MCP Integration | Solace Agent Mesh
Description: This tutorial walks you through the process of integrating a Model Context Protocol (MCP) Server into Agent Mesh.

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# MCP Integration

This tutorial walks you through the process of integrating a Model Context Protocol (MCP) Server into Agent Mesh.

Learn about agents

You should have an understanding of agents in Agent Mesh. For more information, see Agents.

Agent Mesh now provides native MCP support through the framework itself. No additional plugins are required - you can connect to MCP servers directly by configuring your agent YAML file with MCP tools.

MCP integration allows your agents to connect to external MCP servers and use their tools, resources, and prompts seamlessly within the A2A protocol ecosystem.

## Setting Up the Environment​

You must install Agent Mesh and the CLI, and then create a new Agent Mesh project.

For this tutorial using the filesystem MCP server, you also need Node.js and NPM installed.

## Adding MCP Tools to an Agent​

MCP integration is accomplished by adding MCP tools directly to your agent configuration. There are three main connection types supported:

### 1. Stdio Connection (Local MCP Servers)​

This is the most common method for connecting to MCP servers that run as local processes:

Install node package

You must install node package @modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem securely in your local system.

You must set the `command` parameter to your local path that points to the `mcp-server-filesystem` binary executable.

    tools:
      - tool_type: mcp
        connection_params:
          type: stdio
          command: "./node_modules/.bin/mcp-server-filesystem"
          args:
            - "/tmp/samv2"

### 2. SSE Connection (Remote MCP Servers)​

For connecting to remote MCP servers using Server-Sent Events:

    tools:
      - tool_type: mcp
        connection_params:
          type: sse
          url: "https://mcp.example.com/v1/sse"
          headers:
            Authorization: "Bearer ${MCP_AUTH_TOKEN}"

### 3. StreamableHTTP Connection (Remote MCP Servers)​

For connecting to remote MCP servers using Server-Sent Events:

    tools:
      - tool_type: mcp
        connection_params:
          type: streamable-http
          url: "https://mcp.example.com:<port>/mcp/message"
          headers:
            Authorization: "Bearer ${MCP_AUTH_TOKEN}"

### 4. Docker Connection (Containerized MCP Servers)​

For running MCP servers in Docker containers:

    tools:
      - tool_type: mcp
        connection_params:
          type: stdio
          command: "docker"
          args:
            - "run"
            - "-i"
            - "--rm"
            - "-e"
            - "API_KEY"
            - "mcp-server-image:latest"
        environment_variables:
          API_KEY: ${MY_API_KEY}

## Complete Example: Filesystem MCP Agent​

Here is a complete example of an agent that uses the filesystem MCP server:

Install node package

You must install node package @modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem securely in your local system.

You must set the `command` parameter to your local path that points to the `mcp-server-filesystem` binary executable.

    # configs/agents/filesystem_agent.yaml
    log:
      stdout_log_level: INFO
      log_file_level: DEBUG
      log_file: filesystem_agent.log

    !include ../shared_config.yaml

    apps:
      - name: filesystem_mcp_agent_app
        app_base_path: .
        app_module: solace_agent_mesh.agent.sac.app
        broker:
          <<: *broker_connection

        app_config:
          namespace: ${NAMESPACE}
          supports_streaming: true
          agent_name: "FileSystemAgent"
          display_name: "File System"
          model: *general_model

          instruction: |
            You can interact with the local filesystem using MCP tools.
            Use the available tools to read, write, and manage files as requested.

          tools:
            - tool_type: mcp
              connection_params:
                type: stdio
                command: "./node_modules/.bin/mcp-server-filesystem"
                args:
                  - "/tmp/samv2"
            - tool_type: builtin-group
              group_name: "artifact_management"

          session_service: *default_session_service
          artifact_service: *default_artifact_service

          # Agent discovery and communication
          agent_card:
            description: "An agent that interacts with the local filesystem via MCP."
            defaultInputModes: ["text"]
            defaultOutputModes: ["text", "file"]
            skills: []

          agent_card_publishing: { interval_seconds: 10 }
          agent_discovery: { enabled: true }
          inter_agent_communication:
            allow_list: ["*"]
            request_timeout_seconds: 30

## Configuration Options​

### Tool Filtering​

You can control which tools from an MCP server are available to your agent using three mutually exclusive filtering options.

Install node package

The examples below use the filesystem MCP server. You must install node package @modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem securely in your local system and set the `command` parameter to your local path that points to the `mcp-server-filesystem` binary executable.

#### Single Tool (tool_name)​

Use `tool_name` to expose only a single specific tool:

    tools:
      - tool_type: mcp
        tool_name: "read_file"  # Only expose the read_file tool
        connection_params:
          type: stdio
          command: "./node_modules/.bin/mcp-server-filesystem"
          args:
            - "/tmp/samv2"

#### Allow List​

Use `allow_list` to expose multiple specific tools:

    tools:
      - tool_type: mcp
        allow_list:  # Only expose these tools
          - read_file
          - write_file
          - list_directory
        connection_params:
          type: stdio
          command: "./node_modules/.bin/mcp-server-filesystem"
          args:
            - "/tmp/samv2"

#### Deny List​

Use `deny_list` to expose all tools except specific ones:

    tools:
      - tool_type: mcp
        deny_list:  # Expose all tools EXCEPT these
          - delete_file
          - move_file
        connection_params:
          type: stdio
          command: "./node_modules/.bin/mcp-server-filesystem"
          args:
            - "/tmp/samv2"

Mutual Exclusivity

The `tool_name`, `allow_list`, and `deny_list` options are mutually exclusive. You can only use one of these filtering options per MCP tool configuration.

### Environment Variables​

Pass environment variables to MCP servers using the `environment_variables` block:

    tools:
      - tool_type: mcp
        connection_params:
          type: stdio
          command: "my-mcp-server"
        environment_variables:
          API_KEY: ${MY_API_KEY}
          DEBUG_MODE: "true"
          CONFIG_PATH: "/etc/myconfig"

### SSL/TLS Configuration​

For remote MCP connections (SSE and Streamable HTTP), you can configure SSL/TLS settings to connect to servers with self-signed certificates or custom CA bundles.

#### Disable SSL Verification (Development Only)​

Security Risk

Disabling SSL verification should only be used in development environments. Never disable SSL verification in production.

    tools:
      - tool_type: mcp
        connection_params:
          type: sse
          url: "https://dev-mcp-server.local/sse"
          ssl_config:
            verify: false

#### Custom CA Certificate​

For servers using certificates signed by a private CA:

    tools:
      - tool_type: mcp
        connection_params:
          type: sse
          url: "https://internal-mcp.example.com/sse"
          ssl_config:
            ca_bundle: "/path/to/ca-certificate.pem"

note

The `ssl_config` option only applies to remote connections (`sse` and `streamable-http`). It has no effect on `stdio` connections which run as local processes.

## Running Your MCP-Enabled Agent​

1. Create the working directory (for filesystem example):

       mkdir -p /tmp/samv2
       echo "Hello MCP!" > /tmp/samv2/test.txt

2. Set required environment variables:

       export NAMESPACE="myorg/dev"
       export SOLACE_BROKER_URL="ws://localhost:8008"
       # ... other Solace broker settings

3. Run the agent:

       sam run configs/agents/filesystem_agent.yaml

## How MCP Integration Works​

When your agent starts:

1. Connection: The framework establishes a connection to the MCP server using the specified connection parameters
2. Discovery: It queries the MCP server for available tools, resources, and prompts
3. Registration: Available capabilities are registered as agent tools.
4. Communication: The agent can use these tools through the standard A2A protocol, with the framework handling MCP protocol translation

## Testing Your MCP Integration​

Once your MCP-enabled agent is running, you can test it through any gateway in your project (such as the Web UI gateway):

1. Access your gateway (for example, Web UI at `http://localhost:8000`)
2. Send a request to test the MCP functionality:
   - "List the files in the directory"
   - "Create a simple text file with some content"
   - "Read the contents of test.txt"

The agent uses the MCP tools to interact with the filesystem and provide responses through the A2A protocol.