MCP Server

Last updated: October 27, 2026NIM service baseline: v7.0.1864

Preview feature

The NIM MCP server is currently in preview. Use caution when enabling it and allowing AI agents to access or modify NIM.

Developer guides

Give AI agents and MCP-compatible tools controlled access to NIM through the built-in Model Context Protocol server.

For use cases, AI-service choices, and an overview of administrator control, see AI-Assisted Identity Management.

NIM includes an embedded MCP server that exposes NIM tools over the Model Context Protocol, so AI agents and MCP clients can work with NIM data and automation directly. Access is administrator-controlled: every request must authenticate with either an API key or an authorized OAuth connection, and both are managed from the same place.

From the MCP access dialog you can also install a ready-made NIM plugin in Claude, ChatGPT or Antigravity. The plugin connects the assistant to this NIM instance and adds skills that teach it how to build NIM apps and filters.

1. Prepare NIM

Enable the endpoint, confirm its address, and choose API-key or OAuth authentication.

Set up access →

2. Connect your client

Choose the instructions for Claude, ChatGPT, Antigravity, or another MCP client.

Choose your client →

Need help connecting?

Find fixes for disabled downloads, missing filter rows, and incorrect server addresses.

Find a solution →

Supported actions

The connected NIM MCP tools support the following actions. The tools available to a connection depend on its tool tier. Reading customer data also requires customer data access.

Area	Supported actions
Connectors	List installed connectors, browse marketplace connectors, and install a connector version.
Systems	List, create, and configure systems; apply setup scenarios; enter credentials; test connections; collect fresh data; inspect status and collections.
Data relationships	Inspect fields and the data model; set primary keys; configure foreign keys and collection relationships; link matching fields across systems.
Filters	List, inspect, create, edit, test, and delete filters, including filters that join data across systems.
Apps and forms	List, inspect, create, and delete Apps; add or delete forms; build create, edit, delete, and password forms; add, configure, move, or remove form components.
Grids	Connect grids to filters; add, edit, reorder, and remove columns; add row buttons such as Edit, Delete, or View details.
App actions	Wire buttons and grid clicks to system functions, form navigation, variable resets, or form refreshes; update argument bindings and remove actions.
Validation and diagnostics	Validate Apps, inspect validation errors and warnings, and check the MCP server's build timestamp.

Identity operations depend on the connector. NIM can discover each system's available functions and their required inputs, then wire those functions into an App—for example, creating a user or resetting a password where supported.

Examples you can ask your connected assistant for:

• “Show my configured systems and their status.”
• “Build a filter for HR employees without an AD account.”
• “Create a user-management app with Edit and Delete dialogs.”
• “Check this app for broken actions or missing grid columns.”

Set up MCP access

Complete these steps as a NIM administrator before installing a plugin or connecting another MCP client.

Enable the MCP server

1. Go to Configuration → Settings → Preferences.
2. Turn on MCP API endpoint enabled.
3. If you want to support MCP clients that connect through an OAuth authorization flow (such as ChatGPT's connector flow) rather than an API key, also turn on MCP OAuth 2.1 connector support enabled.
4. Only if you work with test data and want an assistant to see row data, turn on MCP allow customer data access. See Customer data access.

All three settings are off by default. An administrator opening the MCP access dialog while one of them is disabled sees a warning banner linking back to this settings page.

note

The plugin downloads and install commands use the External host URL setting as this instance's address, not the address of the browser tab you are using. Make sure it holds the URL that your AI client can reach. Claude Code requires an https:// URL to install a plugin.

MCP endpoint URL

The NIM MCP endpoint is /api/mcp on your NIM server. Configure your MCP client with the full URL, using your NIM server's hostname and configured HTTP(S) port:

https://<nim-hostname>[:<port>]/api/mcp

For example, if NIM is available at https://nim.example.com, the MCP server URL is:

https://nim.example.com/api/mcp

If NIM uses a custom HTTPS port, include it, for example https://nim.example.com:8443/api/mcp. Use the protocol and port configured for your installation, and omit /index.html from the MCP URL. Use HTTPS for remote connections.

For a reverse proxy, use the client-facing URL that routes to /api/mcp on the NIM server. The client must be able to reach that address, and the endpoint must be enabled in Preferences. Authenticate using an API key or OAuth as described below.

Open the MCP access dialog

Administrators manage MCP access from their account menu:

1. Select your account name in the top bar.
2. Select MCP access. This option is only visible to administrators.

The MCP access dialog has six tabs:

Tab	Use it to
API Keys	Create and revoke keys for scripts and agents.
MCP Connections	Review and revoke applications authorized through OAuth.
Claude	Install the NIM plugin in Claude Code or Claude Desktop.
ChatGPT	Install the NIM plugin in ChatGPT, or add a custom connector.
Antigravity	Install the NIM plugin in Antigravity.
Manual	Get the MCP server URL and skills for any other MCP client.

Choosing between an API key and OAuth

Scenario	Recommended approach
A script, agent, or service you control connects directly	API key
An end user authorizes a third-party AI product (such as ChatGPT) to access their own NIM data	OAuth connection
Claude Desktop, ChatGPT or Antigravity plugin	OAuth connection
Claude Code plugin on an instance without OAuth	API key

An API key is tied to the administrator who created it and carries their permissions. Treat it like a password: store it securely, give it a descriptive name, and set an expiration when the integration is temporary.

Manage API keys and connections

Use the method selected during setup. Create an API key before connecting a client that requires one, or review an OAuth connection after the client has been authorized.

API keys

API Keys

Use an API key to let a script or agent authenticate directly, without an interactive OAuth flow.

• Create a key — enter a description (for example, Claude agent – production) so you can identify it later, and optionally a lifetime in days. Leave the lifetime empty for a key that never expires.
• Copy the key immediately. The full key is only ever shown once, right after creation. If it's lost, delete it and create a new one.
• The list shows each key's description, creation date, last-used date, and expiration date. An expired key is highlighted and can no longer authenticate.
• Select the delete icon next to a key to revoke it immediately.

Use the key in the Authorization header of requests to the MCP endpoint:

Authorization: NimApiKey <key>

OAuth connections

MCP Connections

This tab lists applications that have been authorized through the OAuth connector flow (available when MCP OAuth 2.1 connector support enabled is on), showing the application name, granted scope, and expiration.

Select the delete icon next to a connection to revoke its access immediately — the application must be re-authorized to reconnect.

Install the NIM plugin

The plugin bundles two things: the connection to this instance's MCP server, and two skills, nim-app-builder and nim-filter-builder, that guide the assistant when it builds or edits apps, forms, grids, actions and filters. NIM generates the plugin on request, so the connection already points at your instance and reflects your current settings.

Each client tab has an Allow this connection to access customer data checkbox. Leave it cleared unless you need it. See Customer data access.

Choose your client below. Each tab includes its authentication requirements and installation steps.

Claude

Claude

Open the Claude tab.

Claude Code

1. In a terminal with Claude Code installed, run the first command shown in the tab to add this instance as a plugin marketplace:

   /plugin marketplace add https://<your-nim-host>/api/mcp/claude-plugin/marketplace.json

2. Run the second command to install the plugin:

   /plugin install nimsuite@nimsuite-marketplace

3. Authenticate:

   • OAuth enabled: no key is needed. The first time Claude uses the connection it prompts you to authorize it in your browser. Run /mcp if it does not prompt.
   • OAuth disabled: Claude Code prompts for an API key when you install the plugin. Create the key on the API Keys tab first. To trigger the prompt again, run /plugin configure nimsuite@nimsuite-marketplace.

Use the copy buttons in the tab to copy each command with your instance's address filled in.

Claude Desktop

1. Select Download nimsuite.zip.
2. In Claude Desktop, go to Settings → Plugins → Upload from your computer and select the downloaded file.

Claude Desktop cannot prompt for an API key, so this requires MCP OAuth 2.1 connector support enabled. The download button is disabled until you turn it on.

ChatGPT

ChatGPT

Open the ChatGPT tab. ChatGPT only supports OAuth for a plugin's MCP connection, so this requires MCP OAuth 2.1 connector support enabled.

1. Select Download nimsuite-chatgpt.zip.
2. In the ChatGPT desktop app, go to Settings → Plugins → Browse plugins → Skills and select Upload from your computer. Choose the downloaded file.
3. Sign in when ChatGPT asks you to authorize the connection.

To add only the connection, without the skills, use the custom connector instead:

1. Copy the MCP server URL shown in the tab.
2. In ChatGPT, go to Settings → Connectors → Advanced settings and turn on Developer mode.
3. Select Create, paste the URL, and follow the sign-in prompt.

Antigravity

Antigravity

Open the Antigravity tab. This requires MCP OAuth 2.1 connector support enabled, because Antigravity plugins cannot supply a static API key at install time.

The plugin connects through mcp-remote (started with npx) instead of Antigravity's built-in remote connection, which currently has an OAuth problem. mcp-remote handles the sign-in itself. Node.js 18 or later must be available on the machine that runs Antigravity.

1. Select Download nimsuite-antigravity.zip and unzip it into a folder.

2. Install the plugin from that folder:

   /plugin install <path-to-folder>

   From a shell, run agy plugin install <path-to-folder> instead.

3. The first time the plugin connects, mcp-remote opens your browser so you can authorize it.

Other clients

Other MCP clients

Open the Manual tab to connect a client that has no NIM plugin:

1. Copy the MCP server URL and add it to your client. The server uses the Streamable HTTP transport.
2. Authenticate with an API key in the Authorization: NimApiKey <key> header, or, if OAuth is enabled, let your client run the OAuth sign-in.
3. Optionally select Download nimsuite-skills.zip and unzip it into the folder your client reads skills from. The archive holds only the two skills, with no connection settings.

Customer data access

By default the MCP server does not return customer data. For example, the filter test tool returns the columns a filter produces but no rows. Letting an assistant read row data takes two steps, so a single mistake cannot expose real user data:

1. An administrator turns on MCP allow customer data access in Configuration → Settings → Preferences.
2. The connection opts in. On the plugin and connector tabs, select Allow this connection to access customer data before you copy a command or download a file. This adds access_customer_data=allowed to the connection URL.

If the preference is off, the checkbox is disabled and the tab links to the setting. Even if a client sends access_customer_data=allowed, the server ignores it while the preference is off.

warning

Only enable customer data access on instances that hold test data. Anything an assistant can read is processed by the AI service you connected.

The checkbox only affects what you copy or download while it is selected. It resets to cleared each time you open the dialog, and it does not change connections you already installed. To change an installed connection, install the plugin again or edit its URL.

Advanced connection options

These options are query parameters on the MCP server URL (/api/mcp). The plugins downloaded from NIM already include the defaults, so most administrators never need them.

Tool tiers and compact descriptions

Tool tiers

The tier parameter chooses which tools a connection exposes. A capable model can use the full tool set to plan the work, while smaller models each connect to one narrow tier, which keeps their tool lists small.

Tier	Tools exposed
expert (default)	Everything. Intended for a coordinating model.
systems	Connectors, systems, scenarios, collection structure and inter-system relations.
filters	Filter create, edit, test and validation tools.
apps-build	App and form structure, composed items, validation and CRUD forms.
apps-grid	Grid data sources and columns.
apps-actions	Buttons and system actions.

For example, https://<your-nim-host>/api/mcp?tier=filters. An unknown tier value falls back to expert.

note

The earlier basic tier no longer exists. A connection that still uses ?tier=basic now gets the full expert tool set. Switch it to one of the tiers above.

Compact tool descriptions

Add descriptions=compact (for example, ?tier=filters&descriptions=compact) to send shorter tool descriptions. Use this only for a model that was fine-tuned on the NIM tool set. A general-purpose model works better with the default full descriptions.

Troubleshooting

Choose the card that matches your symptom. After correcting settings, reopen MCP access and retry the affected connection or download.

A plugin download is disabled or fails

!

Problem

A plugin download is disabled or fails

Likely cause

The MCP server or OAuth support is turned off. ChatGPT, Antigravity, and Claude Desktop downloads require OAuth support.

Resolution

1. Open Configuration → Settings → Preferences.
2. Turn on MCP API endpoint enabled and MCP OAuth 2.1 connector support enabled.
3. Reopen MCP access and retry the download.

The assistant cannot see filter rows

!

Problem

The assistant cannot see filter rows

Likely cause

Customer data access is disabled in Preferences or the connection has not opted in. By default, filter tests return column information without rows.

Resolution

1. Confirm the instance contains test data before enabling row access.
2. Follow both steps in Customer data access: enable the preference and opt in for the connection.
3. For an installed connection, reinstall the plugin or update its URL; changing the download checkbox does not update existing connections.
4. Retry the filter test.

The plugin uses the wrong address

!

Problem

The plugin uses the wrong address

Likely cause

The External host URL setting is empty or incorrect. Generated plugin commands and downloads use that setting, rather than the address in your browser tab.

Resolution

1. Set External host URL in Configuration → Settings → Preferences to the address your AI client can reach.
2. Use an HTTPS address for Claude Code plugin installation.
3. Install the plugin again using the updated download or commands, then retry the connection.

Service version notes

The experimental MCP server was announced in v6.0.1839. OAuth 2.1 support followed in v6.0.1850; MCP plugins and additional performance/security changes were announced in v7.0.1864. The current guide's baseline includes those later features.

Report a problem with this page

Found an error or a missing step? Open the feedback form and describe what needs changing. The article details and Documentation topic are filled in for you.

Need help with your NIM environment? Contact Support.