Connect MCP servers and API tools

Your knowledge tells Pluno how your product works. Live connections tell it what is true for this customer right now: the status of an order, the plan on an account, whether a payment went through.

Pluno can get live data in two ways:

• MCP servers, which you add yourself.
• Custom API tools, which the Pluno team sets up for you.

How Pluno uses a connection#

At the start of each answer, Pluno connects to the servers enabled for that module and sees the tools they offer. It then decides for itself whether a tool would help, and calls it during the answer.

Your customer sees only the reply. Your agents see Copilot's suggestion, which may mention the data it used.

If a server does not respond within 10 seconds, Pluno answers without it. If an answer must never go out without a lookup, say so in a workflow, for example "If you cannot check the order status, escalate."

Add an MCP server#

1. In the Pluno web app, open Settings, then MCP & API connections.

2. On the MCP Servers tab, select Add MCP Server.

3. Fill in the fields:

   Field	What to enter
   Name	A name your team will recognize
   Description (optional)	When and how Pluno should use this server. Pluno reads this as guidance, so be specific
   Server URL	The HTTPS address of a Streamable HTTP MCP endpoint, reachable from the internet
   Bearer token (optional)	The token Pluno should send, if your server requires one. It is never shown again after you save

4. Choose who may use the server:

   • Copilot is on by default. AI Copilot can use the tools when it prepares suggestions for your agents.
   • Deflection is off by default. Switch it on to let Deflection AI use the tools in automatic replies.

5. Select Test connection & discover tools. Pluno lists every tool the server offers.

6. Select Save.

Keep it safe#

Three practices keep connections safe:

• Prefer read-only tools. This matters most for Deflection, which replies without a person in the loop.
• Limit access at the source. Pluno has no per-tool switches. Decide what Pluno may do by choosing which tools your server exposes and what the token is allowed to do.
• Make actions safe to repeat. If you do expose an action that changes something, build it so that calling it twice has the same effect as calling it once.

Check or change a server#

On the MCP Servers tab, each server shows its name, URL and whether it is enabled for Copilot or Deflection.

• View tools connects to the server and lists its tools. Use it to confirm the server is reachable.
• The pencil icon edits the server. Leave the token field blank to keep the saved token. If you change the URL, enter the token again.
• The trash icon deletes the server. Its tools are no longer available to Pluno.

To pause a server without deleting it, switch off both Copilot and Deflection.

Custom API tools#

If your data sits behind a regular REST API instead of an MCP server, the Pluno team can connect it for you.

• Tools make GET or POST requests to your API.
• Their inputs are set up in advance, for example from the ticket's requester or organization fields, so Pluno cannot send arbitrary values.
• Each tool can be enabled for Copilot, Deflection or both.

To request one, open the API Tools tab and select Contact us.

Related#

• Connect Shopify for order and customer data, without building anything.
• Write Deflection workflows to tell Pluno when a lookup is required before it answers.