MCP tools & visual apps
Connect MCP servers for tools that retrieve and act — and MCP Apps that render interactive visuals on the Stage.
In Studio, external systems connect as MCP servers. Those connections do two different jobs:
- Tools — retrieve data, trace relationships, and act in source systems when policy allows.
- MCP Apps (visual apps) — interactive artefacts that render on the Stage (boards, maps, and similar views), not static exports.
Native vs your own
Studio includes native visual apps for transformation work (for example portfolio-style boards). You can also connect your own MCP servers when your plan allows custom connections — same test-before-save pattern as the catalog.
Add a connection
- Open Integrations.
- Pick a catalog system or add a custom MCP server.
- Test the connection before you save it.
- Toggle which connections are available for each session.
A healthy connection lets agents and people work from live architecture and strategy context — and draft visual MCP Apps on the Stage from that same picture.
Studio stays a layer above your stack. MCP connections unify the picture; they do not replace your systems of record.
See also: Connect your sources · Skills · Agents.