MCP: connect an AI assistant
The Model Context Protocol (MCP) connection lets authorised staff read NovaCanopy information from an approved AI assistant, using their own platform permissions.
The first MCP release supports read-only staff tools. Your administrator must configure the server and approve an AI app before you can connect.
Who can connect?
The first version supports active back-office staff only. Learners, applicants, journal guests, and collaborator-only accounts cannot use it. Your account still needs permission for each requested feature; connecting an assistant does not grant additional access.
Use a personal AI account with the same email as your NovaCanopy login, as required by the connection policy. NovaCanopy verifies your identity through Panhari SSO but cannot verify which personal account you use inside the AI app.
Information returned by a tool is sent to the AI provider under the terms of that account. Follow your organisation's approval process before requesting personal programme information.
Connect as a staff member
- Sign in to NovaCanopy through Panhari SSO at least once so your platform identity is linked.
- Ask your administrator which AI app is approved and obtain the server URL shown under Settings → MCP (AI assistants). Use the URL for the intended environment.
- In the approved AI app, use its remote MCP or custom connector setup and enter that server URL.
- Follow the sign-in prompt through Panhari SSO with your staff identity.
- Ask the assistant to run Who am I (
whoami) and check the returned name and approved app. - Start with a read-only question or list operation your account is allowed to use.
The settings screen provides entries for Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, and Grok. An entry does not mean that every provider's connection flow has been verified. The first-version notes specifically leave Gemini and Grok callback details to be confirmed. Use the provider and setup tested by your administrator.
What can the assistant do?
| Tool | Use it to | Additional access condition |
|---|---|---|
Who am I (whoami) | Check your signed-in identity, approved AI app, and review status. | Active staff account; returns your own identity details. |
List calendar events (list_calendar_events) | Find events for a year, optionally narrowed by month and cohort. | Learner read permission. |
Community Journal statistics (journal_stats) | Get journal counts by status and type. | Journal read permission. |
List Community Journals (list_journals) | Find journal definitions by status, type, cohort, or search. | Journal read permission; this does not list learner entries. |
List working groups (list_working_groups) | Find working groups, optionally filtered by active status. | Learner read permission. |
List Community Projects (list_community_projects) | Find proposals, optionally filtered by status, university, or working group. | Community project read permission and an app data-protection review. |
List users (list_users) | Find platform accounts, optionally filtered by cohort or working group. | User read permission and an app data-protection review. |
Ask platform data (ask_platform_data) | Ask the NovaCanopy chatbot a plain-language question. | Chat permission and an app data-protection review; normal data-access restrictions still apply. |
Lists return at most 200 items. If the assistant reports that a result is truncated, narrow the filters rather than treating it as a complete list.
The first version is read only. It cannot create journals or events, change users, send bulk email, or anonymise applicants. Use the platform screens for those actions.
Configure access as an administrator
Open Settings → MCP (AI assistants). Settings read access is needed to view the page; settings management access is needed to save changes.
- Check the environment's deployment status and any missing-configuration message. The platform operator must deploy and configure the server before the settings switch can make it usable.
- Have your identity administrator register a separate OAuth client for each approved AI app in Panhari SSO/Zitadel, with that app's verified callback address.
- Enter the corresponding OAuth client ID for the app and enable that app.
- Review the account terms and data-protection requirements. Record Data-protection review done and Review notes only when that review has actually been completed.
- Enable Allow approved AI apps to connect, save, and test with an authorised TEST staff account before wider use.
- Check Who am I, a permitted list operation, and the expected restrictions on personal-data tools. Confirm the results appear in Recent activity.
Without an app's recorded review, its personal-data tools are unavailable. Who am I still returns the connecting user's own details. A completed review does not replace the person's individual permissions.
Turning off the overall switch or disabling an app refuses its tokens on the next request. Deactivating a user or changing their permissions also takes effect on the next tool call.
Review recent activity
The settings page lists recent calls with the time, user, app, tool, and result: Allowed, Refused, or Failed. The audit records outcomes rather than returned result data. Free-text questions and searches are redacted rather than stored verbatim.
Use this view to investigate a refused operation or check that a connection test reached the expected environment.
Troubleshooting
| Problem | What to check |
|---|---|
| The MCP settings page is missing | Confirm that this feature has been deployed and that you have settings access. |
| The screen says the server is unavailable or configuration is missing | Ask the platform operator to enable and configure the deployment-level MCP service. The day-to-day settings switch alone cannot do this. |
| Connection is refused | Check the overall switch, approved app's enabled status and OAuth client ID, staff account status, and Panhari SSO identity. |
| Expected tools are missing | Check the person's permissions and, for personal-data tools, the app's recorded review. |
| Who am I shows an unexpected account | Disconnect and sign in through Panhari SSO using the intended staff identity. |
| A list is incomplete | Check for the 200-item cap and narrow the available filters. |
| A request to make changes cannot run | Write operations are not included in the first version. Complete the task in NovaCanopy. |
For the in-platform chatbot, see Analytics and chat. For platform sign-in, see Sign in and account access.