Remote MCP servers

Connecting to a hosted MCP server over HTTP, how authentication works, and what to check when one will not connect.

Updated September 2, 2026

A remote MCP server runs somewhere else and is reached over HTTP. This is the usual shape for a hosted or team-wide server.

Adding one

MCP → Add Remote Server, then give it a name and URL:

Name:  linear
URL:   https://mcp.example.com/mcp

The name is how you identify it later — in the server list, and when disabling it. Pick something you will recognise in six months.

Authentication

Servers on mcp.toolsxpo.com are authenticated automatically with your ToolsXpo credential. Nothing to configure.

For others, the server decides. Many use OAuth: connect, and the editor opens a browser for you to authorise. Others take a header, which you can set in the configuration file.

Shared across your apps

The configuration lives at ~/.toolsxpo/data/settings/toolsxpo_mcp_settings.json, which every ToolsXpo app reads. Add a server here and the CLI has it too.

When it will not connect

Check the URL includes the path. Most servers expose /mcp rather than the bare host. A 404 here usually means the path is missing.

Check the timeout. The timeout field in the settings file is in seconds, not milliseconds. A server that is slow to start needs a larger number, and mistaking the unit is the most common cause of a server that "never connects".

Read the error on the row. A failed server shows why, and it is usually specific — a TLS failure, a 401, a refused connection.

Restart just that server. The refresh icon on its row reconnects without touching anything else.

Disabling versus deleting

Disable when you want it back later — the configuration is kept. Delete only when you are done with it.