MCP

Model Context Protocol (opens new window) (MCP) is an open standard that connects AI models to external tools and data sources. It enables AI agents to access databases, APIs, and business applications through a common protocol. This eliminates the need for custom integrations each time you connect a new system.

FEATURE AVAILABILITY

MCP is available to all users in the US and EU data centers. MCP models are hosted in the US and EU data centers and respect data residency requirements. Contact your Customer Success representative if you're interested in using MCP.

An MCP framework provides the following benefits:

• Connect AI to your systems: MCP gives AI models access to external data and tools. Your AI agents can read from databases, write to applications, and perform complex tasks across multiple systems.
• Use one standard for all integrations: MCP provides a consistent way for AI models to communicate with different applications. Connect once to Salesforce, Jira, Google Drive, and more through the same protocol.
• Reduce development time: You no longer need to build custom integrations for each data source. MCP's standardization lets you connect new systems quickly.

graph LR X(("Client <br/> For example: Claude")) --> Y{{"MCP <br/> servers/adapters"}} B("Slack APIs") C("Jira APIs") D("Google Drive APIs") Y --> B Y --> C Y --> D classDef default fill:#67eadd,stroke:#b3e0e1,stroke-width:2px,color:#000; classDef WorkatoBlue fill:#5159f6,stroke:#5159f6,stroke-width:2px,color:#fff; class Y WorkatoBlue

MCP features

Workato provides the following MCP capabilities:

• MCP servers enables you to connect API collection endpoints through a unique, authenticated MCP URL. This feature is hosted by Workato and is independent of APIM to support broader client compatibility.

• MCP local servers enable AI models to access and interact with local tools and data sources like files, databases, and APIs.

• Workato Developer API MCP enables AI-powered developer environments like Claude Desktop and Cursor to programmatically access your Workato workspace.

• MCP verified user access enables your MCP servers to use authenticated end-user credentials for external API calls instead of static tokens.

How MCP works

MCP follows a client-server architecture where AI agents act as clients and connect to MCP servers that expose business tools. The protocol enables dynamic discovery, which means agents can find and use new tools without requiring code changes. This flexibility allows MCP servers to evolve over time while maintaining compatibility with existing clients.

MCP consists of the following key components:

• MCP servers: An MCP server exposes tools or skills to AI agents. Each server represents one or more business application and contains a curated set of tools or skills, implements authentication, and enforces access control.

• Skills: Skills or tools are individual capabilities that an MCP server provides. Each skill represents a specific action like search, create, update, or analyze. Skills include input schemas, output schemas, and descriptions that AI agents can understand.

• Dynamic discovery: AI agents discover available skills or tools at runtime. The agent connects to an MCP server, requests the list of available tools, and receives the current tool inventory with schemas. The agent then determines which tools to use based on the user's goal.

• Identity-aware execution: Workato's MCP enforces permissions based on the authenticated user or agent. Actions respect user permissions (if implemented), follow organization-defined policies, and create audit trails with identity information.

Security and governance

MCP provides the following security and governance features:

• Authentication and access control: Workato MCP uses OAuth-based authentication flows to verify user identity. MCP verified user access enables your MCP servers to use authenticated end-user credentials for external API calls instead of static tokens.
• Rate limiting: You can configure rate limits at the server level to control usage. These limits are shared across all skills or tools within a server to ensure fair resource allocation. Rate limiting protects your downstream applications from excessive requests. It also prevents abuse and ensures that all users have fair access to MCP resources.
• Audit and compliance: Workato logs all actions performed through MCP servers. Every operation includes identity tracking so you know exactly who performed each action. The system integrates with your enterprise audit systems for centralized compliance monitoring. You can generate compliance reports that show all MCP activity across your organization.

Getting started

MCP servers work with Agent Studio, Claude, ChatGPT, or any MCP-compatible client. You can start with individual MCP servers for each application or create composable servers that combine multiple systems into unified business-centric interfaces.

Choose the implementation that best suits your use case:

• MCP servers: Connect your API collections through Workato-hosted MCP servers. This is the fastest way to get started with MCP.
• MCP local servers: Run MCP servers on your local infrastructure to access local tools and data sources.
• Workato Developer API MCP: Connect AI-powered developer tools like Claude Desktop, Cursor, or ChatGPT to your Workato workspace.