Using Space Connect
Tools, MCP servers and Functions
Three ways to give agents new abilities: connect an API, connect an MCP server, or run a small piece of custom code.
An agent is only as useful as the things it can do. Beyond built-in abilities and integrations, Space lets you add your own tools. Find them under Explore › Tools & MCP.
Which should I use?
| Use… | When | Needs code? |
|---|---|---|
| An integration | The app is in the catalog (Gmail, Slack, Drive…) | No |
| An API tool | You have a web API that does one thing per call | No, just a description |
| An MCP server | A system already offers a bundle of tools through MCP | No |
| A Function | You need to calculate or transform something that no API does | Yes, JavaScript or Python |
API tools (HTTP tools)
An API tool describes one web request: its address, method, headers, and what to send. Parts of the request are filled in by the agent: …/orders/${order_id}. The result goes back to the agent.
- Test on the tool's page runs it as you.
- Results are trimmed to 20,000 characters.
- Requests to cloud-internal addresses are blocked for safety.
MCP servers
MCP is a standard way for a system to offer a set of tools to AI. Connect an MCP server and its tools show up for your agents. Space remembers the tool list for five minutes. If a server is unreachable, it's skipped for that turn, and tools the server marks as destructive need approval.
Functions
A Function is a small program, written in JavaScript or Python, that Space runs for you when needed. Typical uses: compute a quote, reformat data, call something with a tricky sign-in.
- It receives the playbook's variables (or the agent's inputs) and returns values and an optional message.
- It can be offered to agents as a tool, or used only in playbook steps.
- It can save output files to your files.
- It runs in an isolated environment: a fresh process each time, limited CPU and memory, a time limit (default 10 seconds, up to 60) and no access to your other data.
- It can bring along its own libraries through an uploaded bundle.
Secrets
Passwords and keys a Function needs are stored encrypted as named secrets. They're never shown to the AI or returned by the system. Only editors set them.
Safety features you'll see
| Feature | What it does |
|---|---|
| Requires approval | A person must approve each use (or each use of a particular tool on an MCP server). Shows up as a review. |
| Identity-bound inputs | An input like employee can be locked to the person making the call, so a “salary lookup” tool can only ever return your own record, no matter what an agent or person types. The lock is enforced by the system, and a different value is refused. |
| Test | Try a tool or Function with sample inputs before trusting it. |
Credentials: who is signing in?
| Resource scope | Which credential is used |
|---|---|
| Personal | Your own. Someone you share it with must connect theirs. |
| Group or organization, shared | One shared credential set by the admins |
| Group or organization, per-user | Each caller's own, such as an OAuth sign-in to something “assigned to me” |
Supported sign-in types are an API key in a header, a bearer token, basic sign-in, and OAuth 2.0 with automatic refresh. Credentials are encrypted, only added to the request at the moment it's sent, and never shown to the AI, logs or browser (you'll see a hint like ••••abcd). Every change is audited.
You never type a secret to the copilot in chat. It will send you to the Tools page to enter it yourself.
Built-in “special” tools
Some abilities are built in, and your administrator can turn them on or off:
| Tool | What it does | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Web search | Searches the internet | Always asks. Admins can limit which sites. |
| Browser | Uses a real browser for you | Always asks. See The browser. |
| Code | Runs Python in a sealed sandbox with no internet | Always asks. |
| Data analysis | Calculates over every row of a CSV, Excel, JSON or Parquet file | Doesn't need approval, because it only reads your own files and works offline. |
Who can see and use a tool
Like other resources, tools can be personal, group or organization. Your administrator can also switch special tools on or off for the whole organization or for groups. Settings › Available tools shows what's available to you.