Overview
In addition to the 29 ready-made integrations via Composio, Timely.ai supports tools via MCP (Model Context Protocol) — Anthropic’s open standard for communication between AI agents and external tool servers. With MCP, you can connect to the agent any server that implements the protocol, whether a public community server, a third-party service with native MCP support, or an internal API from your team.MCP vs. Composio: what is the difference?
Both allow the agent to execute actions in external systems, but they work differently:| Composio | MCP | |
|---|---|---|
| Available connectors | 29 ready-made apps (Google, HubSpot, Slack, etc.) | Any MCP server |
| Configuration | OAuth or credentials in the panel | Server URL + authentication |
| Ideal for | Popular apps with managed OAuth | Internal APIs, proprietary systems, community servers |
| Authentication | Managed by Composio | Configured directly on the MCP server |
| Available tools | Fixed catalog per app | Defined by the server — synchronized on demand |
How to configure an MCP server
Go to the agent's MCP section
Open the desired agent, go to the settings tab, and click MCP in the sidebar. In this section you can see all MCP servers connected to the agent and add new ones.
Add the server
Click New MCP connection. Provide:
- Name: a label to identify the server (e.g., “Internal Inventory API”).
- Server URL: the SSE or HTTP endpoint of the MCP server (e.g.,
https://mcp.yourcompany.com/sse). - Authentication: if the server requires it, enter the Bearer token or API key in the corresponding fields.
Connect to the server
After adding, click Connect. Timely.ai opens a session with the MCP server and verifies availability.If the connection fails, review the URL and credentials. Authentication errors are displayed with details in the panel.
Sync the tools
With the connection established, click Sync tools. Timely.ai queries the MCP server and imports the list of available tools.Each imported tool appears in the list with its name, description, and the parameters it accepts.
Activate the desired tools
By default, imported tools are deactivated. Individually activate the ones the agent can use.For each tool, you can:
- Edit the description: guide the model about when to use that tool.
- Add usage instructions: text injected into the system prompt with specific guidance on the expected behavior when triggering the tool.
Usage instructions per tool
MCP tools support a special usage instruction field. When filled in, this text is injected directly into the agent’s system prompt — before any conversation — with guidance on how and when to trigger that tool. This is especially useful for tools with non-obvious behavior from their name, or that need business context. Examples:- “Use this tool only when the customer asks about order tracking. Always confirm the order number before calling.”
- “When querying stock, return only products with a quantity greater than zero.”
Use cases
- ERP or internal system: expose stock, order, or customer queries as MCP tools without needing to publish a public API.
- Proprietary database: an MCP server with access to the company’s internal PostgreSQL, with controlled search and update tools.
- Community MCP tools: public servers available in community repositories that already implement the protocol (file managers, browsers, search tools, etc.).
- Multi-system orchestration: a single MCP server that aggregates tools from different sources and exposes a unified interface to the agent.
Best practices
- Re-sync tools whenever the MCP server is updated with new tools or parameters.
- Activate only the tools the agent actually needs — each active tool adds context to the model’s reasoning.
- Write clear usage instructions for tools with technical names or multiple required parameters.
- If the MCP server requires dynamic authentication (tokens with short expiration), implement automatic renewal in the server itself — Timely.ai does not manage MCP token refresh.
- Test the MCP server with a local MCP client (such as Claude Desktop) before connecting to the agent to validate that the tools work correctly.
Next steps
MCP concept
Understand what the Model Context Protocol is and why it exists.
Connect an MCP server
Full technical step-by-step guide to adding and configuring an MCP server.
Tools overview
Compare all types of tools available in Timely.ai.
Composio integrations
See the 29 ready-made apps available via Composio.