> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.poly.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# MCP

> PolyAI's authenticated MCP servers let any MCP client build and manage your agents. Learn the two directions MCP works and which one you need.

The [Model Context Protocol](https://modelcontextprotocol.io/) (MCP) is an open standard for connecting AI systems to tools. PolyAI works with MCP in **two directions** — and it's worth being clear which one you want before you start, because they solve opposite problems.

## Two directions

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Builder MCP" icon="wrench" href="/mcp/builder/introduction">
    **Build agents.** Point an MCP client — Cursor, Claude Code, Claude Desktop, Codex — at PolyAI's authenticated MCP server and build, test, and deploy your agents from your IDE. This is PolyAI's own hosted MCP.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Agent Studio MCP integrations" icon="plug" href="/mcp/agent-studio-integrations">
    **Consume external tools.** Add a third-party MCP server inside Agent Studio so your live agent can call its tools during conversations. This is your agent acting as a client of someone else's server.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

| You want to…                                                          | Use                                                             | Direction                |
| --------------------------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------ |
| Build and manage PolyAI agents from an IDE or AI coding tool          | [Builder MCP](/mcp/builder/introduction)                        | Client → PolyAI          |
| Let your live agent look up data or trigger actions in another system | [Agent Studio MCP integrations](/mcp/agent-studio-integrations) | PolyAI → external server |

<Note>
  The rest of this section documents **PolyAI's authenticated MCP** — the Builder MCP and any servers we add later. For the connect-out direction, see [Agent Studio MCP integrations](/mcp/agent-studio-integrations).
</Note>

## Get connected

<Steps>
  <Step title="Authenticate">
    Create a workspace-scoped API key and configure your client's auth. See [Authentication](/mcp/authentication).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Connect a client">
    Add the server to Cursor, Claude Code, Claude Desktop, or Codex with a single command. See [Quickstart](/mcp/quickstart).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Build">
    Use the [Builder MCP](/mcp/builder/introduction) to create, test, and deploy agents conversationally.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## MCPs we offer

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Builder MCP" icon="wrench" href="/mcp/builder/introduction">
    Build, test, and deploy PolyAI agents — agents, data, and alerts as tools.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>