Connect an existing server
Paste your MCP server URL to use Chat, testing, publish checks, and the submission pack without Manufact hosting.
Use this path when your MCP server is already hosted elsewhere and you want Manufact's gateway, dashboard tools, and publish workflow without deploying code on the platform.
Manufact creates an external (URL-connected) server that proxies your endpoint through the gateway. There is no build, deployment, or repository connection.
When to use this
- You run MCP on your own infrastructure, another cloud, or a third-party host
- You want Chat, the inspector (Tools, Prompts, Resources), Testing, the publish checklist, and the submission pack
- You do not need Manufact-hosted deployments, runtime logs, environment variables, analytics, observability, Public Chat, or custom domains
For full hosting with auto-deploy on push, see the Quickstart or Creating servers.
Where to start
You can connect by URL from three places:
| Entry point | Route |
|---|---|
| Servers → New Server | Scroll to Connect an existing server at the bottom of the new-server page |
| Onboarding → Connect | First sign-in wizard, Connect tile — see Onboarding |
| Marketing CTAs | Log in via /cloud/connect-external (with optional url and feature query params) |
Step-by-step
- Paste the full MCP endpoint URL, for example
https://your-mcp-server.com/mcp. Manufact acceptshttp://andhttps://URLs. - After you stop typing, Manufact probes the endpoint (about 750 ms debounce) to discover capabilities and read the server name.
- If the server requires OAuth, click Authenticate, complete the flow, then continue.
- When the status shows Connected, click Connect.
- Manufact creates the server and opens:
- New Server page → server Overview
- Onboarding → publish checklist with
autorun=1
OAuth
External servers that use OAuth store tokens on the server record after you authenticate. If your endpoint's auth requirements change, reconnect from Settings → External MCP URL.
What you get vs. hosted servers
| Feature | External (URL-connected) | Manufact-hosted |
|---|---|---|
| Overview, Chat, Tools, Prompts, Resources | Yes | Yes |
| Testing, Checklist, Submission pack | Yes | Yes |
| Public Chat | No | Yes |
| Deployments, preview environments | No | Yes |
| Runtime logs | No | Yes |
| Environment variables | No | Yes |
| Analytics, Observability | No | Yes |
| Domains (slug / custom) | No | Yes |
Hosted servers route traffic through Manufact's build and deploy pipeline. External servers proxy live requests to your URL through the gateway.
Update the URL later
Open the server's Settings tab. External servers show External MCP URL instead of Repository. Paste a new URL, re-authenticate if needed, and click Save. See Server settings.
Programmatic creation
There is no CLI or Manufact MCP tool to create external servers today. Creation is designed for the dashboard flow above. The REST API accepts POST /api/v1/servers with type: "external" and a url field for integrations that need it.