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Step 4: Tools

Tools let Voicent take action in other systems, such as creating a ticket or looking up an account. In Voicent you connect tools through MCP servers. MCP (Model Context Protocol) is a common standard that many apps use to offer their actions to AI. When you connect an MCP server, Voicent finds all the tools it offers and makes them available in your workflows.

This step is optional. Skip it if you do not have an MCP server yet. You can come back any time.

Before you start

  • Select the right workspace. MCP servers belong to one workspace only.
  • Get the server's web address from the app or vendor that provides it. It usually looks like https://mcp.example.com/mcp.
  • If the server needs a password-style key (a bearer token), have it ready.

About the wizard step

The onboarding wizard's Enable Tools step shows a fixed list of sample tools with checkboxes. Ticking them does nothing. Connect real tools on the MCP Tools page as described below.

Connect an MCP server

  1. In the sidebar, click MCP Tools. The MCP Servers page opens.
  2. Click Add Server.
  3. Enter a Display name, for example "Help desk".
  4. Enter the Server URL. Voicent supports servers that work over the web (HTTP).
  5. Under Authentication, choose None or Bearer token. If you choose Bearer token, paste your token. Click the eye icon to check it.
  6. Click Connect.

Voicent contacts the server and lists its tools. If it works, you see a message with the number of tools found, and the server shows a green Connected badge.

If you see Tool discovery failed, the server is still saved with an Error badge. Check the address and token, then click Test.

Check your tools

  • Click the arrow next to a server to see its tools, with each tool's name and description.
  • Click Test to check the connection. A message tells you how many tools it found.
  • Click Refresh when the vendor adds or changes tools.
  • The cards at the top show your Servers, Connected, Errored, and Tools discovered counts.

To remove a server, click the trash icon, then Remove. Workflows that use its tools will fail until you reconnect it.

Use the tools

Connected tools appear in the Workflows canvas as MCP Tool steps. Pick the server and the tool, then fill in its inputs. MCP Tool steps cannot run while a caller is on the line. Use them in workflows that run after a call ends.

Tools your agent uses during a call

Actions your agent takes while talking, such as checking a calendar, are set up on the agent in Retell. To see them, open the agent from Voice Agents, click View Details, and open the Tools & MCP tab.

Learn more

What's next

Build the agent itself: Step 5: Create an agent.