MCP servers

Configure Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers to extend agent capabilities with custom tools and integrations.

Overview

MCP servers provide additional tools that agents can use during Runbook execution. Common use cases include:

• Database access

• API integrations (GitHub, Slack, Jira)

• Custom internal tools

• File system operations on remote systems

Configuration

Navigate to Runbooks Settings > MCP Servers to configure servers.

The configuration uses JSON format:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "server-name": {
      // server configuration
    }
  }
}

Server types

stdio

Local command-based servers that communicate via stdin/stdout.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "github": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-github"],
      "env": {
        "GITHUB_TOKEN": "${GITHUB_TOKEN}"
      }
    }
  }
}

Required fields:

• command: The executable to run

Optional fields:

• type: Set to "stdio" (default if omitted)

• args: Array of command arguments

• env: Environment variables (object of key-value strings)

sse

Remote servers using Server-Sent Events transport.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "remote-tools": {
      "type": "sse",
      "url": "https://mcp.example.com/sse",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer ${API_TOKEN}"
      }
    }
  }
}

Required fields:

• type: Must be "sse"

• url: Server endpoint URL

Optional fields:

• headers: HTTP headers (object of key-value strings)

http

Remote servers using HTTP transport.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "api-tools": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://mcp.example.com/api",
      "headers": {
        "X-API-Key": "${API_KEY}"
      }
    }
  }
}

Required fields:

• type: Must be "http"

• url: Server endpoint URL

Optional fields:

• headers: HTTP headers (object of key-value strings)

Using secrets

Reference secrets in your configuration using ${SECRET_NAME} syntax:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "database": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "mcp-postgres",
      "env": {
        "DATABASE_URL": "${DATABASE_URL}"
      }
    }
  }
}

Create secrets in Runbooks Settings > Secrets. Secrets are encrypted at rest and injected at runtime.

Example configurations

GitHub integration

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "github": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-github"],
      "env": {
        "GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN": "${GITHUB_TOKEN}"
      }
    }
  }
}

Slack integration

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "slack": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-slack"],
      "env": {
        "SLACK_BOT_TOKEN": "${SLACK_TOKEN}"
      }
    }
  }
}

PostgreSQL access

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "postgres": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-postgres"],
      "env": {
        "DATABASE_URL": "${DATABASE_URL}"
      }
    }
  }
}

Multiple servers

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "github": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-github"],
      "env": {
        "GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN": "${GITHUB_TOKEN}"
      }
    },
    "filesystem": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem", "/workspace"]
    }
  }
}

Using MCP tools in Runbooks

Once configured, MCP tools appear with the mcp__ prefix in Claude Code:

• mcp__github__create_issue

• mcp__slack__post_message

• mcp__postgres__query

You can control access to these tools using Claude Code tool permissions.

Restrictions

• The sdk server type is not available in user configurations

• Server names must be alphanumeric with hyphens and underscores only

• Each server name must be unique within your configuration