---
title: "MCP Connectors for the Build Agent"
slug: "mcp-connectors-for-the-build-agent"
tags: ["unqorkai"]
status: "new"
updated: 2026-11-13T17:07:53Z
published: 2026-11-13T17:07:53Z
canonical: "docs.unqork.io/mcp-connectors-for-the-build-agent"
---

> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.unqork.io/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# MCP Connectors for the Build Agent

> [!WARNING]
> MCP Connectors is a Beta feature for environments with UnqorkAI. A connector sends the content it retrieves to the model the Build Agent runs on. Test each connector and verify the Build Agent's results before relying on them.

MCP Connectors let the [Build Agent](/unqorkai/docs/build-agent-overview) read from and write to systems outside Unqork. For example, the Build Agent can read a Jira issue, summarize a Confluence page, or search the web for an API reference. A Creator can then ask the Build Agent to build a module from what it found.

Each connector comes from a list of vetted systems that Unqork tests and maintains. An administrator adds connectors on the [MCP Connectors Administration](/unqorkai/docs/mcp-connectors-administration) page. Creators then connect from the Build Agent chat. For how connectors compare with the MCP server, see [MCP in Unqork](/unqorkai/docs/mcp-in-unqork).

## Key Terms

| Term | Meaning |
| --- | --- |
| **API key** | A secret code that lets Unqork use an account at another company. One API key serves the whole environment. |
| **Connector** | A saved link between the Build Agent and one outside system, like Atlassian or Google Drive. |
| **MCP** | Model Context Protocol. A common standard that AI agents use to work with other systems. |
| **OAuth** | A standard way to sign in to another system without sharing a password with Unqork. Each Creator signs in with their own account. |
| **Read tool** | A tool that only looks up information, like searching, fetching, or listing. |
| **Tool** | One action a connector offers, like "search Jira issues" or "create a file." |
| **Write tool** | A tool that changes something in the other system, like creating, updating, or deleting. |

## How MCP Connectors Work

A connector links the Build Agent to one outside system. Each connector offers tools, and an administrator chooses which tools the Build Agent can use. When a Creator asks for something that needs an outside system, the Build Agent calls one of those tools. The tool returns content, and the Build Agent uses it to answer or build.

### Who Does What

| Task | Who Does It | Where |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Set up the outside system, like an API key or a Google OAuth client. | An administrator. | The other company's website or console. |
| Add a connector and choose its tools. | An administrator. | [MCP Connectors Administration](/unqorkai/docs/mcp-connectors-administration) |
| Share a connector with the environment or with specific workspaces. | An administrator. | [MCP Connectors Administration](/unqorkai/docs/mcp-connectors-administration), **Share To** |
| Connect a personal account to a connector. | Each Creator. | The Build Agent chat, **Manage Connectors** |
| Choose **Ask** or **Trusted** for reads and writes. | Each Creator. | The Build Agent chat, **Manage Connectors** |
| Turn a connector off or delete it. | An administrator. | [MCP Connectors Administration](/unqorkai/docs/mcp-connectors-administration) |

## Available Connectors

Unqork offers the following connectors. Some need setup outside Unqork before an administrator can add them.

| Connector | What the Build Agent Can Reach | How Creators Sign In | Setup Outside Unqork |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| **Atlassian** | Jira issues and Confluence pages. | Each Creator signs in with their own Atlassian account. | None. Atlassian accepts Unqork without extra setup. |
| **Exa** | Real-time web search and page content. | Creators do not sign in. Everyone uses one shared API key. | Create an Exa account and copy an API key from it. |
| **Firecrawl** | Web search, and crawling and scraping of websites. | Creators do not sign in. Everyone uses one shared API key. | Create a Firecrawl account and copy an API key from it. |
| **Google Docs** | Reading and editing Google Docs. | Each Creator signs in with their own Google account. | Create a Google project and an OAuth client. See [Set Up Google Drive and Google Docs Connectors](/unqorkai/docs/set-up-google-drive-and-google-docs-connectors). |
| **Google Drive** | Files and folders in Google Drive. | Each Creator signs in with their own Google account. | Create a Google Cloud project and an OAuth client. See [Set Up Google Drive and Google Docs Connectors](/unqorkai/docs/set-up-google-drive-and-google-docs-connectors). |

Administrators cannot add a system that is not on this list.

## How Creators Sign In

Connectors use one of two sign-in types. The connector decides which type it uses. Administrators do not choose it.

- **OAuth connectors**: Atlassian, Google Docs, and Google Drive use OAuth. Each Creator connects their own account from the Build Agent chat. The Build Agent can only reach what that Creator can reach. If a Creator cannot open a Jira issue, the Build Agent cannot open it for them.
- **API key connectors**: Exa and Firecrawl use one API key that an administrator enters. Every Creator who can use the connector shares that key. Creators do not connect or disconnect these connectors.

> [!WARNING]
> Treat an API key and an OAuth client secret like a password. Paste them only into the Unqork fields that ask for them. Do not put them in screenshots, tickets, chat messages, or shared documents.

## Read and Write Tools

Every tool is either a read tool or a write tool. A read tool only looks up information. A write tool can change information in the other system. An administrator can review each tool's classification when adding a connector. Unqork locks some tools as write tools.

The difference matters because Creators handle reads and writes separately. A Creator can let reads run without asking but still approve each write. Other rules that apply to write tools include:

- When **Mode** is set to **Ask**, the Build Agent cannot use write tools.
- Creators who can only view a workspace cannot use write tools.
- When a tool's own label does not say it only reads, the Build Agent treats it as a write tool.

## What Creators See

Creators find connectors in the Build Agent chat. Creators see only connectors that are on and shared with their workspace. In the chat, Creators select ![icon](https://cdn.us.document360.io/15548f06-2fba-434c-b0c1-5df88317dbd7/Images/Documentation/api_upload_20261113_170752_72782fb98cfb4eb1a627906e49f115f9.svg?sv=2026-02-06&spr=https&st=2026-11-14T00%3A06%3A45Z&se=2026-11-14T01%3A06%3A45Z&sr=c&sp=r&sig=skC41y4p8ySFcAErVm9uoGsykhMcRS%2BOgb92H1tn49I%3D) (**Add files or connectors**), then **Manage Connectors**.

- An OAuth connector displays **Not Connected** until the Creator selects **Connect** and connects their account.
- An API key connector is ready to use. It has no **Connect** button.
- For each connector, Creators choose **Ask** or **Trusted** for reads and for writes. **Ask** pauses for the Creator's approval on every call. **Trusted** runs without asking.

For the full Creator steps, see [Connect to Outside Systems](/unqorkai/docs/build-agent-overview#connect-to-outside-systems).

## Access and Data

The Build Agent always acts with the Creator's own access. It cannot read a page or file that the Creator cannot open in the other system. Content a connector retrieves is sent to the Build Agent's model with the Creator's prompt. For how UnqorkAI handles that data, see [Data, Privacy, and Security for UnqorkAI](/unqorkai/docs/data-privacy-and-security-for-unqorkai).

An administrator can turn a connector off at any time. Its settings and each Creator's connection are kept. Deleting a connector removes its settings and every Creator's connection.

---

**Changelog**

| Date | Change |
| --- | --- |
| 2026-11-12 | Added the Add files or connectors icon to the navigation step. |
| 2026-11-06 | Created the article from the conceptual sections of MCP Connectors Administration, with a new Who Does What table. |

A functionality of a software. For example, Copy and Paste is a feature of a computer's operating system.

APIs (application programming interfaces) are a set of protocols and definitions developers use to build and integrate application software. APIs act as the connective tissue between products and services.

Also known as Unqork Users, or Designer Users; is anyone who is inside the Unqork platform.

Also known as Unqork Users, or Designer Users; is anyone who is inside the Unqork platform.

A key-value pair is a fundamental data structure where a unique "key" is associated with a specific "value," used for organizing and retrieving data efficiently, like in dictionaries or databases.

Authentication secrets are a value of confidential information. For example, a password, security token, or cryptographic key, that is used to verify a user's identity during the authentication process to grant access to a system or application.

OAuth, or Open Authorization, is an authorization protocol that lets users grant third-party access to their information without sharing their passwords. OAuth is an industry standard that's used by many companies, including Google, Amazon, and Microsoft.

Fetching is the process of retrieving data from a database, making it available to the application and the end-user.

A definition