---
title: "Connect an AI client over MCP"
description: "Point an MCP client at the public endpoint. It has one tool, ask_octopus, and needs no account."
url: "https://docs.octo.ad/integrations/connect-over-mcp/"
id: "integrations/connect-over-mcp"
type: "task"
audience: "developer"
dateModified: "2026-11-06"
productArea: "integrations"
surface: "phone and MCP"
keywords: ["MCP", "ask_octopus"]
---

# Connect an AI client over MCP

> Point an MCP client at the public endpoint. It has one tool, ask_octopus, and needs no account.

## Try it by hand

The order is `initialize`, then `tools/list`, then `tools/call`. Each is one JSON-RPC request sent with POST.

```
curl -s https://octo.ad/mcp -H 'content-type: application/json' \
  -H 'accept: application/json, text/event-stream' \
  -d '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":1,"method":"initialize","params":{"protocolVersion":"2025-06-18"}}'

curl -s https://octo.ad/mcp -H 'content-type: application/json' \
  -H 'accept: application/json, text/event-stream' \
  -d '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":2,"method":"tools/list"}'

curl -s https://octo.ad/mcp -H 'content-type: application/json' \
  -H 'accept: application/json, text/event-stream' \
  -d '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":3,"method":"tools/call","params":{"name":"ask_octopus","arguments":{"message":"What is OCTOPUS?"}}}'
```

`tools/list` returns one tool, `ask_octopus`, with one required input, `message`, and one optional input, `session_id`. A `tools/call` result carries the answer as text in `content`, and the same answer with `follow_up`, `session_id` and `status` in `structuredContent`. The fields are listed on [MCP tool: ask_octopus](/reference/mcp-ask-octopus/).

## Steps

1. Add a remote MCP server to your client with the address `https://octo.ad/mcp`. The transport is streamable HTTP.
2. Leave authentication empty. The public endpoint needs none.
3. List the tools. Result: One tool: `ask_octopus`.
4. Call `ask_octopus` with a `message`. Result: A grounded answer from public material, and a follow-up.
5. Pass back `session_id` to continue the same conversation.

## What you have at the end

Your client can ask about OCTOPUS. The public endpoint exposes no customer data and no internal graph.

## Next

Customer work uses authenticated, tenant-scoped connections, which are not published: [Tenant APIs and tools](/reference/tenant-tools/).