An MCP connection lets the AI use a service outside the team server. The AI uses the service's tools with the credentials of the connection.
Before 0.4.0, this screen is called External services.
#Two kinds of connection
| Kind | What you give | What the AI gets |
|---|---|---|
| MCP server | The server's address; sign in or enter a key | The tools the server lists |
| HTTP API with a key | An address, a key and a note on how to use it | One tool, api_request, limited to addresses under that one |
#Personal and team connections
| Personal | Team | |
|---|---|---|
| Made by | The member, in Settings › MCP | An admin, in Admin › MCP |
| Used by | That member, in their own chats | The people its rules name: everyone, groups or people |
| Visible to | Only that member, not admins | Admins |
Admins manage team connections but do not use them unless a rule names them. Who may use a connection is checked on every call.
#Add a connection
- Open the MCP screen
Settings › MCP for yourself, or Admin › MCP for the team.
Settings › MCP, Connected - Pick a service or add by address
Discover lists services that support sign-in with Trina AX. Add connection takes any MCP server address.
Discover: services you can add by name - Sign in or paste a key
Keys and sign-ins are stored encrypted on the server and never shown again.
Adding a service from Discover - Choose who may use it
For a team connection, name everyone, groups or people.
You can also ask in a chat: "Connect Linear." The AI starts the connection, and you only sign in or paste the key into a sealed card.
#Changes need a yes
Reads run at once. Everything else is a write, and follows the connection's write policy:
| Policy | What happens |
|---|---|
| Ask (default) | The server shows a card with everything that will be sent. Nothing goes until a person says yes. |
| Deny | Writes are refused. |
| Allow | Writes run without asking. Only admins can choose this, and only for team connections. |
What a service returns is treated as outside data, never as instructions. In a scheduled run nobody can say yes, so writes are refused, except to an Allow team connection approved for that schedule.
#Ask a member to connect
Some services log calls as the key's owner. Then the key belongs in the member's own connection. An admin can send a member a request with the service filled in. The member connects with their own key, or declines.
#The other direction
Your own Claude (Claude Code, Claude Desktop or claude.ai) can connect to Trina AX as an MCP server, and use your files with your permissions. Read about the Team AX MCP connector.
Full details: Integrations.