Connect a custom MCP server

Dash connects to 3,000+ tools through its built-in catalog. But if you have your own MCP server, an internal API exposed as MCP, or a tool that isn’t in the catalog, you can connect it directly.

MCP (Model Context Protocol) is an open standard that lets AI agents call tools on a server. If your tool speaks MCP, Dash can use it.

What you need

• The URL of your MCP server (must be HTTPS and publicly reachable, or reachable from Dash’s infrastructure).
• An authentication method: API key or access token (sent as a bearer token) or OAuth 2.0. (If your tool uses an OpenAPI spec instead of MCP, the API tab also supports Basic auth, no base credential with custom headers, and API key; see below.)
• Admin access to the Dash workspace.
• A paid plan. Custom MCP servers and custom APIs aren’t available on the Free plan.

Connect with a static bearer token

This is the simplest path. Your server expects a fixed API key or token in the Authorization header.

1. Go to app.dashpup.ai and open the Tools page.
2. Click Add custom. The dialog opens on the MCP tab by default.
3. Enter the server URL.
4. Choose API key or access token as the auth method.
5. Paste the token. Dash stores it encrypted and never exposes it after this step.
6. Click Connect. Dash will probe the server, discover its tools, and list them.

You can also ask Dash in Slack or Teams:

@Dash connect a custom MCP server

Dash will walk you through the same steps via a link.

Connect with OAuth

If your MCP server uses OAuth 2.0 (for example, it’s a SaaS product with per-user authorization), the flow is similar but adds a browser redirect:

1. On the Tools page, click Add custom. The dialog opens on the MCP tab by default.
2. Enter the server URL.
3. Choose OAuth as the auth method.
4. Fill in the OAuth client ID and client secret (if required, some servers use dynamic client registration and don’t need these).
5. Click Connect. You’ll be redirected to the server’s authorization page.
6. Authorize Dash. You’ll be redirected back, and the connection goes live.

Connect a custom API with an OpenAPI spec

If your tool has an OpenAPI spec (a JSON or YAML file describing its endpoints), you can connect it from the API tab instead of the MCP tab. Upload the spec and Dash generates tools from its endpoints automatically.

1. On the Tools page, click Add custom and switch to the API tab.
2. Enter a name for the connection.
3. Upload the OpenAPI spec file.
4. Choose the auth method. The toggle offers API key or access token, Basic auth, and No base credential. If the spec declares HTTP Basic security, the form pre-selects Basic auth for you.
5. For API key or access token, paste your key or token. For Basic auth, enter a Username and Password. Either field alone is enough (some APIs use only a username as an API key with no password, and vice versa). For No base credential, skip this step; authentication is handled entirely through custom headers (see below). All credential fields are masked and stored encrypted.
6. Click Connect. Dash validates the spec, generates tools, and lists them.

Add custom headers

Some APIs require extra headers on every request, such as a tenant ID, an API version, or a client secret that doesn’t fit a standard auth scheme. You can add these on any custom API connection, regardless of the base auth method.

1. In the connect dialog, expand the Advanced section (when using No base credential, this section opens automatically).
2. Click Add header. Enter the header name (for example, x-buildium-client-id) and its value.
3. Add as many headers as the API requires. Each value is masked and stored encrypted.
4. When using No base credential, at least one custom header is required before you can click Connect.

Custom headers are sent on every request alongside the base credential. They are useful for APIs that authenticate with proprietary headers instead of a standard bearer token or basic auth scheme.

What Dash discovers

Once connected, Dash reads the server’s tool catalog automatically. Each tool the server exposes appears on the Tools page under that connection, with its name and description. From there you can:

• Set each tool’s run mode: auto, ask, or off. Read tools default to auto, routine writes default to ask, and irreversible destructive operations default to off until someone deliberately enables them. Routine reversible edits remain at ask, and an explicit run-mode choice stays in place when code defaults change.
• Set the access scope: workspace (everyone can use it) or private (only you and people you add).
• Assign approvers per tool.

These are the same controls you get with any built-in tool connection. See How approvals work for details.

Change a custom connector’s logo

By default, Dash resolves a logo automatically from the server’s metadata. If you’d prefer a different image, workspace admins can upload a custom logo:

1. On the Tools page, click the custom connector to open its detail page.
2. Hover over the logo in the header. A pencil icon appears.
3. Click the logo to open the Change logo dialog.
4. Choose a PNG, JPG, or WebP file up to 1 MB.
5. Click Save. The new logo appears everywhere the connector is shown.

To go back to the original logo, open the same dialog and click Restore original logo.

Branded MCP servers

Some tools in Dash’s catalog are pre-configured MCP servers with a branded connect experience (one-click OAuth, no URL entry). These include integrations like Linear, Process Street, and Atlassian Rovo. They show up in the catalog alongside the standard OAuth tools. Connecting them works the same way as connecting your first tool.

Troubleshooting

“Connection failed” after entering the URL. Dash couldn’t reach the server. Check that the URL is correct, the server is running, and it’s reachable over HTTPS from the public internet.

No tools discovered. The server responded but didn’t list any tools. Make sure your server implements the MCP tools/list method.

Auth errors after connecting (static bearer). If the API key or token was rotated, open the connection on the Tools page and click Rotate key. Enter the new value and save. Your run-mode settings, access list, and approvers are all kept; only the stored credential changes. There is no need to disconnect and reconnect.

Auth errors after connecting (OAuth). If the OAuth grant was revoked, disconnect and reconnect to re-authorize.

You got a “needs reconnecting” message. When a connection’s sign-in expires or is revoked, or its credentials are rejected, Dash messages the person who connected it (in Slack or Teams, or by email). The message names the app and the account, says Dash can’t use it until it’s reconnected, and links to the app on the Tools page so you can fix it. If the person who connected it has left the workspace, the workspace owners get the message instead. A private connection nobody else has access to doesn’t send one, since nobody can use it.

What’s next

• Connect GitHub to give Dash access to your repos, PRs, and issues.
• How approvals work to control what Dash can do with your custom server’s tools.