MCP Server

AgentGate includes a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for integration with Claude Desktop and other MCP-compatible clients.

Overview

The MCP server allows AI assistants like Claude to request human approvals naturally as part of conversations. When Claude needs to perform a sensitive action, it can use the MCP tools to request approval before proceeding.

Claude Desktop Setup

Add to your claude_desktop_config.json:

macOS

// ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "agentgate": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["@agentgate/mcp"],
      "env": {
        "AGENTGATE_URL": "http://localhost:3000",
        "AGENTGATE_API_KEY": "agk_your_api_key"
      }
    }
  }
}

Windows

// %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "agentgate": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["@agentgate/mcp"],
      "env": {
        "AGENTGATE_URL": "http://localhost:3000",
        "AGENTGATE_API_KEY": "agk_your_api_key"
      }
    }
  }
}

After saving, restart Claude Desktop.

Available Tools

The MCP server exposes three tools:

request_approval

Create a new approval request.

Parameters:

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
action	string	Yes	Action identifier
params	object	No	Action parameters
context	object	No	Additional context
urgency	string	No	low, normal, high, critical

Example usage in Claude:

"Request approval to send an email to john@example.com"

Claude will call:

{
  "action": "send_email",
  "params": { "to": "john@example.com" },
  "urgency": "normal"
}

check_request

Get the status of an approval request.

Parameters:

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
requestId	string	Yes	Request ID to check

Example usage:

"Check the status of request req_abc123"

list_requests

List pending approval requests.

Parameters:

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
status	string	No	Filter by status
limit	number	No	Max results (default: 10)

Example usage:

"Show me all pending approval requests"

Conversation Example

Here's how a typical conversation might flow:

User: Send an email to our investor with the Q4 report attached.

Claude: I'll need approval to send that email. Let me request that.

[Claude calls request_approval]

I've created approval request req_abc123 to send the email. You can approve it in the AgentGate dashboard or Slack. Would you like me to check on the status?

User: Yes, check if it's been approved.

[Claude calls check_request]

Claude: The request has been approved by @jane. I'll send the email now.

Environment Variables

Variable	Required	Description
AGENTGATE_URL	Yes	AgentGate server URL
AGENTGATE_API_KEY	Yes	API key for authentication

Running Standalone

For testing or development:

# Install globally
npm install -g @agentgate/mcp

# Run directly
AGENTGATE_URL=http://localhost:3000 \
AGENTGATE_API_KEY=agk_... \
agentgate-mcp

Building from Source

# From the monorepo
pnpm --filter @agentgate/mcp build

# Test locally
node packages/mcp/dist/index.js

Other MCP Clients

The MCP server works with any MCP-compatible client, not just Claude Desktop. Configure it as a stdio-based MCP server pointing to @agentgate/mcp.