Connect an MCP server
Connecting one of these is like adding an app to your phone and granting it permissions: you pick the app, sign in, and choose what it's allowed to do. Nirvai works out the technical details on its own.
Before you start
- An account with the app you're connecting, with permission to approve access.
- For a few apps, a small setup step in their own admin area — Nirvai tells you when, and links you there.
Connect it
- Open Integrations and click Connect app.
- Pick the app from the catalog, or choose Other MCP server and paste its address.
- Nirvai checks the address and tells you what it found — how many actions it offers and how it wants you to sign in.
- Sign in using whichever method it asks for (below).
- Choose the actions your agent should get. Select recommended picks a sensible starter set.
- Done — the connection appears on the Integrations page.
How apps ask you to sign in
Nirvai detects this for you; you'll only ever see the one that applies.
| What you see | What to do |
|---|---|
| Sign in with [app] | A window opens, you approve, it closes. Nothing to copy or paste. |
| A key or token field | The app gave you a private code. Paste it in. |
| Nothing at all | Some servers are open to everyone, like public documentation lookups. |
| Use my own app | The app requires you to register Nirvai yourself first. See below. |
When an app requires its own sign-in app
A few apps won't let a shared connection in — HubSpot, GitHub and Asana are the ones we've confirmed. They want you to create a small sign-in app inside their own admin area, dedicated to this connection.
When that's the case, Nirvai opens the Use my own OAuth app section for you, with a link to that app's instructions. You'll need to:
- Follow the link and create the sign-in app in the provider's admin area.
- Copy the redirect address Nirvai shows you into that app's settings — this is how the provider knows where to send you back.
- Paste the client ID and client secret the provider gives you back into Nirvai.
- Continue with Sign in, exactly as normal.
HubSpot's own developer app won't work here — its MCP connection requires a separate MCP Auth App, created under Development → MCP Auth Apps in HubSpot. Existing app credentials will be rejected.
Any app offers this option if you'd rather use your own sign-in app; for most, it's optional.
Keeping it up to date
- Sync re-reads the app's list of actions. New ones appear switched off for you to choose; removed ones are switched off automatically.
- Changed actions are flagged for approval, so an action never quietly starts doing something different.
- Test confirms the connection is still alive.
- Disconnect signs out and removes the connection's actions from every agent using them. Nirvai shows you which agents are affected first.
Your sign-in refreshes itself in the background. If it can't, the card turns amber with Needs sign-in and one click puts it right.
Troubleshooting
| What you see | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| "We couldn't reach that address" | The address is wrong, or the server is down | Check it starts with https:// and matches the app's documentation |
| "Sign-in required" after connecting | The approval window was closed or cancelled | Click Sign in on the card and finish the approval |
| Card turns amber later | The sign-in expired or was revoked in the app | Click Sign in again; nothing else is lost |
| "This app needs its own sign-in app" | The provider doesn't allow shared connections | Follow the steps above to create one |
| The app won't accept your credentials | You used an existing app instead of a dedicated one | Create a new app as the provider's instructions describe |
| An action disappeared | The app removed it | Nothing to do — it's switched off and your agents skip it |
| Too many actions to choose from | The app offers dozens | Use Select recommended, or search and pick a handful; add more later |