Tools overview

Tools enable Glean Assistant and agents to perform operations such as creating tickets, posting comments, searching records, and updating fields directly within your connected connectors on behalf of users.

After configured, tools are available across these surfaces:

• Assistant: Users invoke tools conversationally, for example, typing Create a Jira ticket for this.
• Agents: Tools serve as functional steps within multi-step agent workflows.
• Glean MCP Server: Tools are exposed in Glean MCP servers for all or some teammates.

Prerequisites

To configure and manage tools, ensure you have the following:

• Admin console access: You must have access to the Glean Admin console. For an overview, see About the Admin console.
• Required administrator role: You must be assigned either the Admin or Setup Admin role. For detailed role capabilities, see Administrator roles.
• Connected connectors: For tools that extend an existing indexed connector, first connect and verify the underlying connector in Glean. Catalog MCP-only integrations establish their tool connection during connector setup.

Tools console overview

Use Admin console → Connectors → Add connector to discover and set up catalog MCP integrations. See Set up tools and MCP integrations from Connectors to choose an entry. Use Admin console → Platform → Tools to manage tools, continue an existing MCP configuration, or import a custom server that isn't in the catalog.

The Tools dashboard has three primary areas:

• Enabled tools: Displays live tools available to your users, including their connection status and enabled surfaces (Assistant, Agents, or Glean MCP Server).
• Add tool: A catalog of pre-built, native tools for supported external connectors.
• Import from MCP server: A utility to connect a custom Model Context Protocol (MCP) server and import custom tools not covered by native tools.

Understand tools

Tools are grouped by connector. For example, the Jira Extension Tools bundle search, create, edit, comment, and Jira Service Management (JSM) operations under a single connection framework.

Each tool grouping provides granular administrative control, including:

• An independent OAuth connection to the target connector.
• Dedicated activation toggles for Assistant and Agents availability.
• Per-tool controls to enable or disable specific operational endpoints.
• Visibility scoping to restrict which users or groups can invoke the tools.

After you add tools, authenticate them, choose whether they are available in Assistant, Agents, or both, then configure per-tool controls and visibility.

Setup guides by tool

To find and configure a specific tool, browse the Set up tools catalog. Search by name or filter by category (By Glean, By connector, or Custom tools), then open a guide to connect and configure the tool.

note

For custom or proprietary integrations, see Importing tools from an MCP server.

Advanced configuration topics

After adding tools, optimize their deployment using these detailed configuration guides:

Enabling tools for Chat vs Agents

Control which interface surface can access specific tools.

Per-tool enable/disable

Turn off specific risk-heavy operations, such as delete or archive.

Tool visibility scoping

Restrict tool availability to specific users, teams, or departments.

Run tools without user confirmation

Allow background agents to execute write tools autonomously.

Managing tool access

Restrict which agent builders can provision specific tools.

Allowing in-line execution of write tools

Remove confirmation steps for a seamless user experience in interactive agents.

Custom MCP headers

Request custom HTTP headers for third-party MCP servers and API gateways.