MCP in the Control UI

The Control UI has a dedicated MCP settings page for operator edits and quick inventory.

Control UI

The browser Control UI includes a dedicated MCP settings page at /settings/mcp; the previous /mcp path remains an alias. The page shows configured server counts, enabled/OAuth/filter summaries, per-server transport rows, enable/disable controls, common CLI commands, and a scoped editor for the mcp config section.

For a shorter setup walkthrough covering Settings, the composer path (+ → Connectors → Add MCP server…) and its This session / Everywhere scopes, CLI, and direct config, see Connect MCP servers.

Use the page for operator edits and quick inventory. Use openclaw mcp doctor --probe or openclaw mcp probe when you need live server proof.

Enabled plugin detail pages show Accounts for their declared HTTP MCP servers with auth: "oauth". Choose Connect, complete the provider's sign-in and consent, then return to OpenClaw. The page refreshes its saved status and shows Connected after authorization is saved. Edit opens the MCP settings page. Sign-in requires an administrator connection.

Plugin declarations work directly after installation and enablement; no duplicate mcp.servers entry is needed. An explicit mcp.servers.<name> entry overrides the plugin's definition, including enabled: false to disable that server.

Plugins with declared API-key fields also show Credentials, including their environment variable names. Configure opens the existing plugin Settings editor for keys and secret references. Configured keys show a checkmark and Configured, with Edit returning to that editor. These sections appear only after installation, not in the pre-install catalog preview. Credential presence does not verify that a key or secret reference works with the service.

The server name and URL must match the plugin's active MCP declaration. This section does not check service health or discover OAuth for an unconfigured URL. Local stdio servers, per-requester accounts, and oauth.authProfileId connections keep their existing authentication setup paths.

Operator workflow:

1. Open the Control UI and choose MCP.
2. Review the summary cards for total, enabled, OAuth, and filtered servers.
3. Use each server row for transport, auth, filter, timeout, and command hints.
4. Toggle enablement when you want to keep a definition but exclude it from runtime discovery.
5. Edit the scoped mcp config section for structural changes such as new servers, headers, TLS, OAuth metadata, or tool filters.
6. Choose Save to persist config only, or Save & Publish to apply through the Gateway config path.
7. Run openclaw mcp doctor --probe when you need live proof that the edited server starts and lists tools.

Notes:

• command snippets quote server names so unusual names remain copyable in a shell
• displayed URL-like values are redacted before rendering when they contain embedded credentials
• the page does not start MCP transports by itself
• active runtimes may need openclaw mcp reload, Gateway config publish, or process restart depending on which process owns the MCP clients