How Glean's MCP servers connect your tools to AI, bringing your company's full context wherever your AI runs
MCP Architecture
MCP uses a client/server architecture:- MCP Host Application (e.g., Claude Desktop, Cursor, or a custom AI app):
The AI application a user interacts with. It uses an MCP client to communicate with servers. - MCP Server (e.g., Glean MCP servers):
Exposes tools that the host application’s LLM can invoke.
Key Benefits of Glean MCP Integration
Unified, High-Relevance Search
Unlike native MCP servers from individual apps (e.g., Jira, Slack) that offer siloed results, Glean MCP servers query Glean’s unified Knowledge Graph. This delivers more relevant, permission-aware results across all connected sources.
Accessing Enterprise Context
Bring Glean’s permission-aware enterprise context into your preferred MCP hosts. Tools like search, chat, and read_document surface organization-specific content (documents, tickets, people, code) while enforcing user permissions, so users can act with the right context without leaving their workflow.
Enhanced Security
While MCP’s open standard has an evolving security model, Glean’s integration is built on its permission-aware Knowledge Graph, enforcing strict user-level access control.
Ecosystem Compatibility
As an industry standard, MCP reduces vendor lock-in. Glean’s approach to MCP makes it a “plug-and-play” component for any compliant AI agent or app.
Bring Glean to Any App
Developers and power users can access Glean’s search, chat, and agents directly in their preferred tools (e.g., Cursor, VS Code, Claude Desktop, ChatGPT) reducing context switching.
Common Use Cases
Enterprise Context in AI Tools
Enable permission-aware search and document retrieval within editors and chat apps.
Developer Workflows
Use Glean context in IDEs (e.g., Cursor, VS Code) for debugging, PR reviews, and code navigation.
Contextual Q&A
Run Glean Search and Chat inside hosts like Claude Desktop and ChatGPT to answer work-specific questions.
Supported Hosts
The following hosts are supported for connecting to Glean MCP servers.
Admin-managed configuration
ChatGPT
Admin-managedConfiguration guide • Documentation
Claude for Teams/Enterprise
Admin-managedConfiguration guide • Documentation
End-user configuration
Claude Code
End-user installConfiguration guide • Documentation
Claude Desktop
End-user installConfiguration guide • Documentation
Cursor
End-user installConfiguration guide • Documentation
Goose
End-user installConfiguration guide • Documentation
Visual Studio Code
End-user installConfiguration guide • Documentation
Windsurf
End-user installConfiguration guide • Documentation
MCP Configurator
Users can access the MCP Configurator for host-specific setup instructions:
Open MCP Configurator
The MCP Configurator provides tailored connection instructions, configuration snippets, and OAuth setup for each supported host application.
Using Tools Effectively
LLMs choose tools based on your prompt and the server’s tool schema. To improve tool selection across hosts:- State the data or action you want explicitly (e.g., “search Glean for …”, “fetch the document …”).
- Reference tool-friendly inputs like document links or IDs when you have them.
- Ask the assistant to explain which tool it plans to use when debugging behavior.
Authentication
MCP servers support the following authentication methods, in order of preference:Glean OAuth Authorization Server
Uses Glean’s OAuth server with dynamic client registration. MCP hosts authenticate users through your existing SSO, then receive OAuth tokens for secure API access.Requires the Glean OAuth Authorization Server to be enabled.
Glean API Tokens
User-scoped Client API tokens can be used when the MCP host doesn’t support OAuth or for testing purposes.Requires scopes:
MCP, AGENT, SEARCH, CHAT, DOCUMENTS, TOOLS, and ENTITIES.Pricing and Availability
- This beta feature is currently in development. It is not yet generally available, and its use is subject to Preview Terms.
- There is no extra charge for using this feature during the beta period, but is subject to change as this product exits beta.
Usage Metrics
Glean tracks anonymized adoption metrics including:- Active user counts (daily, weekly, monthly)
- Host application breakdown
- Tool usage frequency
Technical Support
- Beta: Support via Developer Community group in Gleaniverse
- GA: Support via standard Glean support channels
Security and Privacy
User Session Management. Your Admin can continue to sign a user out of all sessions — including those from MCP host applications — via the Glean Admin UI. Privacy and Data Protection. Remote MCP Servers inherit Glean platform privacy guarantees and are covered under Glean’s Data Processing Addendum (DPA). All queries enforce user permissions via Glean’s Knowledge Graph.Resources
- Admin setup overview: Setting up Glean MCP Servers
- Managed installs:
- Troubleshooting: MCP Connectivity