What are MCP Servers
MCP (Model Context Protocol) is an open standard that enables AI agents to securely interact with external tools and data sources. In Ordify, MCP Servers are the connection layer for bringing custom or internal tools to your agents — tools that aren't available in the Connect Apps marketplace.
How MCP relates to Connect Apps
Ordify offers two ways to give agents access to external tools:
| Connect Apps | MCP Servers | |
|---|---|---|
| Setup | One-click OAuth, no code | Requires an MCP-compliant server |
| Coverage | 3,000+ pre-built SaaS integrations | Any system you can build a server for |
| Best for | Standard tools (Gmail, Slack, Sheets, etc.) | Internal APIs, private databases, custom logic |
| Who uses it | Anyone | Developers and technical teams |
Use Connect Apps when you want to quickly connect popular third-party services without any technical setup.
Use MCP Servers when you need to connect to internal systems, want full control over the integration, or need capabilities not available in Connect Apps.
How MCP works
Your MCP Server
└── Exposes Tools (with schemas)
└── Ordify discovers Tools automatically
└── Agent uses Tools to take action
- You run an MCP-compliant server that exposes one or more tools with defined schemas.
- You register the server in Ordify (URL + optional auth).
- Ordify automatically discovers the available tools from the server.
- You assign specific tools to agents.
- The agent calls your server's tools during conversations and jobs.
What you can connect via MCP
- Internal APIs: Your company's proprietary REST or GraphQL APIs
- Private databases: Query internal data sources that can't be exposed via OAuth
- Custom business logic: Functions or workflows that don't exist as off-the-shelf integrations
- Self-hosted services: Tools running in your own infrastructure
- Specialized LLM tools: Custom retrieval systems, specialized calculators, or domain-specific processors
Data privacy considerations
MCP gives you complete control over how your data is accessed:
- Your MCP server runs on your infrastructure
- You define what data is accessible and what isn't
- You control authentication and authorization
- Ordify only calls the tools you expose — it cannot access anything outside the defined tool schemas
This makes MCP the right choice for sensitive internal data where you need to maintain full data sovereignty.
What's next
- Set up an MCP Server — step-by-step guide to connecting your first MCP server
- What are Tools and Apps — understand how tools fit into the broader picture