Skip to main content

MCP Integration Overview

The Model Context Protocol (MCP) is an open standard for connecting AI models to external data sources and tools. Covia provides deep integration with MCP, enabling two powerful use cases:

  1. Venues as MCP Servers - Every Covia venue can act as an MCP server, exposing its operations as tools that AI assistants can use
  2. MCP Tools via the Grid - Call any MCP server's tools as Grid operations, enabling orchestration, auditing, and federated access
  3. Bridged MCP tools - Mirror or curate remote MCP tools into your venue's operation catalog, where they behave exactly like native operations (bridging)

Why MCP + Covia?​

For AI Application Developers​

  • Instant Tool Access: Connect your AI assistant to any Covia venue and immediately access all its operations as tools
  • Standardised Interface: Use the same MCP protocol regardless of which venue provides the functionality
  • Discovery: Browse available tools through MCP's standard discovery mechanisms

For Operation Providers​

  • Zero Configuration: Operations you create are automatically available as MCP tools
  • Consistent Experience: Your operations work with any MCP-compatible AI assistant
  • Secure Access: Leverage Covia's authentication and authorisation for tool access

For Enterprise​

  • Audit Trail: All tool invocations go through the Grid, providing a complete audit log
  • Governance: Apply consistent policies across all AI tool usage
  • Orchestration: Combine MCP tools with other Grid operations in workflows

Quick Start​

Connect AI Assistant to a Venue​

For claude.ai / Claude Desktop, add the venue as a custom connector (Settings → Connectors → Add custom connector, paste https://venue-3.covia.ai/mcp). For clients that use a generic MCP config file:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "covia-venue": {
      "url": "https://venue-3.covia.ai/mcp"
    }
  }
}

Your AI assistant can now use all operations on that venue as tools. See the Claude tutorial for a step-by-step walkthrough.

Call MCP Tools via the Grid​

Use the Grid to invoke any MCP server's tools:

{
  "operation": "v/ops/mcp/tools-call",
  "input": {
    "server": "https://some-mcp-server.example.com",
    "toolName": "search",
    "arguments": {
      "query": "hello world"
    }
  }
}

Documentation​