Create MCP Servers

Once you've enabled Glean MCP server, you can create custom MCP servers tailored to specific use cases. Each server has its own URL and can be configured with a specific set of tools.

Creating a New MCP Server

Navigate to MCP servers

In the Admin Console, go to Platform → Glean MCP server and click Create server.

Configure server details

Fill in the server configuration form:

Server name: Choose a short, user-friendly name to easily identify this server.

Use descriptive names that indicate the server's purpose (e.g., "Engineering Tools", "Product Research")
This name will be visible to users when they connect MCP host applications

Server path: Define a simple path identifier for the server.

Use simple names like sales or engineering-tools
Avoid special characters or spaces

Server URL: This is automatically generated based on your path and cannot be edited.

Format: https://tenant_id-be.glean.com/mcp/[your-path]. Copy your full backend URL from app.glean.com/admin/about-glean under Server instance (QE), and replace https://tenant_id-be.glean.com with it.

Select tools

Choose which tools to enable for this server. You can add:

Built-in Glean tools (search, chat, code search, etc.)
Glean agents as tools

See the sections below for details on available tools.

Enable the server

Toggle the server status to Enabled to make it active and available for connections.

Server Design Best Practices

tip

Design each server for a single, specific purpose - Keep enabled tools to the minimum needed. Some hosts cap totals (e.g., ChatGPT limits to a specific number of tools per server). Focus on quality over quantity.

Examples of Well-Designed Servers

Coding Server: search, read_document, code_search
Development Server: code_search, employee_search, meeting_lookup
General Knowledge: search, chat, read_document

Avoid creating one server with all tools enabled. This can:

Overwhelm the LLM in the host application
Make tool selection less accurate
Hit host-specific tool limits

Built-in Tools

Glean provides the following built-in tools that can be added to any MCP server. You can mix and match any combination of these tools based on your server's purpose:

Search

Search across your entire knowledge base with permission-aware results.

Tool name: search

Chat

Interactive conversations with Glean's AI assistant.

Tool name: chat

Read Memory

Access user memories and personalization.

Tool name: read_memory

Read Document

Retrieve specific documents by ID or URL.

Tool name: read_document

Code Search

Search your codebase and repositories.

Tool name: code_search

Employee Search

Find people and expertise in your organization.

Tool name: employee_search

Gmail Search

Search Gmail messages and threads.

Tool name: gmail_search

Meeting Lookup

Find meeting recordings and notes.

Tool name: meeting_lookup

Outlook Search

Search Outlook emails and calendar.

Tool name: outlook_search

Adding Agents as Tools

Unlock Custom AI Capabilities

Transform your Glean Agents into reusable MCP tools that can be invoked from any MCP host application. This powerful feature lets you create specialized, company-specific capabilities that extend beyond standard search and retrieval.

Example use cases:

PR Review Agent

Analyze pull requests and provide structured feedback on code quality, patterns, and best practices

Competitive Analysis

Research competitors and synthesize insights from internal documents, market data, and customer feedback

Onboarding Glean

Help new hires find relevant docs, team contacts, and setup guides tailored to their role

Getting started:

See the Agents as Tools guide for:

How to add an agent as a tool
Agent constraints and limitations
Best practices for agent design

Managing Existing Servers

To modify an existing server:

Navigate to Platform → Glean MCP server
Click on the server name to view its configuration
Make your changes (add/remove tools, rename, etc.)
Changes take effect immediately for new connections

note

Existing connections: Users with active MCP connections may need to refresh or reconnect their host application to see updated tool availability.

Server URLs

Each server has a unique URL that is automatically generated based on the server path you provide:

https://tenant_id-be.glean.com/mcp/[server-path]

Copy your full backend URL from app.glean.com/admin/about-glean under Server instance (QE), and replace https://tenant_id-be.glean.com with it.

For example, a server with path engineering would automatically generate a URL like:

https://tenant_id-be.glean.com/mcp/engineering

This URL is displayed in the configuration form (read-only) after you enter the server path. Share this URL with users who need to connect to this specific server from their MCP host applications.

Next Steps

Configure agents as tools to add custom capabilities to your servers
Review MCP best practices for optimal configuration
Share the end-user guide with your team

Creating a New MCP Server​

Server Design Best Practices​

Examples of Well-Designed Servers​

Built-in Tools​