MCP Tools

The Model Context Protocol (MCP) connects FlowDown to external copilots, file systems, and APIs. MCP runs on FlowDown’s tool-calling pipeline, so confirmations, logging, and the optional “Skip Tool Confirmation” toggle behave the same as other tools.

::: warning Only connect to MCP servers you trust—they can receive the full conversation context and attachment metadata. :::

Add & Configure Servers

  1. Open Settings → Tools → MCP Servers, then tap + → Create Server (HTTP/HTTPS only).
  2. Enter the Endpoint (usually ending with /mcp/) and any Headers (JSON map for auth/tenant tokens sent with every request). Add a Nickname for display; otherwise FlowDown shows the host name. Transport is fixed to Streamable HTTP.
  3. Turn on Enabled to auto-reconnect and sync tools; turn it off to pause the server without deleting it.
  4. Tap Verify Configuration to handshake and list available tools. After verification, the list shows Connected / Connecting / Disconnected.

Server configuration modal

Import / Export

  • Export from Management → Export Server in server details or from the row context menu. FlowDown creates a .fdmcp file you can share or back up.
  • Import via + → Import from File, by dragging a .fdmcp into the list, or by opening a .fdmcp file/URL in FlowDown (for example from Files or AirDrop).

Using MCP Tools in a Conversation

  • Enabled servers reconnect automatically during conversation prep; their tools are appended when the chosen model supports tool calls.
  • When a model requests an MCP tool, FlowDown shows a confirmation alert with the server and tool names plus the tool description. The global Skip Tool Confirmation toggle (Settings → Tools) also applies.
  • Approve to run the tool. Results appear in the reasoning panel: text is inlined, and image/audio outputs are attached so you and the model can inspect them. Errors are logged.
  • Status badges in MCP settings reflect the live connection; re-run Verify Configuration if a server looks stuck.

Tool integration and MCP server list

Example scenarios

  • “List the files in my project” → file-system MCP server.
  • “Summarize the latest pull requests” → GitHub MCP server.
  • “Send an email to the team” → mail MCP server.

Supported Transports

  • HTTP / HTTPS streaming only. App sandboxing blocks stdio transports, and SSE support is deprecated, so neither is available.

Best Practices

  • Review the server’s privacy scope and credentials before enabling; keep secrets in headers minimal and rotate them regularly.
  • Disable servers when not needed to avoid background reconnections.
  • Audit tool calls from Settings → Support → Logs and keep only the servers required for current conversations.

Advanced: edit .fdmcp manually

You can export a .fdmcp file, edit a few fields, and re-import:

  • name: custom nickname; if blank, FlowDown falls back to the host name.
  • timeout: request timeout in seconds (integer).

After editing, import via MCP Servers → + → Import from File or open the file directly in FlowDown, then run Verify Configuration to validate.