Connect AI clients
For new connections, use a vMCP, even when it exposes only one server. Copy its connection URL from Obot rather than constructing one from the catalog entry's ID.
OAuth clients
Connect to a vMCP
Paste the vMCP's connection URL into the AI client's MCP server settings. On first connection, sign in to Obot, supply any requested configuration, and authorize any remote services that require OAuth. Obot saves this setup for your user account.
To set up a connection in the UI:
- Select Connect on the vMCP.
- To finish setup before opening the client, follow click here under Preconfigure, then select Continue. If setup is unnecessary, copy the URL directly.
- If a configuration form appears, supply the fields requested at connection time and select Configure.
- Complete upstream OAuth authentication if a remote component requires it.
- Copy the Connection URL or use the instructions for a supported client.
The endpoint uses Streamable HTTP and has this form:
https://your-obot-instance/mcp-connect/{vmcp-id}
When the same user reconnects to this vMCP, Obot uses their saved setup. To change a requested value, open Connect again. Under Preconfigure, follow the click here link to edit configuration, change the values, and select Update. This link appears when the vMCP has user-configurable fields. Other users sign in and supply their own requested values; each receives the tools their access grants allow.
To test the connection inside Obot before setting up an AI client, follow the verification steps below.
Clients using API keys
Create an agent authorization scope with only the MCP capabilities the integration needs. Configure the client's HTTP transport with the copied connection URL and an Authorization: Bearer <key> header. The scope cannot exceed its owner's access.
The authorization-scope guide includes VS Code, Agno, and LangChain examples. Keep keys in client-supported secret storage rather than source control.
Verify
Test a tool in Obot
- Open vMCPs, open the vMCP, and select Inspector. Alternatively, select Test vMCP using the icon beside Connect on its card.
- If Start Session appears, select it and complete the connection prompts. Supply any requested fields and authorize remote services if prompted.
- Inspect the displayed tool list. Select a read-only tool whose effect you understand, fill in its arguments, and select Call.
- Confirm that the result shows Succeeded and the expected output. Record the vMCP name, tool name, and time of the call.
Inspector tests access as the signed-in user. An administrator's successful test does not verify another user's grants. To check a user's experience, that user should repeat the test under their own account.
Check the audit record
An administrator or auditor can open Operations > Audit Logs, select MCP, and locate the recent tools/call record using the vMCP name, tool name, and timestamp. Check the user attribution and outcome. Users without audit access can give those details to an administrator or auditor to check for them.
Test the AI client
After adding the copied connection URL to the AI client, open its MCP tools list and run the same read-only tool. Have an administrator or auditor check the new audit record. This verifies the client's connection as well as the vMCP's configuration.
If tools are missing, ask the vMCP administrator to check the component's selected tools and the user's profile grants. For connection or OAuth errors, see Troubleshooting.