Connecting services
When you click + Connect on a catalog card, or Add Custom MCP Server at the bottom of the Integrations page, a panel slides in with the connection form. This page explains every field and option in that form.
Connection form fields
Name
A display name for this connection in your organization. For catalog integrations this is pre-filled; for custom servers you choose it. The name appears in the Connected section and in health monitoring.
Description
An optional note describing what this server is for. Useful when you have multiple connections of the same type.
Transport
How Anter communicates with the MCP server:
| Transport | When to use |
|---|---|
| Streamable HTTP | The recommended transport for most hosted MCP servers. Supports streaming responses over a standard HTTP connection. |
| SSE (Server-Sent Events) | For servers that use the older SSE-based MCP transport. Some OAuth providers require this. |
| stdio | For locally-running MCP servers that communicate over standard input/output. Less common in hosted configurations. |
For catalog integrations, the transport is fixed — you can't change it.
Authentication modes
After selecting a transport, choose how to authenticate with the server:
API key
The default for most custom servers. Supply a header name and value — for example, Authorization and Bearer <your-token>. The value is stored encrypted and injected into every request automatically.
OAuth (browser flow)
Used for services that require a user to authorize access through a browser popup — for example, Google Drive. After creating the connection, an additional step authenticates your account. See OAuth connections for the full flow.
OAuth (stored refresh token)
For services where you already have a refresh token — typically obtained during a one-time setup outside Anter. Paste the refresh token into the field; Anter exchanges it for access tokens automatically and stores the result encrypted. See OAuth connections for details.
Service account (Domain-Wide Delegation)
For Google Workspace integrations using a service account with domain-wide delegation. Paste the full service account JSON and specify the scopes the service account is authorized for.
After connecting
Once you submit the form, Anter creates the connection and attempts to discover the server's tools. In the Connected section, the new server appears with a Syncing badge while discovery is in progress, then transitions to Healthy once tools are loaded.
Click Configure on any connected server to open its settings panel. From there you can:
- Review the connection details (URL, transport, auth method)
- See the full list of tools Anter discovered from this server
- Edit any field (click the pencil icon to switch to edit mode)
- Disconnect the server
Editing a connection
In the Configure panel, click the edit (pencil) icon in the header to switch to edit mode. All fields become editable. Make your changes and click Save changes. The server reconnects and re-discovers its tools after saving.
Disconnecting a server
In the Configure panel, click Disconnect in the footer. A confirmation dialog appears:
Disconnect [server name]? This will remove the MCP server and all associated tools. Agents that rely on these tools will stop working. This action cannot be undone.
Confirm to proceed. The server is removed from the Connected section immediately.
Disconnection affects running agents
Removing an MCP server removes all tools it provided. Any agent currently configured to use those tools will fail on its next tool call. Update affected agents in Flows before disconnecting if you want to avoid interruption.