What Are MCP Servers?
MCP (Model Context Protocol) servers expose tools that AI models can call to access external data and services. Instead of relying on training data alone, models can fetch current information, interact with APIs, and perform real-world actions. This dramatically reduces hallucinations and enables AI assistants to provide accurate, up-to-date, and contextually grounded responses.How MCP Servers Work
AI Needs Information
Your AI model encounters a question that requires external data (e.g., “What’s the weather in Paris?”)
Model Identifies Tool
The AI decides which MCP server tool can answer the question (e.g.,
get-weather from a Weather MCP server)Available MCP Servers
Google Maps
Geocoding, place search, directions, and location services
OpenRouter
AI model recommendations and capability information
Time Utilities
Current time, date utilities, and timezone conversion
Reminders
Create, manage, and trigger reminders for conversations
Conversation Archives
Access archived conversation message summaries
Authentication Patterns
MCP servers use three authentication patterns:Public (No Authentication)
Some servers are publicly accessible and require no authentication. Examples: Time Utilities, OpenRouterConversation API Key
Servers that access conversation-specific data require the conversation’s API key. The key is automatically provided when tools are called within an Agentic Loop. Examples: Reminders, Conversation ArchivesExternal API Key
Some servers proxy external services and require an API key from that service. Pass the key in a custom header. Examples: Google MapsUsing MCP Servers with Agentic Loops
MCP servers integrate seamlessly with Agentic Loops. When you create an Agentic Loop and configure MCP servers, the AI model automatically has access to all tools provided by those servers.See Agentic Loops → Using MCP Servers for detailed setup instructions.
Building Custom MCP Servers
Chatbot Platform is built on Laravel MCP, making it easy to create your own MCP servers.Build Your Own MCP Server
Learn how to build custom MCP servers using Laravel’s MCP package
When to Use MCP Servers
Use MCP servers when your AI needs to:- Fetch current information - Weather, stock prices, real-time data
- Search external databases - Customer records, product catalogs, documentation
- Perform actions - Create reminders, send emails, update records
- Access user-specific data - Account details, order history, preferences
- Validate information - Check availability, verify addresses, confirm data
API Reference
View the complete API specification with all MCP server endpoints