Manage Hosted Model Context Protocol (MCP) Server configurations

This is for:

Developer System Administrator

organization members with the required privileges can access the MCP Server (platform-ca | platform-eu | platform-au) page in the Coveo Administration Console to create and manage Coveo Hosted Model Context Protocol (MCP) Server configurations.

This article provides instructions on how to add, configure, and delete Hosted MCP Server configurations.

Prerequisites

Add an MCP Server

  1. On the MCP Server (platform-ca | platform-eu | platform-au) page, click Add MCP Server.

  2. On the Add MCP Server page:

    1. In the Identification section, enter a Name for your Hosted MCP Server configuration.

    2. In the Tools section, under Query pipeline, select a query pipeline from the dropdown menu. The query pipeline you select determines which tools are available in your Hosted MCP Server configuration.

      Tip

      The Search and Fetch tools are available for all query pipelines, while the Answer and Passage Retrieval tools are only available if the selected query pipeline has an associated RGA or CPR model, respectively.

  3. Click Add MCP Server.

  4. Access the Overview, Tools, and Server implementation tabs to configure your Hosted MCP Server.

  5. Click Save to apply your changes.

Configure an MCP Server

You can use the Overview, Tools, and Server implementation tabs to configure various aspects of your Hosted MCP Server, from general information to tool settings and server instructions.

Tip

Any change you make to the Hosted MCP Server configuration takes effect after you refresh your LLM app.

"Overview" tab

The Overview tab provides general information about your Hosted MCP Server configuration. You can also configure the authentication method (OAuth or Anonymous API key) used by the MCP client to connect to the Hosted MCP Server.

"Identification" section

The Identification section displays the Name of your Hosted MCP Server configuration.

"Details" section

The Details section displays key information about your Hosted MCP Server configuration such as the authentication method, endpoint, and search hub.

Authentication methods

The Authentication methods section lets you configure the authentication method used by the MCP client to connect to the Hosted MCP Server.

Tip

See the MCP client reference to view the authentication methods that are currently supported by different MCP clients.

Select one of the following methods:

  • OAuth: This authentication method is recommended for private sources that require user authentication. Click Manage access to manage member access to the tools available in your Hosted MCP Server configuration.

  • Anonymous API key: This authentication method is recommended for public sources that don’t require user authentication. Click Create API key to create an Anonymous API key.

    Important

    Copy the generated API key and store it securely, as it won’t be displayed again. This key is required to set up the MCP client.
Endpoint

The Endpoint section displays the URL endpoint used to invoke the Hosted MCP Server. For more information, see About the default configuration.

Search hub

The Search hub section displays the search hub associated with your Hosted MCP Server configuration. This value is automatically generated to match the name of the Hosted MCP Server configuration at the time of its creation and can’t be modified. It’s used in Hosted MCP Server requests and Coveo Analytics reports.

"Tools" tab

The Tools tab displays the tools that are available for use by your Hosted MCP Server. You can add, edit, or delete tools as needed to customize your Hosted MCP Server implementation. See Manage tools for detailed instructions.

"Server implementation" tab

The Server implementation tab provides default instructions about how to use the Hosted MCP Server and its tools. Optionally, you can modify these instructions to better suit your specific use case.

About the default configuration

The first Hosted MCP Server configuration you create in your Coveo organization is automatically set as the Default configuration. This configuration is invoked using the mcp.cloud.coveo.com/mcp endpoint, which is the default endpoint used by the Coveo app in leading third-party LLM apps such as ChatGPT and in custom client applications.

If you have multiple Hosted MCP Server configurations, you can change which one is set as the Default configuration at any time. Any configuration that’s manually set as the Default configuration will be invoked using the custom endpoint provided with that configuration rather than the default endpoint (mcp.cloud.coveo.com/mcp). See the "Overview" tab for endpoint details.

Important

The default Hosted MCP Server configuration can’t be deleted. However, you can set another configuration as the default, and then delete the configuration you no longer need.

To set the default configuration

  1. On the MCP Server (platform-ca | platform-eu | platform-au) page, select the MCP Server configuration you want to set as the default.

  2. In the Action bar, click Set as default.

  3. Refresh your LLM app to apply this change.

Manage tools

This section provides an overview of the tools available for use by the Hosted MCP Server. It also provides instructions on how to add, edit, and delete tools.

Tip

See leading practices for tool instructions for guidelines on how to write effective tool instructions and descriptions.

Search tool

Use the Search tool to perform full-text searches across your indexed content. It’s useful for surfacing ranked items that match a query, which helps end users find relevant information quickly. This tool leverages the Coveo Search API.

Use case example

You want to build a research assistant that explores, filters, and reasons over results by executing queries to retrieve relevant items based on user input.

Fetch tool

Use the Fetch tool to retrieve a specific item based on a unique identifier. It’s particularly useful when direct access to a known item, in the form of its full content, is required. This tool leverages a function of the Coveo Search API.

Use case example

You want to build an internal knowledge bot that can retrieve a specific policy document or technical manual when an employee requests a document ID or title.

Answer tool

Use the Answer tool to generate answers using Relevance Generative Answering (RGA). It’s ideal for providing generated answers that are grounded in your indexed content. This tool leverages the Coveo Answer API.

Use case example

You want to build an autonomous support agent that answers or deflects tickets by providing end users with grounded generated answers using your official knowledge base and product documentation.

Passage Retrieval tool

Use the Passage Retrieval tool to retrieve specific sections of text, known as passages, from your indexed content. It’s useful for retrieving the most relevant passages for a given query so third-party LLM apps can use them to generate answers. This tool leverages the Coveo Passage Retrieval API.

Use case example

You want to build a legal assistant that can generate answers to complex questions by retrieving pertinent passages from contracts and legal documents grounded in your enterprise data.

Add a tool

  1. On the Tools tab, click Add tool.

  2. In the Add tool modal, select the tool you want to add, and then click Next.

  3. On the next screen, configure the following settings:

    1. Under Query routing, select a query pipeline.

    2. (Only for the Answer tool) Under Answer configuration, select an existing answer configuration.

    3. Under Tool description:

      1. Enter a unique Name that clearly indicates the tool’s purpose. This name is used by the MCP client to invoke the tool.

        Tip

        Follow the tool naming guidelines provided in the MCP Specification.

      2. Enter a detailed Description. Indicate what the tool does and when it should be used. Be explicit about the tool’s capabilities and limitations to help the MCP client make informed decisions about when to invoke it.

        Tip

        To view the default description for the tool you selected, click refresh-arrows in the Description field. Use this description as a starting point and customize it to fit your specific use case. For guidance on writing effective tool descriptions, see Leading practices for tool instructions.

      3. (Optional) Enter a Display name for the tool. Provide a human-readable name of the tool for display purposes. Whether or not the display name is shown to end users depends on the MCP client implementation.

  4. Click Add tool to save your changes.

Edit a tool

  1. On the Tools tab, select the tool you want to edit.

  2. Click edit to modify the tool’s settings.

  3. On the Edit tool configuration page, update the desired settings.

  4. Click Save to apply your changes.

Delete a tool

  1. On the Tools tab, select the tool you want to delete.

  2. Click delete to remove the tool.

  3. Click Delete to confirm.

  4. Click Save to apply your changes.

Leading practices for tool instructions

When configuring tool instructions for your Hosted MCP Server, follow these leading practices to optimize performance and relevance:

  • Be specific: Clearly define when and how each tool should be used to ensure the MCP client knows when to invoke each tool.

  • Provide detailed instructions: The more details you provide, the better the MCP client understands the tool’s capabilities and limitations.

  • Provide examples: Include examples of queries or scenarios where each tool should be used.

  • Test thoroughly: Before deploying your Hosted MCP Server configuration, test the tool instructions in various scenarios to ensure they function as intended.

  • Review and update: Periodically assess the effectiveness of your tool instructions and make adjustments as needed based on end-user feedback and performance data.

Delete an MCP Server

Important

The default Hosted MCP Server configuration can’t be deleted. For this reason, you must set another configuration as the default before you can delete the current default configuration.

  1. On the MCP Server (platform-ca | platform-eu | platform-au) page, select the Hosted MCP Server configuration you want to delete.

  2. In the Action bar, click Delete.

Required privileges

The following table lists the privileges required to view or edit elements of the MCP Server (platform-ca | platform-eu | platform-au) page. For more information, see Manage privileges and Privilege reference.

Action Service - Domain Required access level

View MCP Server configuration

Machine learning - MCP Server configuration

View

Edit MCP Server configuration

Machine learning - MCP Server configuration

Edit

What’s next?

Learn how to set up MCP clients.