--- title: External MCP Servers slug: external-mcp-servers createdAt: 2026-06-13T02:22:32.475Z --- :::hint{type="info"} Connect external MCP servers — analytics, conversation intelligence, meeting tools, your own custom servers — so Nue's AI agent can reach beyond Nue's own data and bring real context into every quoting conversation. ::: Nue's built-in MCP servers — **Nue Lifecycle Manager** and **Nue Price Builder** — already let agents read subscriptions, build quotes, and apply pricing. Connecting **external MCP servers** lets the same agents reach into the rest of your stack — your analytics in Sigma, your call summaries in Gong, your meeting notes in Fellow, or any MCP-compliant tool your team already uses — without point-to-point integrations or custom development. :::hint{type="warning"} **Prerequisites — Licenses and Permissions** - **Nue AI license** is enabled on your org. Existing tenants do not have it by default — contact your Nue Account Executive to acquire it. See [Configure Nue AI](https://docs.nue.io/eX_7-configure). - Your user role grants the **AI → Manage MCP Servers** permission (and **AI → View MCP Servers** to see the list). The System Administrator role is *not* required — these can be granted on any custom role. - **Bring-your-own AI provider required.** External MCP servers can only be configured when the org is on its own AI provider. Set AI Model to **Use my own provider** in **Settings → Nue AI → AI Model** with a valid API key for Anthropic, OpenAI, or Gemini. While on Nue's default provider, only system MCP servers are available — the **+ Add Server** action is not shown. ::: *** ## Why extend Nue AI with external MCP servers - **Richer agent context.** Pull live ARR trends, renewal risk signals, recent customer call summaries, and stakeholder insights into the quoting conversation — not just what's already in Nue. - **Open and extensible.** Any MCP-compliant server can plug in. As the MCP ecosystem grows, Nue grows with it — no waiting for a native integration. - **You stay in control.** Admins choose which servers to connect, how each one authenticates, and which AI provider is used. The agent only calls tools from servers you've approved. *** ## Concepts | Concept | What it is | | ----------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | **MCP server** | A connector that exposes tools the AI agent can call. Each server has a name, URL, and authentication method | | **System MCP server** | Nue-managed, always available — **Nue Lifecycle Manager** and **Nue Price Builder**. Cannot be edited, deleted, or turned off | | **External MCP server** | Connected by your admin. Lives outside Nue (e.g. Sigma, Gong, Fellow, or any MCP-compliant server) | | **Authentication type** | How Nue authenticates to the server: **None**, **OAuth**, or **Secret Header** | | **Server status** | `Connected`, `Needs auth`, or `Failed` — shown in the sales rep's MCP panel | *** ## For Admins — Connect an external MCP server This walkthrough uses a Sigma analytics server as the worked example. The flow is the same for any MCP-compliant server — only the URL and authentication details differ. ### 1. Open the MCP Servers list Go to **Settings → Nue AI → MCP Servers**. System servers are listed at the top and can never be turned off. Click **+ Add Server**. ![Settings → Nue AI → MCP Servers — list with system servers plus Fellow and Sigma](https://api.archbee.com/api/optimize/fHNLtQ9NwpgDvkWodNqKf/3wGBoz05Z2u96auocSwYf_mcp-servers-list.png) ### 2. Add the server's basics Fill in: - **Server Name** — the display name reps will see (e.g. `Sigma`) - **Server URL (HTTPS only)** — the MCP endpoint (e.g. `https://aws-api.sigmacomputing.com/mcp/v2`) ![New MCP Server — empty form](https://api.archbee.com/api/optimize/fHNLtQ9NwpgDvkWodNqKf/wf2XkYYjSZWhxau8aSc8G_add-server-default-oauth.png) ### 3. Choose authentication Pick one of the three types from the **Authentication Type** dropdown: ![Authentication Type dropdown — None / OAuth / Secret Header](https://api.archbee.com/api/optimize/fHNLtQ9NwpgDvkWodNqKf/_aiISI17_T14yoLlu1NY2_auth-type-options.png) | Type | When to use it | What you provide | | ------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | **None** | Public MCP servers with no authentication | Nothing — Server Name and URL only | | **OAuth** (default) | Most modern SaaS MCP servers | OAuth scopes (defaults to `mcp:*`). Optionally check **Use custom OAuth credentials** if the server requires your own OAuth client — then provide **Client ID** + optional **Client Secret** | | **Secret Header** | Servers that authenticate via a static header or API token | One or more **Header Name** + **Header Value** pairs | **OAuth with custom credentials** — for servers that require your own registered OAuth client: ![OAuth with Use custom OAuth credentials checked, showing Client ID / Client Secret fields](https://api.archbee.com/api/optimize/fHNLtQ9NwpgDvkWodNqKf/272dDW_YgIPSJWtjLhHcG_add-server-oauth-custom-creds.png) **Secret Header** — for servers that authenticate via a token in an HTTP header: ![Secret Header auth — Header Name / Header Value pair](https://api.archbee.com/api/optimize/fHNLtQ9NwpgDvkWodNqKf/jzdJ1SDyt_GzD2NShf0fj_add-server-secret-header.png) ### 4. Add custom headers (optional) Expand **Custom Headers** if your server expects additional headers on every request (e.g. a tenant ID or API version). Each row is a Header Name + Header Value pair; use the **+** button to add more. ![Full Add Server form with Custom Headers expanded](https://api.archbee.com/api/optimize/fHNLtQ9NwpgDvkWodNqKf/GPf-zR860LcVrXR0v_gIK_add-server-full-form.png) ### 5. Save Click **Save**. The server appears in the MCP Servers list. For OAuth servers, the first time a sales rep uses a tool from the new server, they'll be prompted to **Re-authenticate** to complete the OAuth flow in their browser. *** ## For Admins — Manage external MCP servers Each external server has the following actions in the list: | Action | When to use it | | -------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | **Edit** | Change name, URL, scopes, auth, or custom headers. The server's **Description** is pulled from its MCP manifest and updates on reconnect — you can override it from the Edit form | | **Delete** | Permanently removes the server from your tenant. Reps lose access immediately | | **Toggle off** | Disable without deleting — the server stays in the list but the agent stops seeing its tools | ![Edit MCP Server — Sigma example, showing all fields and the auto-populated Description](https://api.archbee.com/api/optimize/fHNLtQ9NwpgDvkWodNqKf/66W2D6DyWgRFDy-xXBNyS_edit-sigma-server.png) **System servers (Nue Lifecycle Manager, Nue Price Builder) cannot be edited, deleted, or disabled.** They're always on. *** ## For Sales Reps — Using external MCPs :::BlockQuote External MCP servers your admin connected appear in the **MCP Servers** panel pinned to the bottom-right of the **AI Guided Quote** dialog. The agent uses them automatically when relevant to the conversation — you don't need to invoke them by name. ::: ### Where to find the panel Open the AI Guided Quote dialog on any Salesforce account, then expand **MCP Servers (N)** at the bottom-right of the side rail. Each line shows the server name, a status badge, and the actions you can take. ### Status badges and actions | Status | What it means | Actions available | | -------------- | ---------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------- | | **Connected** | The agent can call this server's tools | Reconnect · Re-authenticate · Disconnect | | **Needs auth** | OAuth not yet completed for your session | Re-authenticate · Disconnect | | **Failed** | Connection error or token expired | Reconnect · Re-authenticate · Disconnect | ### What happens when you disconnect **Disconnect is session-only.** It removes the server from your current chat — it does *not* change your admin's tenant configuration. The server is still available the next time you open AI Guided Quote. To remove a server permanently, ask your admin to delete it from Settings. :::hint{type="info"} **Nue Lifecycle Manager is always on.** The system server that powers customer, subscription, opportunity, and renewal lookups cannot be disconnected from the rep panel. ::: *** ## Where external MCPs work Once an admin has connected and enabled an external MCP server, its tools become available everywhere Nue's agent runs: - **AI Guided Quote** — the in-Salesforce assistant on the Account record. External MCPs appear in the bottom-right MCP Servers panel and are usable for every guided playbook conversation. - **Nue Lifecycle Manager MCP from your own client** — when you connect Nue Lifecycle Manager as an MCP server from an external client (e.g. Claude Desktop, an IDE, or a custom agent), the external MCP servers you've configured in Nue are routed through the same connection, so the agent in that client can use them too. The same tenant configuration powers both — connect once, use everywhere. *** ## How agents decide when to use an external tool The agent picks tools based on what you ask and what the active **Guided Selling Playbook** tells it to do. A renewal conversation that needs ARR by customer will reach into a connected Sigma server; a quote prep that wants recent meeting notes will reach into Fellow or Gong. You don't have to name the tool — describe what you need. - The agent only sees tools from **active, connected servers** in your session. - If an external tool returns an error or times out, the agent reports it in the conversation and continues with what it can do without that tool — the chat doesn't break. - Tool availability respects the auth, scopes, and permissions your admin set on each server. For playbook-level control over which tools the agent uses in which deal motion, see [AI Guided Selling](https://docs.nue.io/ai-guided-selling). *** ## Tips and limits - **HTTPS only.** Server URLs that don't start with `https://` are rejected. - **OAuth scopes default to** `mcp:*` — broad access. If your server supports tighter scopes, list them space-separated in the **OAuth Scopes** field. - **Disconnect is per session.** A rep disconnecting from the panel does not change the tenant configuration; the server returns next time they open AI Guided Quote. - **System servers never need re-authentication.** Nue Lifecycle Manager and Nue Price Builder use Nue-managed credentials. - **Edit reflects the live manifest.** When you edit a server, the description and tool list pulled from the server's MCP manifest refresh on save. *** ## FAQ **Can I use external MCPs on Nue's default AI provider?** No. External MCP support requires you to set your own AI provider in **Settings → Nue AI → AI Model**. While the default Nue-managed provider is selected, the **+ Add Server** action is not shown. **Do I need to write any code?** No. If the third-party tool exposes a public MCP endpoint, you only need its URL and your auth credentials. Building your own MCP server is a separate topic — see the MCP specification at [modelcontextprotocol.io](https://modelcontextprotocol.io) if you want to expose your own. **What authentication methods are supported?** **None**, **OAuth** (with or without your own client credentials), and **Secret Header** (one or more name/value pairs). **Where do I find the URL for Sigma, Gong, or Fellow?** Each vendor publishes their MCP endpoint URL in their own MCP docs. Examples in this guide: Sigma at `https://aws-api.sigmacomputing.com/mcp/v2`, Fellow at `https://fellow.app/mcp`. **Can different sales teams see different MCPs?** Yes — your **Guided Selling Playbooks** control which tools the agent calls for each deal motion, segment, and role. See [AI Guided Selling](https://docs.nue.io/ai-guided-selling). **What if I delete an external MCP server while reps are using it?** Reps lose access immediately. Any in-flight conversation that already returned data from the deleted server keeps that data in its transcript, but no further calls to the deleted server are made.