# MCP connections

MCP connects an agent to tools supplied by another service or local program. In Nock's current candidate, the widget builder also accepts a supported MCP server address or launch command instead of a widget description.

## Before connecting

Get the server's setup instructions from its maintainer. Understand whether it runs on your computer or contacts a remote service, what credentials it requires, and what its tools can read or change. A local launch command can execute software; a remote URL can send information outside your computer.

Do not paste a command you have not reviewed. Prefer an explicitly versioned, trusted package when the server supports it. Never include a private token in a screenshot or a support message.

## Connect and test

1. Open the [widget builder](/nock/widget-builder).
2. Enter the server's supported HTTPS address or local launch command.
3. Complete the connection's required configuration using the provided fields.
4. Review available actions and approval behavior.
5. Try a read-only request and verify the result in the original service.

Authentication success and tool execution success are separate checks. If the build or account does not allow a required operation, connecting the server does not override that restriction.

## Manage carefully

The current candidate has a management limitation: servers connected this way do not have the same complete list-and-remove interface as kept widgets. Do not assume the absence of a tile means a server is disconnected. If you cannot find a connection's management control, stop using it and ask support for guidance; revoke its service authorization through that provider if needed.

Avoid deleting app configuration files to remove one connection. That can affect unrelated saved work or settings.

See [App connections](/nock/app-connections) for the separate catalog flow and [Privacy](/nock/privacy) for data boundaries.