MCP on Cloud

For hosted or self-managed deployments, MCP setup still lives in Settings > Agents > MCP Servers.

The same two MCP modes exist:

Remote MCP for hosted providers you connect to over the network
Local MCP for MCP servers that run inside or alongside your RealTimeX deployment environment

What “local” means in cloud or self-hosted deployments

In this context, Local MCP does not mean a personal laptop app extension.

It means the MCP server runs in the same environment category as your RealTimeX instance, such as:

the same host
the same containerized environment
a directly managed runtime you control as part of the deployment

Use this path when the MCP server depends on commands, binaries, or network reachability inside that deployment environment.

Remote MCP for hosted integrations

Use Remote MCP when a provider exposes a hosted MCP service and RealTimeX only needs to connect to it.

The current remote flow can support:

browsing available hosted servers
linking with no auth, API key, or OAuth 2
updating secure access later
enabling only selected functions after connection

This is usually the better fit for SaaS-style integrations where you do not want to run the MCP server yourself.

Local MCP for self-managed runtimes

Use Local MCP when you are responsible for the server process and its dependencies.

The current flow supports:

adding a custom local server entry
using suggested templates when available
editing or importing config
placeholder-driven setup
connection testing
enable or disable controls
per-tool enablement

Typical hosted-deployment workflow

Decide whether the MCP server should be remote or local.
Open Settings > Agents > MCP Servers.
Connect or configure the server in the correct tab.
Confirm the available tool list appears.
Restrict tool access to the subset you actually want.
Assign the server in the target workspace or agent configuration.

Operational considerations

Remote MCP depends on outbound network access and valid account linking.
Local MCP depends on the runtimes and commands available inside your deployment environment.
Tool availability is not enough by itself; the server still needs to be assigned where agents can use it.

If a local MCP server works on a laptop but not in a hosted deployment, the usual cause is environmental mismatch rather than the RealTimeX UI itself.

Troubleshooting

If remote auth succeeds but tools stay unavailable, reopen the server and verify the linked account and enabled functions.
If local tools never load, verify that the deployment environment can actually run the configured command or reach the configured URL.
If the server is connected but agents do not use it, confirm the workspace or agent configuration includes that MCP server.

Related guides

MCP on Desktop Overview