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MCP Servers

Expose corporate APIs and existing MCP Servers as endpoints governed by the gateway.

The MCP Servers module exposes MCP Servers: access points compatible with the Model Context Protocol that AI agents can invoke as tools, always under the governance, authentication, and observability of AI Gateway.

Each MCP Server is registered from one of two origins:

  • From an API: the gateway generates and hosts an MCP translator from an API revision published in the Sensedia Platform multigateway catalog. A set of MCP Configs decides which API endpoints are exposed and how: as a tool, resource, resource template, or excluded.
  • From an existing MCP Server: the gateway acts as a proxy in front of an MCP Server that already exists, internal to your company or third-party, without rewriting, migrating, or re-hosting anything. You choose which tools from that server you want to expose to your agents.
NOTE

Prerequisites depend on the chosen origin. For From an API, you need a REST API published in the Sensedia Platform catalog. That catalog is fed by the connections configured in Connections: create a connection to your API Gateway there so its APIs become available in the selection. This origin also requires the Sensedia Platform credentials registered in General β€” an M2M credential from Access Control. For From an existing MCP Server, you need the remote server address and, when it requires authentication, a valid credential. In both cases, to restrict access to the MCP Server by scopes, register the scopes in the Scopes catalog first.

Learn how to:

Listing

The MCP Servers page lists registered servers with pagination. You can filter by:

  • Source (optional): MCP Server origin. Values: All sources, From an API, External MCP.

Use Search to apply the filter and Clear to reset it.

Columns shown in the table:

  • Transport: configured transport protocol (SSE or Streamable HTTP).
  • Source: MCP Server origin (From an API or External MCP).
  • Exposed Endpoint: public path exposed by the gateway. It is used by the MCP Clients that connect to this MCP Server.
  • Tools / Configs: for the From an API origin, a summary of the exposure configurations in the TYPE (methods:..., tags:..., regex:...) format per block; for the From an existing MCP Server origin, the list of exposed tools, or the All tools label when no selection was made. Shows No MCP configs. if empty.
  • Scopes: list of associated scopes, resolved to the name registered in Scopes. Shows No scopes assigned. if empty.
  • Created At: creation date and time in your time zone.
  • Actions: View and Delete icons for each row, each shown according to the user's permission β€” see Permissions. The whole column disappears when neither icon is available.

Create MCP Server

Step 1

On the MCP Servers page, click Create MCP Server.

Step 2

Choose the Origin: From an API or From an existing MCP Server. This choice defines which form sections are displayed.

Step 3

Fill in the common fields: Exposed endpoint, MCP transport, and, to restrict access, Scopes.

Step 4

Fill in the section specific to the chosen origin: From an API (authentication, API selection, and MCP Configs) or From an existing MCP Server (remote server address and tool selection).

Step 5

Click Save to confirm the registration. To discard, click Cancel.

View MCP Server

In the Actions column of the row you want, click the View icon. This opens the read-only MCP Server details screen, with the common fields β€” Source, MCP transport, Exposed endpoint, Scopes, and Created At β€” followed by the section specific to the server's origin:

  • From an API: Authentication (mode and matching fields, except the secret β€” see note below), API Selection (two fields: API, with the raw identifier resolved to the "catalog - revision" label when possible, and API base URL β€” no separate Revision field), and MCP Configs. When the associated catalog or revision cannot be found, the API field shows the raw identifiers in the format <apiCatalogId> / <apiRevisionId> instead of the name β€” the rest of the screen still loads normally.
  • From an existing MCP Server: Upstream authentication, External MCP Server (Host, Port, Upstream path), and Tools.

No field is editable on this screen. An empty field shows β€”, with three exceptions that keep the same wording already used in the listing: Scopes shows No scopes assigned. when the list is empty; MCP Configs shows No MCP configs. when the list is empty; Tools shows All tools when no tool was selected β€” that is not an empty field, it is the fact that the MCP Server exposes every tool from the remote server.

THE CLIENT SECRET NEVER APPEARS

The MCP server client secret field is not shown in MCP Server details β€” neither the registered value nor a masked version. It is write-only data: once saved, the API never returns it for reading.

Edit MCP Server

Editing lives inside the details screen. Open the MCP Server through the View icon (see View MCP Server) and, in MCP Server details, click the Edit button at the top of the section. The Update MCP Server form opens prefilled and with the section matching the server's origin. Change the required fields and click Save.

Delete MCP Server

In the Actions column of the row you want, click the Delete icon. Confirm the operation in the "Do you want to delete MCP server [mcpServerId]?" dialog.

IMPORTANT

Deletion is permanent and cannot be undone. Agents already using this MCP Server start failing on subsequent calls.

Fields common to both origins

Field
Type
Required
Rules
OriginOrigin selectionYesFrom an API β€” Generate and host an MCP translator from a catalog API. From an existing MCP Server β€” Register an existing MCP server and proxy it through AI Gateway.
Exposed endpointTextYesPublic path the gateway exposes to the MCP client.
MCP transportSelect (enum)YesValues: SSE (Server-Sent Events) and Streamable HTTP.
ScopesMulti-selectNoList of scope IDs from the Scopes catalog required in the client's access token. Select zero or more scopes. An empty list means any authenticated token can invoke the MCP Server.

Origin: From an API

In this origin, the gateway generates the MCP Server from an API revision in the catalog. In addition to the common fields, the form displays the authentication, API Selection, and MCP Configs sections.

THE SENSEDIA PLATFORM CREDENTIALS ARE REQUIRED

This origin only works with the Sensedia Platform credentials registered in General: that pair is what the gateway uses to read the multigateway catalog and fetch the revision's OpenAPI contract to generate the tools. Without the registered pair, or without the permission it requires, API selection does not work β€” the credential type, where to create it, and the permission it needs are all described in General. The From an existing MCP Server origin does not depend on these credentials.

The MCP Server generated from an API supports revision 2026-07-28 of the Model Context Protocol, in addition to earlier revisions. Revision negotiation is handled automatically by the gateway on every connection β€” no change is required in the MCP client or in the agent to benefit from it.

Authentication mode

The Authentication mode field defines how the MCP Server authenticates when calling the business API:

Mode
Behavior
Client credentialsThe MCP Server obtains its own access token (client_credentials) and uses it to call the API.
PassthroughThe MCP Server forwards to the API the token of the end user logged into the agent, enabling scenarios where the API needs to identify the user to apply its own access rules.

Each mode displays its own set of fields:

Field
Type
Required
Rules
MCP server client IDTextYes β€” Client credentials modeClient ID used to obtain the access token the MCP Server uses to access the API.
MCP server client secretText (sensitive, password)Yes on creation; optional on edit β€” Client credentials modeClient Secret matching the MCP server client ID. On edit, leaving it blank keeps the currently registered value.
OAuth token URLTextYes β€” Client credentials modeURL of the OAuth token endpoint used to obtain the access token.
Input headerTextYes β€” Passthrough modeHeader sent by the agent carrying the end user's credential.
Output headerTextYes β€” Passthrough modeHeader in which the credential is forwarded to the API.
THE SETS ARE EXCLUSIVE

The fields of one mode are not accepted in the other. In Passthrough, filling in any of the three OAuth fields results in a validation error (Not allowed for passthrough authentication.). In Client credentials, the same applies to Input header and Output header (Not allowed for client credentials authentication.).

When editing an MCP Server already registered in Client credentials mode, the form never shows the registered MCP server client secret β€” the field opens blank, with the text Leave blank to keep the current secret. Leaving it blank on save preserves the stored secret; providing a new value replaces it. Switching the mode from Client credentials to Passthrough removes the stored secret β€” switching back to Client credentials later requires providing a new value.

API Selection

Field
Type
Required
Rules
APISearchable selectYesLists the APIs available in the Sensedia Platform multigateway catalog (not typed freely). The set shown depends on the connections previously configured in Connections. Only APIs from gateways reachable through those connections appear. The listing also depends on the Sensedia Platform credentials registered in General and on the List MCP Servers permission granted to them.
RevisionSelectYesLists the revisions of the selected API, also fed by the multigateway catalog. Disabled until an API is chosen.
API base URLTextYesBase URL of the target API, where the gateway forwards the MCP agents' calls.
REST APIS ONLY

The API selector lists only REST APIs. MCP Server generation starts from the API's OpenAPI contract to build the tools, so GraphQL, gRPC, HTTP, and Event APIs do not appear in this list. To expose one of those cases, use the From an existing MCP Server origin.

MCP Configs

Section exclusive to the From an API origin. This is a required list with at least one block. Each Config block describes which API endpoints are included in the MCP Server and how. This lets you expose only the desired API endpoints to MCP clients.

Use Add config to add blocks and the delete icon to remove them (disabled when there is only one).

REQUIRED COMPLETION

Within each Config, at least one of Methods, Tags, and Endpoint regex must be filled in.

Fields per config

Field
Type
Required
Rules
MethodsMulti-select (HTTP methods)Conditional: individually optional; required if Tags and Endpoint regex are emptySelectable values: GET, POST, PUT, PATCH, DELETE. Defines which verbs of the API endpoints are exposed in the MCP Server.
TagsList of tagsConditional: individually optional; required if Methods and Endpoint regex are emptyList of OpenAPI tags whose API endpoints are exposed in the MCP Server. Each tag must have at least 1 character.
Endpoint regexTextConditional: individually optional; required if Methods and Tags are emptyRegular expression validated against the API endpoint paths. Minimum 1 character (when provided).
TypeSelect (enum)NoValues: Tool, Resource, Resource template, Exclude. When empty, the gateway assumes TOOL.

Meaning of the types

Type
Meaning
ToolThe endpoint is exposed to the agent as a tool it can invoke.
ResourceThe endpoint is exposed as a static resource (read-only).
Resource templateThe endpoint is exposed as a parameterizable resource (URI template).
ExcludeThe endpoint is not exposed to the agent. Useful for removing specific items when the filter includes a broad set (for example, include everything from a tag, except one endpoint).

Origin: From an existing MCP Server

In this origin, the gateway forwards calls to an MCP Server that already exists. In addition to the common fields, the form displays the External MCP Server section and the Tools section.

External MCP Server section fields

Field
Type
Required
Rules
HostTextYesBare hostname of the remote server: without http:// or https://, without a path, and without a port. The path goes in Upstream path and the port in Port.
PortIntegerNoBetween 1 and 65535. When empty, it assumes 443.
Upstream pathTextNoPath of the MCP on the remote server. When empty, it assumes the default for the selected transport.
Upstream authenticationSelect (enum)NoNone: the remote server requires no credential. Passthrough: the end user's credential is forwarded to the remote server.
HeaderTextYes β€” Passthrough modeInbound header carrying the user credential to be forwarded.

Tools

The Tools section defines which tools from the remote server are visible to your agents. To fill it in, the gateway connects to the server and lists what it offers.

Step 1

Fill in Host, Port, Upstream path, and the Discovery credential. While these fields are incomplete, the Fetch tools button stays disabled.

Step 2

Click Fetch tools. The gateway connects to the remote server and brings back the list of available tools.

Step 3

In Exposed tools, select the tools you want to expose. Use the search field to locate items in long lists.

Field
Type
Required
Rules
Discovery credentialText (sensitive)NoToken used only to list the remote server's tools. It is not saved with the MCP Server. It serves only for the lookup.
Exposed toolsSearchable multi-selectNoList filled in by Fetch tools. Leaving the selection empty exposes all tools from the server.
AN EMPTY SELECTION EXPOSES EVERYTHING

If you do not select any tool, the MCP Server exposes all tools from the remote server, and the listing shows the All tools label. To restrict what agents can see, explicitly select the desired tools.

IF THE CONNECTION FAILS

When the gateway cannot connect, the message Could not connect to the MCP server to list its tools. Check the host, port, path, transport, and credential. is displayed. Review those five fields, especially the Host, which must be the bare hostname, without a path, port, or protocol. If the server responds but offers no tools, the section shows The server returned no tools.

Expose the Skill Catalog as an MCP Server

The Skills catalog has a consumption API of its own, designed for the agent: it searches for what exists, installs what it needs and, at the start of each session, finds out what changed. Exposing that API as an MCP Server is what lets the agent talk to the catalog through the protocol's tools, with no hand-written integration.

The path is the From an API origin, with one particularity: the API selector only lists APIs from the multigateway catalog, so the consumption API has to be registered there first.

Step 1 β€” Publish at least one Skill

A version in Published or Deprecated. A catalog with no available version answers normally, but returns nothing to the agent.

Step 2 β€” Register the consumption API as a custom connection

Under Connections, create a custom connection and import the OpenAPI contract below into it. That is what puts the API in the catalog the MCP Server's selector reads β€” you do not need to publish it in your API Management. The connection walkthrough is in the catalog documentation.

Step 3 β€” Create the MCP Server

Under MCP Servers, click Create MCP Server and choose the From an API origin. In API Selection, pick the API registered in the previous step and its revision, and set API base URL to your AI Gateway's host β€” that field is what decides where the calls go.

Step 4 β€” Configure authentication

In Authentication mode, choose Passthrough. The consumption route sits behind your gateway's JWT policy: a call with no credential is refused at the edge, before it reaches the catalog. Passthrough is what carries the token of the user logged into the agent that far.

In Input header, enter the name of the header the agent sends (see the warning below). In Output header, enter Authorization β€” that is where the consumption route expects the token, and it is the bearerAuth the contract declares.

Step 5 β€” Choose what to expose

In MCP Configs, use Methods with GET and POST to expose the catalog's operations and nothing else.

DO NOT USE AUTHORIZATION AS THE INPUT HEADER

The input header name is free β€” Api-Authorization is an example that works. The one value that is not supported for now is Authorization: the gateway validates and strips that header before the MCP Server ever sees it, and the integration fails with PassthroughHeaderMissing. Pick any other name and configure your MCP client to send the token in it.

OpenAPI contract of the consumption API

Import this contract when you create the custom connection in step 2. The servers[0].url field ships with an example host and does not need to be changed: what decides where the calls go is the MCP Server's API base URL field, in step 3.

Permissions

Access to each action in the MCP Servers journey depends on its own permission. Without the corresponding permission, the screen element does not appear β€” the interface never shows an unavailable action as disabled.

Permissions are granted in Access Control, on the Roles screen, under the AI Gateway product. The table below lists each one exactly as Access Control displays it.

Permission
Group in AC
Description in AC
Identifier
List MCP Serversmcp-serversAllows listing MCP Serversai-gateway.mcp-servers.list
View MCP Servermcp-serversAllows viewing an MCP Serverai-gateway.mcp-servers.view
Create and Update MCP Serversmcp-serversAllows creating and editing MCP Servers and discovering tools from a remote serverai-gateway.mcp-servers.create-update
Delete MCP Serversmcp-serversAllows deleting MCP Serversai-gateway.mcp-servers.delete
List ScopesscopesAllows listing Scopesai-gateway.scopes.list

The last one belongs to another journey and is required by one specific MCP Servers action, detailed in the note about Scopes right after the next table.

Action
What it unlocks
Required permissions
ListMCP Servers item in the sidebar menu; listing with the Source filter, search (Search/Clear), and total record countList MCP Servers
ViewView icon on the row and the MCP Server details screenList MCP Servers + View MCP Server
CreateCreate MCP Server button and the form, with Fetch tools active on the From an existing MCP Server originList MCP Servers + Create and Update MCP Servers
EditEdit button inside MCP Server detailsList MCP Servers + View MCP Server + Create and Update MCP Servers
DeleteDelete icon on the rowList MCP Servers + Delete MCP Servers

Create and Edit: List Scopes is what feeds the Scopes field, on both creation and edit β€” see common fields. Without that permission, the Scopes field disappears from the form; the remaining fields stay available as usual, and the rest of the create or edit flow is unaffected. On an edit, the scopes already registered on the MCP Server are preserved unchanged even with the field hidden β€” hiding the field never clears the saved value.

List MCP Servers for two different principals: the Origin: From an API section already notes that the API field's listing depends on the Sensedia Platform credentials and on the List MCP Servers permission granted to them. That describes the call the gateway makes server-side, with the M2M credential, to query the multigateway catalog. It is a grant independent from the List MCP Servers in the table above, which is granted to the operator (the person authenticated in the browser) and is the base permission of the journey itself: without it, no MCP Servers action appears, Create and Edit included. Both use the same permission identifier, but they are granted to different principals β€” an M2M credential and a user β€” and neither substitutes for the absence of the other: API Selection only works end to end when both are correctly configured.

A control without its permission is not rendered; a route reached directly by URL without its permission lands on the AI Gateway's own access denied screen, not on Access Control's.

EDITING REQUIRES VIEWING

The Edit button only exists inside the MCP Server details screen. Because of that, a user holding Create and Update MCP Servers but not View MCP Server has no path to edit an existing MCP Server. This is expected platform behavior, not a bug.

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