Common servers include:
ServerWhat it does
LinearSearch issues, create tickets, browse projects
GitHubSearch repos, read files, list pull requests
SlackSearch workspace messages and channels
NotionLook up pages and query databases
The full list is shown on the agent settings page in the dashboard.

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Troubleshooting

Sync error: if a server shows a sync error after enabling, try disabling and re-enabling it. If the error persists, check that the connector credentials are valid. Authorization not completing: make sure the user has access to the external service and that the OAuth redirect URL is not blocked by browser settings or an ad blocker.

Add skills

Upload custom skills to teach the agent new workflows.

Concepts

Learn about connectors, MCP servers, skills, and how conversations work.

Quickstart

Create a managed agent with Claude and connect it to Slack.