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Tutorial: build an agent with a Toolset

In this tutorial you build a Research Assistant: a Quick App that answers questions with live data from an MCP server. You register the server as a Toolset, create the agent in DIAL Chat, and watch it call tools in an agent loop. It is for developers new to Quick Apps. You need a DIAL Chat account and an MCP server you can reach; no code is involved.

What you will build​

A Research Assistant that:

  • Takes a question from the user
  • Calls tools from your Toolset to gather data
  • Answers with the results, citing where they came from

Each tool call shows as a stage in the chat, so you can see what the agent did.

Prerequisites​

  • An account in DIAL Chat, with the Quick App editor deployed. See DIAL Quick Apps.
  • A model in your DIAL deployment that supports tool calls.
  • An MCP server reachable from DIAL, over HTTPS, with its URL and any credentials it needs. It can be any server your organization runs, such as a search service or an internal API.

Step 1: Register the MCP server as a Toolset​

  1. In the Catalog, click Create and choose Toolset.
  2. In Metadata, enter the name My Search Tools and the description Search and data tools for the Research Assistant.
  3. In Setup, enter the server's Endpoint, and choose the Protocol it speaks: HTTP or SSE.
  4. Optionally, list the Allowed tools to expose only some of the server's tools.
  5. Under Authentication, choose Open access, OAuth, or API Key, to match the server.
  6. Click Create.

The Create toolset editor, with Metadata on the left and Setup on the right

The Toolset is in your private folder. Each authentication option is explained in Create a toolset.

Step 2: Create the Quick App​

  1. In the Catalog, click Create and choose Quick App under Runners.
  2. In Metadata, enter the name Research Assistant, the version 1.0.0, and the description Answers research questions with live data.

The Quick App editor, with Metadata on the left, Instructions and Add-ons in the middle, and Configuration on the right

Step 3: Write the instructions​

In Instructions, paste:

You are a Research Assistant. Answer user questions accurately with the tools available to you.

- Use the tools to gather data before answering.
- If a tool call fails, say so, and give the best answer you can without it.
- Cite the source of every tool result you use.
- Be concise. Prefer bullet points to paragraphs.

Step 4: Add the Toolset​

  1. In Add-ons, in the Toolsets row, click Add.
  2. Select My Search Tools, and confirm.
  3. If the row says "Authorize to use this toolset", click the Toolset and sign in on its Authentication tab.

Step 5: Choose the model and temperature​

  1. In Configuration, under Default model, click Change and select a model that supports tool calls.
  2. Under Settings, click Advanced.
  3. Move Temperature toward Precise, for consistent, factual answers, and click Save.

The Advanced settings window

Step 6: Test the agent loop​

  1. Click Preview. DIAL Chat saves the agent and opens it in preview mode.
  2. Ask a question that needs one of your server's tools.

The agent should:

  1. Decide to call a tool from My Search Tools.
  2. Show the call as a stage in the answer. Expand it to see the arguments and the result.
  3. Use the result in its answer, and cite it.

The preview mode: Back to setup, the Preview mode banner, and the chat

To change something, click Back to setup, edit, and preview again.

Step 7: Save the agent​

Click Save. The agent is in your private folder, visible only to you, until you share or publish it.

What you learned​

  • How to register an MCP server as a Toolset in DIAL Chat
  • How to build a Quick App from a model, instructions, and a Toolset
  • How the agent loop calls tools and shows each call as a stage
  • How to preview an agent before you save it

Further reading​