The Model Context Protocol (MCP) is the open standard for connecting AI tools to external services. With adoption by OpenAI, Google, and Anthropic, and 13,000+ servers in the ecosystem, MCP gives NIOM access to virtually any tool or service — without custom integrations.
NIOM acts as an MCP Client. You connect it to MCP servers, and their tools become available to the agent automatically.
What you can connect
NIOM
├── github:// → Create PRs, review code, manage issues
├── gdrive:// → Read/write documents and spreadsheets
├── slack:// → Post messages, search channels
├── calendar:// → Schedule events, block focus time
└── ...anything in the MCP ecosystem
Connect a server
Option 1: Via API (instant)
curl -X POST http://localhost:3001/mcp/connect \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{
"name": "github",
"command": "github-mcp-server",
"env": { "GITHUB_TOKEN": "ghp_..." }
}'
{
"status": "connected",
"tools": ["create_pr", "list_issues", "get_file_contents", "..."]
}
Option 2: Via config (auto-connects on boot)
Add to ~/.niom/config.json:
{
"mcp": [
{
"name": "github",
"command": "github-mcp-server",
"args": [],
"env": { "GITHUB_TOKEN": "ghp_..." }
},
{
"name": "filesystem",
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem", "/path/to/dir"]
}
]
}
What happens behind the scenes
- Spawn — NIOM starts the MCP server as a child process (stdio transport)
- Discover — Queries the server for available tools and converts them to AI SDK format
- Merge — MCP tools are combined with built-in tools via
getAllTools()
- Inform — The agent’s system prompt is updated so it knows what’s available
- Use — The agent calls MCP tools naturally, alongside built-in tools
MCP tools appear seamlessly next to built-in tools. The agent doesn’t distinguish between a built-in readFile and an MCP github.create_pr — they’re all just tools it can use.
Manage your connections
# See what's connected
curl http://localhost:3001/mcp/servers
# Disconnect a server
curl -X DELETE http://localhost:3001/mcp/github
Popular servers to try
| Server | Install command | What it gives you |
|---|
| GitHub | github-mcp-server | PRs, issues, code review, file contents |
| Filesystem | @modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem | Enhanced file operations with watching |
| Google Drive | gdrive-mcp-server | Read/write docs and spreadsheets |
| Slack | slack-mcp-server | Messages, channels, search |
| Brave Search | @anthropic/mcp-server-brave-search | Web search (alternative to built-in) |
