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Toolsets

A toolset is a connection to an MCP server that gives agents access to external systems — Notion, GitHub, Jira, a database, or any service with an MCP endpoint. Each toolset brings a set of tools: individual functions such as "search pages" or "create an issue" that an agent can call while working on your request.

The Catalog and the no-code Quick App editor let anyone connect MCP tools to DIAL and use them in their agents — no technical expertise required. You can build a solution that talks to an external system and performs tasks for you in minutes.

The Toolsets tab of the Catalog lists toolsets preconfigured in your DIAL environment, toolsets published by users, and toolsets you created yourself.

note

For the technical side — MCP transports, tool filtering, registration through the API — see Toolsets.

Use a toolset​

You do not talk to a toolset directly — you attach it to an agent, and the agent calls its tools when needed. Open the Quick App editor and add the toolset under Toolsets in Add-ons. The orchestrator model then decides which tools to call based on the user's request.

If the toolset requires authentication, sign in before it is used. You can sign in from the toolset's details panel, or when you start a conversation. See Sign in when you start a conversation. An agent that tries to use a toolset you are not signed in to will report an authentication error.

Details panel​

Click a toolset's card to open its details panel. It has up to four tabs.

A toolset's details panel, showing Log out, Share, the ... menu, and four tabs

About​

A description written by the toolset's author — what external system it connects to, what tasks it enables, and any prerequisites such as an account at the external service. Below the description, topic labels indicate the toolset's domain. You can filter by these topics in the Catalog's Browse section.

Overview​

Specification lists the toolset's metadata. All fields are optional and appear only when provided.

FieldMeaning
AuthenticationHow the toolset verifies your identity: NONE (open access), OAUTH (sign in through the provider), or API_KEY (authenticate with a key).
Hosted byThe organization that runs this toolset instance.
Release dateWhen this version of the toolset was published.
OAuth scopesThe permissions the toolset requests at the external provider. Shown only for OAuth toolsets. Review these before signing in — they determine what the toolset can do on your behalf.
Authorization endpointThe URL the toolset sends you to for sign-in. Shown only for OAuth toolsets.

The Overview tab with authentication method, scopes, and authorization endpoint

Tools​

The individual functions the MCP server behind this toolset exposes — for example, notion-search or jira-create-issue. Each tool has a name and a short description of what it does. The tab shows how many tools the toolset has, and a search box filters the list by name. This is the most practical tab: it tells you exactly what an agent will be able to do once you attach the toolset.

The tab appears only when the tool list can be loaded — for OAuth toolsets, you need to sign in first so the server can authorize the request.

The Tools tab listing the individual functions a toolset exposes

Connect​

The toolset's MCP endpoint, and a cURL command that calls its tools/list method — enough to reach the toolset from your own client instead of through an agent. Unlike a model or an agent, a toolset has no model ID.

The Connect tab with an MCP endpoint and a tools/list cURL command

What you can do with a toolset​

What actions are available depends on how the toolset reached your Catalog. The toolset's card shows its location — a folder in your personal files, or a folder within the organization.

Preconfigured toolsets​

Preconfigured toolsets are set up in the platform configuration by administrators. Their location shows an organization folder. These toolsets are read-only — you can only attach them to your agents. No actions are available beyond authentication (if the toolset requires it).

Published toolsets​

Published toolsets are made available to the organization by any user or administrator. Their location shows a folder within the organization.

  • Unpublish — withdraw the toolset from the organization. An unpublish request goes to an administrator for review.

Toolsets shared with you​

When another user shares a toolset directly with you, it appears in the Catalog under Shared with me.

  • Remove from My List — remove the toolset from your catalog. This does not delete the original toolset.

Your own toolsets​

Toolsets you created stay in your personal folder until you share or publish them. You have full control over your own toolsets.

  • Share — let specific people access your toolset. See Sharing and publishing.
  • Edit — reopen the editor with your settings in place. See Edit a toolset.
  • Publish — offer the toolset to your organization. A publication request goes to an administrator for review. If the toolset needs sign-in and you are signed in to it, you can also publish it with your credentials, so other people use it without signing in themselves. See Sharing and publishing.
  • Revoke access — remove access you previously shared with specific people.
  • Delete — remove the toolset permanently. See Delete a toolset.

Authentication​

Toolsets support three authentication modes, shown in the Overview tab's Authentication field. A toolset that requires authentication and has not been signed in shows a warning marker on its card.

No authentication​

The toolset connects to an open endpoint that requires no credentials. No auth button appears in the details panel — you can attach it to an agent and start using it right away.

A toolset with no authentication — no auth button, just Share and the menu

OAuth​

The toolset requires you to sign in through the external provider (for example, Notion or Microsoft). Before you sign in, the primary button reads Log in. After signing in, it changes to Log out.

An OAuth toolset with the Log in button

To sign in, click Log in, complete the sign-in at the external provider, and approve the access the toolset asks for. When you return, the button reads Log out and the Tools tab shows the available functions.

To sign out, click Log out. The toolset stops working for you until you sign in again; agents that rely on it will report an authentication error.

API key​

The toolset authenticates with an API key you provide. Before you enter a key, the primary button reads API key. Click it to open a dropdown where you enter your key. After you save a key, the button changes to Change API key.

An API key toolset with the API key button

Sign in when you start a conversation​

If you chat with an agent that includes a toolset you are not signed in to, DIAL Chat opens Sign-in required before the conversation continues: "One or more tools or services need you to sign in before the conversation can continue."

The Sign-in required dialog for a toolset, with Decline, Log in, and Allow offline use

The dialog has one row for each toolset or service that needs you. Each row shows the name and version.

  • Log in — signs you in. For an OAuth toolset, a sign-in popup opens at the provider. If your browser blocks it, allow popups for DIAL Chat and try again. For an API key toolset, the row has an API key field, and you enter your key first.
  • Decline — skips the sign-in for that row. When several rows are waiting, Decline all skips all of them. The conversation continues without that toolset. The response's execution steps show an Initialization issues step with a warning, and DIAL Chat asks you to sign in again with every message you send.
  • Allow offline use — ticked by default. It lets the toolset be used when you are not at the keyboard, which scheduled and background runs need. Clear it if you do not want that.

Create a toolset​

Click Create in the Catalog and choose Toolset. The editor has two sections on one screen: Metadata on the left and Setup on the right.

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

Metadata — how the toolset appears in the Catalog.

FieldRequiredDescription
AvatarNoPNG, JPG, or SVG, up to 1 MB.
NameYesThe name shown on the toolset's card.
VersionNoDefaults to 0.0.1.
DescriptionNoWhat this toolset does. You can use Refine with AI.
TagsNoComma-separated topics that help people find it.

Setup — where the toolset connects and what it may expose.

FieldRequiredDescription
EndpointYesThe HTTPS address where the MCP server accepts requests.
ProtocolYesThe transport the server speaks: HTTP or SSE.
Allowed toolsNoA comma-separated list restricting which of the server's tools this toolset exposes. Leave it empty to expose all of them.

Choose how it authenticates​

The Authentication switch at the bottom of Setup offers three modes.

  • Open access — an open endpoint that needs no credentials.

  • OAuth — sign-in through the provider. Standard login relies on the server registering clients dynamically, so the endpoint is all you need. Custom login is for a provider that expects you to register the client yourself, and asks for the details below.

    The OAuth authentication mode, with custom login fields

    FieldRequiredDescription
    Client IDYesThe client identifier the provider issued you.
    Client secretYesThe matching secret.
    Authorization endpointNoWhere users are sent to approve access.
    Token endpointNoWhere DIAL exchanges the code for a token.
    ScopesNoThe permissions to request.

  • API Key — authenticate with a key instead of a sign-in. Choose With login or Without login, then give the API Key parameter name the server expects and the API key itself.

Click Create to register the toolset. It stays in your private folder, visible only to you, until you share or publish it.

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To register a toolset in the DIAL Core configuration instead, see Toolsets.

Edit a toolset​

Open the toolset's ... menu and click Edit. The editor reopens with your settings in place; change what you need and click Save.

You can edit toolsets in two cases:

  • Your own toolsets — found in your personal folder.
  • Toolsets shared with you with editing rights — found in the Catalog under Shared with me.

Delete a toolset​

Open the toolset's ... menu and click Delete, then confirm. Deleting is permanent and cannot be undone. The dialog names the toolset and warns that all shared configurations will be lost and that people who rely on it will lose access.

Only the toolset's creator can delete it — editing rights do not grant delete access. To delete a published toolset, unpublish it first.

Deleting a toolset breaks the agents that use it: they report an error when they try to reach it, and the missing toolset is flagged in the Quick App builder.

Further reading​