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Agent Gateway

Connector Tools

Expose individual connector operations as MCP tools for quick, granular access to your integrated systems.

Connector Tools expose individual operations from Tray's 700+ connectors as MCP tools. Unlike Workflow Tools that execute entire workflows, Connector Tools provide direct access to specific connector operations.

What are Connector Tools?

Connector Tools are individual connector operations made available through your MCP server. Each operation becomes a separate tool that AI agents can discover and execute.

Key benefits:

  • Quick setup - No workflow building required
  • Granular control - Select exactly which operations to expose
  • Read-only modes - Expose query operations without modification capabilities
  • Direct API access - Operations map directly to underlying API calls

When to Use Connector Tools

Use Connector Tools for:

  • Simple, direct operations (SOQL queries, record lookups, searches)
  • Read-only data access without modification risk
  • Quick functionality exposure without workflow development

Use Workflow Tools for:

  • Multi-step logic
  • Data transformation and validation
  • Human approval workflows
  • Multiple system orchestration

Adding Connector Tools

  1. Navigate to Workspace Settings → Agent Gateway → MCP Server
  2. Click Connector tools tab
  3. Click + Add connector
  4. Select a connector (search or browse by category)

Add Connector Modal

  1. In "Manage operations" modal, select operations to expose and configure authentication for this connector (see Authentication below)

Manage Operations Modal

  1. Click Save

Managing connectors:

  • View connector name, icon, and enabled operation count
  • Use actions menu (•••) to manage operations or remove connector

Empty state:

Connector Tools Empty State

Authentication

Each connector tool requires an authentication to be configured. When adding or managing a connector, you select how it authenticates when a tool is executed. There are two options:

Service account A shared authentication is used for all executions of this connector's tools, regardless of which user triggered them. This is suitable for operations where individual user identity does not matter, or where you are using API token client authentication.

User-provided The end user is prompted to authenticate with their own credentials at runtime. The tool then executes with their individual permissions. This requires the user to be connecting via OAuth2.

The authentication type you select here determines what the end user experiences at execution time. For full details on how user-provided authentication works from the end-user perspective, see User-provided Authentication.

See Authentication and Access for details on user types and which authentication modes they support.

Common Use Cases

Read-Only Salesforce Access

Enable AI to query Salesforce data without modification risk.

Expose:

  • Run SOQL Query
  • Lookup Account
  • Lookup Opportunity
  • Lookup Contact

Don't expose:

  • Create, Update, or Delete operations

AI agents can answer CRM questions without risk of accidental changes.

SOQL Query Tool

Allow users to run ad-hoc Salesforce queries via AI assistant.

Expose: Run SOQL Query operation only

Why this works:

  • SOQL input passes directly to Salesforce
  • Users ask in natural language
  • AI translates to SOQL syntax
  • Results returned directly

Example:

User: "Show me all opportunities closing this quarter over $100k"

AI executes SOQL query:

SELECT Name, Amount, CloseDate FROM Opportunity
WHERE Amount > 100000
AND CloseDate >= THIS_QUARTER

Database Query Operations

Enable analysts to query databases through AI.

Expose: SELECT queries, read-only procedures, view operations

Block: INSERT/UPDATE/DELETE, schema modifications, admin operations

API-Specific Operations

Quick access to endpoints without workflow logic.

Examples:

  • GitHub: List repositories, get file contents, search code
  • Slack: List channels, get user info, search messages
  • Google Sheets: Read range, get sheet metadata
  • Jira: Search issues, get issue details, list projects

Decision Guide

ScenarioConnector ToolWorkflow Tool
Simple SOQL query✅❌
Look up record by ID✅❌
Create with validation❌✅
Multi-step process❌✅
Requires approval❌✅
Data transformation❌✅
Read-only access✅Either
Complex business logic❌✅

Best Practices

Security-first selection:

  • Start with read-only operations
  • Consider impact of each operation
  • Review regularly

Risk assessment:

  • What's the worst case if misused?
  • Does this require human judgment?
  • Are there rate limits or quotas?
  • What data could be accessed/modified?

Clear naming:

  • ✅ Good: "Run SOQL Query", "Lookup Account", "Create Lead"
  • ❌ Avoid: "Operation_123", "API Call", "Process"

Complementary tool sets:

Example for customer support:

Connector Tools (fast read access):

  • Lookup Salesforce Account
  • Lookup Salesforce Contact
  • Run SOQL Query

Workflow Tools (controlled modifications):

  • Create Support Ticket (validation + routing)
  • Escalate Issue (approval + notification)
  • Update Customer Info (audit logging)

Testing:

  • Verify execution
  • Check required vs optional parameters
  • Test invalid inputs
  • Confirm error handling
  • Ensure AI can interpret responses

Managing Tools

Updating operations:

  1. Find connector in Connector tools tab
  2. Click options menu (•••)
  3. Select "Manage operations"
  4. Add or remove operations
  5. Click Save

Changes take effect immediately.

Removing connectors:

  1. Click options menu (•••)
  2. Select remove connector
  3. Confirm removal

Troubleshooting

Operation not appearing:

  • Verify connector added and operation enabled
  • Check MCP server is enabled
  • Restart AI client

Operation fails:

  • Check connector authentication is valid and has not expired
  • If using dynamic (user-provided) authentication, verify the user has completed the OAuth flow
  • If using service account authentication, verify the shared credential is still active
  • Verify required parameters provided
  • Test manually in workflow
  • Review connector documentation

User-provided authentication prompt not appearing:

  • Verify the connector is configured to use user-provided authentication, not service account
  • Verify the user is connecting via OAuth2 — API token users cannot be prompted for their own credentials

Too many operations exposed:

  • Reduce to essential operations
  • Move complex operations to Workflow Tools
  • Keep total tool count under 15-20

Next Steps

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