Connecting MCP Servers

This guide covers how to add MCP servers to your project using the MCP Hub. For the full list of available servers, see the MCP Catalog.

Most servers connect with just a credential — whether the server is cloud-hosted by the vendor or TARX-hosted on the gateway, the connection flow is the same. (See Overview → hosting models.)

How to get credentials lives on the vendor's docs

The fields below describe what each connection needs. The steps to create a token or grant scopes are documented by each provider (linked from the MCP Catalog). Third-party setup can change without notice, so if a connection fails, check the provider's official page first.

MCP Hub Layout

Navigate to MCP Servers in the sidebar. The MCP Hub has two sections:

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  MCP Servers                                                │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  CONNECTED                                                  │
│                                                             │
│  🔗 GitHub (24 tools)        Connected by @julian          │
│  🔗 Linear (12 tools)        Connected by @sarah           │
│                                                             │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  ADD MCP SERVER                                             │
│                                                             │
│  [Search catalog...]                                        │
│                                                             │
│  🐙 GitHub        📋 Jira       💬 Slack       📝 Notion   │
│  ▪ Linear         🐘 PostgreSQL  📁 Filesystem  🎨 Figma   │
│  ...more...                                                 │
│                                                             │
│  ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────      │
│  [+ Custom MCP Server]                                     │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Connected section: MCP servers already added to your project. Shows name, tool count, and who added it.

Add MCP Server section: Catalog of supported providers + Custom entry form.

Adding from the Catalog

Find the provider in the catalog (scroll or search).
Click the provider card.
A configuration form slides in.
Fill in the required fields (varies by provider — see below).
Click Connect.
TARX performs the MCP handshake and discovers tools.
On success, the server appears in the Connected section with a tool count.

If the connection fails, an error message shows the reason (auth failure, server unreachable, etc.).

Provider-Specific Configuration

GitHub

Field	Description
Instance Name	A label for this connection (e.g., "My GitHub", "Work GitHub")
Personal Access Token	GitHub PAT with required scopes
Allowed Repos	(Optional) Comma-separated list of repos to restrict access to

Required token scopes:

repo — full access to repos (read + write)
Or: public_repo for public repos only
Or: repo:read for read-only access

Jira

Field	Description
Instance Name	Label for this connection
Jira Domain	Your Jira domain: `yourcompany.atlassian.net`
Email	Jira account email
API Token	Jira API token (from Jira Account Settings → Security → API Tokens)
Project Key	(Optional) Restrict to a specific project

Slack

Field	Description
Instance Name	Label
Bot Token	Slack Bot User OAuth Token (starts with `xoxb-`)
Allowed Channels	(Optional) Comma-separated channel IDs

Create a Slack App, add the Bot Token Scopes (channels:read, chat:write, channels:history), install to workspace, and copy the Bot Token.

Notion

Field	Description
Instance Name	Label
Integration Token	Notion integration secret (from Notion Settings → Integrations)
Root Page ID	(Optional) Restrict to a specific page/database tree

Linear

Field	Description
Instance Name	Label
API Key	Linear API key (from Linear Settings → API → Personal API Keys)
Team ID	(Optional) Restrict to a specific team

PostgreSQL

Field	Description
Instance Name	Label
Connection String	`postgresql://user:password@host:port/database`
Allowed Tables	(Optional) Comma-separated list of tables (security restriction)

Database security

Connect with a read-only database user unless the agent genuinely needs write access. Restrict to specific tables using the Allowed Tables field.

Custom MCP Servers

For MCP servers not in the catalog:

Click + Custom MCP Server in the Add MCP Server section.
Fill in:

Field	Description
Name	Display name: "My Internal API", "Customer DB MCP"
Server URL	HTTPS endpoint of the MCP server: `https://mcp.mycompany.com`
Auth Type	Bearer Token, API Key header, Basic Auth, or None
Auth Value	The token/key value (encrypted on save)
Custom Headers	(Optional) Any additional headers required

Click Connect.
TARX sends the MCP initialize request to verify the server is up and speaks MCP.
If successful, the server appears in Connected with its tool count.

Multiple Instances

You can connect the same provider multiple times with different credentials. This is valid and useful when:

Two GitHub accounts (personal and work)
Two Jira instances (different Atlassian domains)
Same type of server for different clients

Each instance appears separately in the Connected section and can be assigned independently to agents.

Duplicate URL detection

If you add a server with the same URL as an existing one, TARX shows a soft warning: "This URL is already connected." You can proceed — the warning is informational only.

Managing Connected Servers

View Tool List

Click a connected server to see its discovered tools:

🔗 GitHub (24 tools)
Connected by @julian

Tools:
• create_pull_request — Create a PR in a repository
• list_repositories — List repositories accessible by this token
• get_file_contents — Read file content from a repo
• create_issue — Open a new issue
• [... 20 more tools ...]

Disconnect

Click the connected server.
Click Disconnect.
Confirm.

Disconnecting removes the server from all agents that used it. Those agents lose access to the MCP tools.

Update Credentials

To update the auth token (e.g., rotate a GitHub PAT):

Click the connected server.
Click Edit.
Enter the new token.
Click Save.

The old credentials are replaced immediately.

Connection Health

TARX shows connection health in the Connected section:

🟢 Green dot — Last handshake successful
🟡 Yellow dot — Last handshake failed (stale connection, server changed)
🔴 Red dot — Cannot connect (server down or credentials invalid)

When an agent runs and encounters a red/yellow MCP server, the agent execution fails with an MCP connection error. Check the MCP Hub and reconnect.

Access Control

Action	Required Role
View connected MCP servers	Any project member
View tool list	Any project member
Add new MCP server	Project Admin only
Edit MCP server credentials	Project Admin only
Disconnect MCP server	Project Admin only
Assign MCP server to agent	Editor or Admin

Project Admins manage which MCP servers are available. Editors can use available servers by assigning them to agents.

MCP Hub Layout​

Adding from the Catalog​

Provider-Specific Configuration​

GitHub​

Jira​

Slack​

Notion​

Linear​

PostgreSQL​

Custom MCP Servers​

Multiple Instances​

Managing Connected Servers​

View Tool List​

Disconnect​

Update Credentials​

Connection Health​

Access Control​