About Glean MCP server
The Model Context Protocol (MCP) is an emerging open-source standard designed to act as a universal interface, enabling AI assistants to securely connect with external data and tools — without requiring custom integrations. Think of it as a "USB for AI applications", providing a standard way for large language models (LLMs) to discover and use capabilities in other tools.
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 like 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 like Glean MCP server:
Exposes tools that the LLM of the host application can invoke.
Glean MCP server capabilities
A Glean MCP server can expose different kinds of capabilities to connected AI hosts:
- Glean tools: Glean's own platform tools, such as Search, Chat, Read Document, Code Search, People, Artifacts, and Image generation.
- Agents: Glean agents, surfaced as tools that hosts can invoke. See Agents as tools.
- External tools: Everything outside Glean's platform, brought in through the Glean MCP Gateway:
- Custom tools: Read and write tools your team builds and packages in Glean.
- External MCP servers: Third-party MCP servers you proxy securely through Glean.
- Connector tools: Read and write tools from your connectors.
Discover tools on demand
Glean recommends the Dynamic skills and tools managed toolset when users need access to connected tools without loading the full catalog into their MCP host. The host discovers skills and tools as needed. Glean also adapts the tools available for direct calls based on each user's recent tool usage, so the host can reuse those tools without repeating discovery.
The personalized tool list is included with dynamic tools in supported hosts, with no separate configuration. Existing tool permissions still apply. See Personalized tool list for details.
Choose the right Glean interface
Use Glean MCP tools for applications where an LLM discovers and calls tools. For integrations that need stable, documented request and response schemas, use the Glean REST APIs where equivalent functionality is available. See Choosing a retrieval interface for guidance on selecting an interface.
Glean MCP tool definitions and responses can change in any release. See MCP response format and stability.
Glean plugin for Cursor, Claude Code, and Codex
Glean also provides plugins for Cursor, Claude Code, and Codex. The plugins discover skills and tools dynamically and run them through Glean's governed gateway.
You can use a plugin alongside a standard Glean MCP connection. Glean uses the connection best suited to each request.
- Admin setup: Glean plugin for coding hosts
- User guide: Use the Glean plugin
- Codex installation: Glean Plugin for Codex
Key benefits of Glean MCP integration
Unified, High-Relevance Search
While individual native MCP servers restrict searches to a single application like Jira or Slack, the Glean MCP server leverages Glean’s unified Knowledge Graph. By querying this centralized graph, it delivers context-aware, permission-enforced results spanning all connected enterprise 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 preferred tools such as Cursor, VS Code, Claude Desktop, and ChatGPT — without switching context.
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 (for example, 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 server.
Antigravity
Antigravity CLI
ChatGPT
Claude Code
Claude for Desktop
Claude for Teams/Enterprise
Codex
Cursor
Cursor Agent
Cursor Team MCP Servers
Gemini CLI
Gemini Enterprise
Gemini Agents
Goose
JetBrains AI Assistant
Junie (JetBrains)
LibreChat
Linear
Microsoft Copilot Studio
OpenCode
VS Code
Windsurf
This list covers the hosts we've explicitly tested and documented. Glean also works with any other MCP-compliant client — in the MCP Configurator, choose Custom and use your Glean MCP server URL.
MCP configurator
Users can access the MCP Configurator for host-specific setup instructions:
Access the MCP Configurator
The MCP Configurator provides tailored connection instructions, configuration snippets, and OAuth setup for each supported host application.
To access: Select your profile icon → Your settings → Install tab → MCP Configurator section
Use tools effectively
LLMs choose tools based on your prompt and the tool schema of the server. To improve tool selection across hosts:
- State the data or tool you want explicitly (for example, "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
Recommended
Glean MCP server prefer using the Glean OAuth Authorization Server with the OAuth 2.1 Authorization Code flow and PKCE. This supports:
- Dynamic client registration (DCR) for MCP hosts that discover and register with Glean at runtime.
- Static OAuth clients that admins create for specific integrations or external MCP servers when DCR is not available.
MCP hosts authenticate users through your existing SSO, such as Google Workspace, Microsoft Entra ID, or Okta. They then receive OAuth tokens from Glean for secure API access. This method requires the Glean OAuth Authorization Server to be enabled.
Glean API Tokens
Fallback
User-scoped Client API tokens can be used when the MCP host doesn't support OAuth or for testing purposes.
Requires the MCP scope. No other scopes are needed for MCP access.
Pricing
This feature is subject to usage-based pricing and these supplemental FlexCredit terms.
Usage metrics
Glean tracks anonymized adoption metrics including:
- Active user counts (daily, weekly, monthly)
- Host application breakdown
- Tool usage frequency
To view your metrics, contact your Glean account team. For a full overview of tracking capabilities and alternative methods to measure MCP usage, see Usage tracking and analytics.
Technical support
- Beta: Support via Developer Community group in Gleaniverse
- GA: Support via standard Glean support channels
Security and privacy
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User session management: Your Admin can continue to sign a user out of all sessions including those from MCP host applications through the Glean Admin UI.
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Privacy and data protection: Remote MCP servers inherit Glean platform privacy guarantees and are covered under the Data Processing Addendum (DPA) of Glean. All queries enforce user permissions through the Knowledge Graph of Glean.
For a detailed security overview covering deployment, authentication, authorization, and monitoring, see MCP Security.
See also
- Admin setup overview: Setting up Glean MCP server
- Managed installs:
- Usage tracking: Usage tracking and analytics
- Troubleshooting: MCP Connectivity
- OAuth configuration and token lifecycle: Glean OAuth Authorization Server