MCP Template Specification

An MCP (Model Context Protocol) template defines a configuration for an MCP server that agents can use to access external tools and resources. Agent Studio supports running MCP servers as child processes during workflow execution.

Fields

Field	Type	Required	Default	Description
`id`	string (UUID)	Yes	—	Unique identifier
`workflow_template_id`	string (UUID)	No	null	Scopes the template to a workflow template
`name`	string	Yes	—	Human-readable server name
`type`	string	Yes	—	Server type: `"PYTHON"` or `"NODE"`
`args`	array of strings	Yes	—	Command-line arguments for starting the server
`env_names`	array of strings	Yes	—	Environment variable names the server requires
`tools`	object or null	No	null	MCP-exposed tool definitions. Set to null on export. Populated during import validation.
`status`	string	No	“”	Validation status. Set to empty string on export.
`mcp_image_path`	string	No	“”	Relative path to the server’s icon within the ZIP

Server Types

Type	Runtime	Example
`PYTHON`	Executed via Python	`python -m my_mcp_server`
`NODE`	Executed via Node.js	`npx @modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem`

Export/Import Behavior

Two fields receive special treatment during the export/import cycle:

tools: Set to null on export. During import, Agent Studio starts the MCP server, queries it for available tools, and populates this field. SDK validators should accept null here.
status: Set to empty string "" on export. During import, it transitions through "VALIDATING" → "VALID" or "VALIDATION_FAILED". SDK validators should accept empty string or any status value.

Cross-References

Every MCP template id referenced in an agent template’s mcp_template_ids must correspond to an entry in the ZIP’s mcp_templates array
The mcp_templates array in the manifest may be empty or absent in older exports

JSON Example

{
  "id": "m1234567-89ab-cdef-0123-456789abcdef",
  "workflow_template_id": "w9x8y7z6-5432-1098-fedc-ba0987654321",
  "name": "Filesystem Server",
  "type": "NODE",
  "args": ["npx", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem", "/workspace"],
  "env_names": [],
  "tools": null,
  "status": "",
  "mcp_image_path": "studio-data/dynamic_assets/mcp_template_icons/filesystem_server_abc123_icon.png"
}