MCP server
The external service that exposes tools to your workspace.
An MCP server is an external service that exposes tools. Install one, and its tools become available to your workspace.
MCP is the standard that lets an AI agent talk to a system it was not built for. A server exists for most things your team already uses, and anything internal can be wrapped in one you write yourself.
How it relates
A server provides tools, and Skilder discovers them by connecting to it. You never declare a tool by hand.
Each server is linked to a runtime: a sandboxed process that starts it and carries out its calls. You add a server from the Tools page of Capabilities, or from the Add a connector card on Home. Administrators manage servers in Settings > MCP Servers.
What it contains
| Part | What it does |
|---|---|
| Name and Description | How the server is identified in your workspace. |
| Transport | STDIO for a local process, SSE or STREAM for a remote endpoint. |
| Configuration | The command, arguments, environment variables or headers the server needs to start. Credentials are stored encrypted. |
| Runtime | The runtime that hosts it. |
| Status | Where it stands right now. |
A server reports one status at a time:
- Pending while it is being set up.
- Starting while it comes up.
- Connected once its tools are available.
- Idle after it has been stopped for inactivity.
- Disconnected when it has stopped.
- Error when something failed. Skilder keeps the last error so you have something to read.
Some servers authenticate per user rather than per workspace. Those ask each person to sign in once, and the runtime supplies their token on every call. The rest use the credentials you put in the configuration.
What it is not
An MCP server is not part of Skilder. It is a separate service, running under your runtime or behind someone else's URL, and it can go down on its own schedule. A server that stops answering takes its tools with it, however your skills are configured.
Next
- Build a skill, to connect a server's tools.
- Skill, which selects the tools a server provides.