Manage toolsets

Toolsets in DIAL enable connectivity with MCP servers and can be used as tools by any internal or external application to perform specific actions.

In DIAL, you can use self-hosted toolsets based on deployed MCP containers and external toolsets deployed outside of DIAL using their endpoints.

The DIAL Core API allows you to access available toolset deployments and to add and manage toolsets. You can also add toolsets via direct configuration of DIAL Core.

Use a toolset

A toolset is available to users and applications once it is registered, can reach its MCP server, and its roles allow access.

1. Check the tools. Open Tools Overview to see the tools the MCP server exposes, and use Try out to call a tool.
2. Sign in if needed. If the toolset uses authentication, sign in at the personal or organization level.
3. Control access. In Roles, add the roles that can use the toolset, or turn off Make available to specific roles to make it available to all users. A new platform toolset is unavailable to everyone until you do one of these.
4. Connect it to applications and clients.
   • Quick Apps. A Quick App references a registered toolset with the dial-mcp toolset type and its dial_id. Connection details and credentials stay with the administrator. In DIAL Chat, the Quick App wizard has an Agents & Toolsets picker for registered toolsets. See Working with tools and agents and What is a Toolset.
   • Other clients. Toolsets are served over the MCP Server API of DIAL Core. List them with the deployment listing API and call them with the MCP Server API.

Main screen

The screen has a folder tree on the left and a grid of the selected folder's contents on the right. The header holds a Create dropdown.

Folders

The tree has three top-level (root) folders. Click a folder to list its contents in the grid.

Root folder	What it is and how it behaves
file	Toolsets defined in the DIAL Core configuration files (as opposed to the database/API-managed assets in the other buckets). A read-only, names-only listing: no Create button and no row, bulk, or folder actions. Opening an entry shows its configuration in read-only mode, marked with a READ ONLY badge; it cannot be edited, deleted, duplicated, or moved. Use this to see which toolsets come from the static config rather than from published assets.
platform	Toolsets stored in DIAL Core platform blob storage. This is where you create, edit and delete toolsets in DIAL Admin. It also adds a Roles section on the configuration screen.
public	A public bucket. Toolsets get here when published by users or added by administrators.

The grid columns, the Create menu, and the available row actions all change depending on which bucket you are browsing.

Grid columns

Columns differ by bucket. There is no ID column—row identity is the Name cell. Each column (except in the file bucket) has an inline search/filter box; the grid has a fixed column set (no Columns panel).

Public bucket

Column	Description
Name	Name of the toolset or folder. Click to open.
Version	The published version. Becomes a version picker when rows are selected.
Author	Who created or last updated the toolset.
Updated time	Timestamp of the last modification.

Platform bucket (platform toolsets have no versions, so there is no Version column)

Column	Description
Name	Name of the toolset. Click to open.
Author	Who created or last updated the toolset.
Created time	Creation timestamp.
Updated time	Timestamp of the last modification.

File bucket

A single Name column (the config-entity name). No other columns, and no actions.

Row actions

Open a row's actions menu (⋮). The actions depend on whether the row is a toolset or a folder, and on the bucket.

Toolset (public bucket)

Action	What it does
Open in a new tab	Opens the toolset's configuration screen in a new browser tab.
Duplicate	Copies the toolset. In public folder you can duplicate either as a New Version of the same toolset, or as a New Toolset (new ID, in a folder you choose).
Move to	Moves the toolset to another folder (platform is excluded as a destination).
Export	Downloads the toolset as a DIAL Admin Archive or JSON.
Delete	Permanently removes the toolset.

Folder (public bucket)

Action	What it does
Add sibling	Creates a new folder next to this one (same parent).
Add child	Creates a new folder inside this one.
Move to	Moves the folder and its contents to another folder (platform is excluded as a destination).
Export	Downloads the folder and everything in it.
Manage permissions	Opens the folder in Folders Storage in a new browser tab, where you set who can access it.
Rename	Renames the folder.
Delete	Deletes the folder and its contents.

Toolset (platform bucket): Open in a new tab, Duplicate, Delete only.

Select one or more rows to reveal the bulk-actions toolbar: Move to, Export, Delete (public) or Delete only (platform).

Create: Folder, Toolset, or Import

The Create dropdown in the header is the single entry point for adding content. Its items depend on the bucket:

• Public bucket:
  • Folder — adds a new folder in the tree.
  • Toolset — opens the Create Toolset modal.
  • Import — opens the Import modal.
• Platform bucket: only Toolset.
• File bucket: no Create button (read-only).

Create

1. Select the target folder (either in platform or public folder), click Create, and select Toolset.

2. Fill in the form:

   Field	Required	Description
   ID	Yes	Unique identifier of the toolset.
   Display Name	Yes	Name displayed on the UI.
   Version	Yes	Semantic version (e.g. 1.0.0, pre-filled). Hidden when creating in the platform bucket.
   Description	No	Description of the toolset.
   External Endpoint	Yes	Endpoint DIAL Core uses to communicate with the related MCP server.

3. Click Create. The dialog closes and the new toolset configuration screen opens. The entry appears immediately in the listing.

   

Tip

You can quickly add new toolsets by duplicating existing ones. Use the Duplicate action in the toolset's row menu.

Duplicate

Duplicate copies an existing toolset. The modal differs by bucket.

Public bucket. Choose a Duplication type:

• New Version — another version of the same toolset. ID is disabled; enter a Display Name and a Version (pre-filled with the next version).
• New Toolset — a clone as a new entity. Enter an ID, Display Name, Version, and a Folder Storage location (with a Move to picker).

Note

The duplicate does not prompt for OAuth credentials. If the source toolset uses API Key authentication, the modal adds an API key header field; if it uses OAuth, authentication is reset to Without authentication on the copy, and you re-configure it afterward.

Platform bucket. The modal prompts only for ID and Display Name; there is no version, folder, or authentication field.

Export

You can export individual toolsets or whole folders (including nested folders).

• To export a folder or toolset, choose Export in its row actions menu.
• To export several items or specific versions, select them and use Export in the bulk-actions toolbar.
• In the Export dialog, choose the Format: DIAL Admin Archive (ZIP) or JSON.

Import

Importing lets you migrate, restore, or share toolset assets between DIAL instances.

1. Click Create and select Import.
2. On the Files step, choose the file type and add your files (drag and drop or Browse):
   • DIAL Admin Archive — a single aidial-admin.zip archive (one at a time).
   • DIAL Core JSON Files — up to 30 JSON files, 64 MB in total.
3. Optionally enable Ignore paths (under Toolset paths) to disregard the folder structure stored in the files (everything imports into the current folder).
4. On the Properties step, choose a Conflict resolution strategy:
   • Skip — keep existing toolsets; add only new ones.
   • Override — replace toolsets that have the same name and version.
5. Review the preview—items with validation errors or conflicts are flagged, and you can edit a conflicting row's name or version inline before import.
6. Click Finish.

Configuration

Click any toolset to open its configuration screen. At the top of the Properties tab, a header band shows Updated Time, Creation Time, the Authentication status (only when the toolset uses authentication), and Folder Storage (the folder path, with a link that opens it in Folders Storage on public toolsets; platform without a link on platform toolsets).

Top bar controls

Control	Description
Version	Dropdown to view a specific version, or + Create a new one (opens a "Create new version" prompt with the next version pre-filled). Public bucket only.
Log In / Log Out	Sign in to or out of the toolset's MCP server. Shown only when the toolset uses authentication. See Authentication.
Delete	Delete the selected toolset.
JSON Editor (toggle)	Switch between the form UI and the raw JSON view.
Save / Save as new version / Discard	Appear when there are unsaved changes. Save updates the current version; Save as new version stores the edits as a new version; Discard reverts them (with confirmation).

The screen is organized into sections: Properties, Tools Overview, Catalog metadata, and Audit. Roles appears only for toolsets in the platform and file buckets. Audit appears only when the dashboard feature and the DIAL Admin API are enabled. Toolsets opened from the file bucket are read-only (a READ ONLY badge appears and the action buttons are hidden).

Properties

Preview and modify the toolset's identity, endpoint, and authentication. Fields render in this order:

Field	Required	Description
Display Name	Yes	Name displayed on the UI.
Description	No	Description of the toolset.
Intro	No	Introductory text shown to users of the toolset.
Provider	No	Name of the toolset provider (for example, the service or vendor that hosts the MCP server).
Vendor Website	No	URL of the provider's website.
Icon	No	Logo displayed on the UI. Opens a picker with a gallery of built-in icons and a None option (not a file upload).
Topics	No	Semantic labels (e.g. "finance", "support"). Opens a modal with a searchable checkbox list; use Add Topic to type a custom one.
Folder Storage	No	The folder that holds the toolset. Click Move to to relocate it. Hidden for platform-bucket toolsets.
External Endpoint	Yes	Endpoint DIAL Core uses to communicate with the related MCP server.
Transport	No	Transport the MCP server uses: HTTP or SSE (deprecated). When unset, the field shows SSE.
Authentication	No	The toolset's authentication method.
Forward per request key	No	Toggle. When on, a per-request key is forwarded to the toolset endpoint so the MCP server can access files in DIAL storage. Disabled when Authentication is API Key.
Max retry attempts	No	How many times DIAL Core retries a failed call (timeouts or 5xx). Selector with values 1–5, default 1.
Catalog schema	No	A catalog schema is a structured set of fields defined centrally. You create a schema in Catalog schemas and attach it to the toolset here. Click the selector to pick a schema, or Browse to choose one. Selecting a schema enables the Catalog metadata section.

Authentication

If the toolset requires authentication at the related MCP server, configure the method here, then sign in. A toolset can be published with organization credentials—in that case it may already show Logged in (Organization); you can add personal credentials on top, and both levels remain active, showing Logged in.

Note

Authentication settings cannot be modified while the toolset is logged in. Log out first to edit them. Refer to DIAL Core toolset credentials documentation to learn more about toolset authentication.

Step 1: Select and configure the authentication method

Choose one of the method cards:

• OAuth — authenticate via OAuth 2.0 with an external identity provider. Choose one of two sub-modes:

  • With login — dynamic client registration. Providing the External Endpoint is sufficient; no further fields.

  • With login & configuration — static registration. Populate the form with values from your identity provider:

    Field	Required	Description
    Client Registration Type	No	Registration mode. Currently Existing client.
    Token Endpoint Authentication Method	No	How the client authenticates at the token endpoint: Client secret (HTTP Basic) (default), Client secret (POST body), or None.
    Client ID	Yes	Unique identifier of the client requesting access.
    Client Secret	Yes	Confidential key the client uses to authenticate with the authorization server.
    Scopes Supported	No	Access-level scopes. Use Add field to list them.
    Default authorization endpoint	Yes	URL for performing authorization.
    Default token endpoint	Yes	URL where the client exchanges an authorization code for an access token.
    PKCE method	No	Proof Key for Code Exchange method: - None -, plain, or S256.

• API Key — authenticate using an API key. Enter the API key header (the header name); the key value is entered at sign-in.

• Without authentication — no authentication required.

Step 2: Sign in and choose the level

Click Log In and select the levels (checkboxes):

• Personal — authenticates for your user only. Status becomes Logged in (Personal).
• Organization — authenticates for all users in your organization. Status becomes Logged in (Organization).
• Check both to authenticate at both levels simultaneously; status shows Logged in.

For API Key authentication, you are prompted for the API key value at this step. OAuth redirects you through the provider's sign-in flow.

To sign out, click Log Out. When you are signed in at both levels, a Select logout levels dialog lets you choose which to sign out from; with a single level, it signs out directly.

Tools Overview

Tools are functions supported by an MCP server. Here you discover, manage, and test all tools the related MCP server exposes.

If the toolset was created from an MCP container deployed in DIAL, the content is inherited from the related MCP container and shows all enabled tools.

Use all available tools

Enable Use all available tools to automatically include every tool the MCP server supports. When on, tools cannot be added or removed manually and the filter and manage controls are hidden.

Manage tools

Disable Use all available tools to switch to manual management. This reveals:

• A Filter dropdown with All tools, Auto-detected, and Added manually.
• A Manage tool button that opens the Manage tools modal.

In the Manage tools modal:

• Available for you lists the auto-detected tools, each with an on/off toggle.
• Others in a toolset lets you Add a tool by exact name—useful for tools the MCP server supports but that are not visible to your user (they are labeled accordingly on the Tools Overview screen).
• Click Confirm to apply.

Inspect a tool

Click any tool to expand its details. Use the View selector (Table or JSON) to switch presentation. In Table view it shows:

• Input schema — a table of Name, Description, Data type, and Requirement.
• Annotations — a table of Annotation and Value.
• Output schema — a table with the same columns as the input schema.

Try tools

Click Try out on an enabled tool to open the request sidebar:

1. Populate the Request body using the Generated form or switch to JSON.
2. Click Send Request.
3. The server's reply appears in the Response body.

Catalog metadata

Catalog metadata holds the values for the fields of the catalog schema attached to the toolset. The section is empty until you select a schema in the Catalog schema field on Properties:

• No schema selected — the section shows "Select a catalog schema on the Properties tab to edit its catalog metadata."
• Schema selected — the schema's fields render for you to complete. Use the View selector to switch between a generated Form and raw JSON. A banner flags any stored properties the schema does not declare.

Roles

Shown only for toolsets in the platform and file buckets (read-only in the file bucket). The Make available to specific roles toggle controls who can use the toolset:

• Off — any authenticated user can use it. The grid lists all roles and is read-only.
• On — only the roles you add can use it. With no roles in the grid, the toolset is not available to any end user, and a notification says so.

Important: A newly created platform toolset starts with the toggle On and no roles, so it is not available to any user until you add roles or turn the toggle off.

Click + Add Roles to open a modal and select roles; the grid lists Display Name, Description, and Source. Each added role's row menu offers Remove.

You can manage roles in the Governance section.

Audit

The Audit section shows usage and consumption metrics for the selected toolset, in two sub-sections: Dashboard and Traces. It is shown only when the dashboard feature and the DIAL Admin API are enabled.

Dashboard

The Dashboard presents usage and performance analytics for the selected toolset over a chosen time range. When Analytics Dashboards (ANALYTICS_USAGE_ENABLED) are enabled, it reads DIAL Analytics. Otherwise Admin shows the legacy telemetry dashboard, which Admin Backend serves from the InfluxDB that the legacy Analytics Realtime service writes. A toolset shows the MCP view: tool calls made to the toolset, counted as Total tool calls. This view has no spend or cost figures.

Control	Description
View by	The kind of traffic the dashboard shows. For a toolset, this is MCP.
Time Period	Date range applied to all cards and charts.
Compare	Shows each metric's change against a previous period: Off, Previous period, Previous month or Previous year.
Refresh	Reloads the dashboard data.

Each metric card shows the current value, a sparkline, and (when comparison is on) the change versus the previous period:

Metric	Description
Total tool calls	Number of tool calls (tools/call) made to the toolset. Connection handshakes and tool discovery requests are not counted.
Unique callers	Count of distinct users or API keys. Not shown when the callers can't be identified.
Error rate	Share of tool calls that failed.
Avg latency	Average response time.

The Dashboard also includes:

• Tool calls over time — time-series chart. Toggle between Requests, a split by dimension (By …), and Latency. There is no Cost option, because the cost is offered only in the LLM view.
• Share breakdown — donut chart of the top 5 contributors by share of tool calls; View all opens the full list.
• Activity Heatmap — calls by hour of day across the week; navigate week by week; the color scale runs Low → High.
• Breakdown — table with three tabs: Tools (grouped by the tool called, on the server that served it), Applications (grouped by the calling application; a call made directly through Try out has no parent application) and Projects (grouped by the project of the calling key; calls outside any project are shown as No Project). Columns are Share of calls, Calls, Errors, and Avg latency.

Traces

The Traces tab provides a detailed view of all requests processed by DIAL Core. Each row represents an individual request—whether initiated by an external or internal DIAL client. Use it to investigate specific interactions, troubleshoot issues, or analyze usage patterns.

Column	Description
Completion Time	Timestamp when DIAL Core finished processing the request.
Number of request messages	Chat conversation length (for chat completion requests) or input count (for embedding requests).
Trace ID	OpenTelemetry trace ID uniquely identifying the root request. All subsequent calls triggered by this request share the same Trace ID.
Core span ID	OpenTelemetry span ID for this request.
Core span parent ID	OpenTelemetry span ID of the DIAL Core request that called this request.
Response ID	Identifier of the response object returned for this request.
Conversation ID	DIAL Chat conversation identifier this request belongs to.
Deployment ID	Identifier of the DIAL deployment for this request.
Parent Deployment ID	Identifier of the DIAL parent deployment that triggered this request.
Execution path	List of DIAL Deployment IDs representing the call stack. For example, ['app1', 'app2', 'model1'] means app1 called app2, which called model1. The last element equals the Deployment ID; the penultimate element (when present) equals the Parent Deployment ID.
Prompt tokens	Total tokens in prompts sent to AI models during this request.
Cached prompt tokens	Number of prompt tokens served from cache (prompt caching) in this request.
Completion tokens	Tokens generated by AI models as output.
Deployment price	Cost of this specific request, excluding costs of any requests it triggered.
Total price	Total cost of this request including all related requests it directly or indirectly triggered. Always: Total price ≥ Deployment price.
Model	Identifier of the underlying model or deployment used.
Project	Project ID corresponding to the DIAL API key used for this request.
Upstream	The upstream endpoint that served the request.
User	Unique hash identifying the user who initiated the request.
User title	Job title of the user (if available).
Topic	Auto-generated subject summarizing the request.
Language	Language detected in the request (e.g., en).
Reactions	Indication of user reactions (like/dislike) for this request.

JSON editor

Advanced users can work with the toolset's raw JSON—useful for bulk updates or editing settings not exposed in the form UI.

Tip

You can switch between the form UI and JSON only if there are no unsaved changes.

1. Navigate to Toolsets and select the toolset you want to edit.
2. Click the JSON Editor toggle (top-right). The raw JSON is revealed.
3. Make changes and click Save to apply them. On a public toolset you can instead click Save as new version. Click Discard to revert the changes.

Note

Saving is blocked while the JSON contains errors. For a toolset in the file bucket, the editor is read-only.

Delete

Deleting a toolset is permanent and will break any workflows that rely on it.

• Click Delete on the Configuration screen toolbar.
• Use Delete in the toolset's row actions menu.
• Delete the folder that contains the toolset.
• Select toolsets on the main screen and use the bulk-actions Delete.

Further reading

• What is a Toolset — what a Toolset is and how it connects to apps
• Manage applications — configure application deployments that use toolsets via MCP
• Manage roles and access control — define who can access each toolset
• Manage MCP containers — deploy and manage the MCP containers that power your toolsets
• Tool sets — fields of each Toolset type and authorization type