How to connect an agent to MCP
Point the agent at an MCP endpoint, authenticate, list tools, then call. Same loop every time.
Most agent stacks need three things: an MCP URL, credentials for that URL, and a tool-calling loop that respects the protocol.
1. Set the endpoint
Configure your runtime with the MCP base URL. Keep it in config. Leave it out of prompt text.
2. Authenticate the agent
Use an agent-scoped credential. Prefer short-lived tokens with clear scope over a shared master key.
3. List, then call
List tools once at session start. Cache the catalog for the run. Call tools by name with structured arguments. Log the tool name, agent id, and result status.
4. Cap spend
If your MCP surface meters usage, set a per-agent cap on day one. Caps are cheaper than surprise invoices.