Toolsets

Introduction

Toolsets in DIAL enable connectivity with MCP servers and can be used as tools by any internal or external application to perform specific actions. Refer to Video Demo to watch how tools are used in DIAL Quick Apps 2.0.

In DIAL, toolsets created by users (either using DIAL Core API or UI) are stored in a private folder of a dedicated user in the DIAL file storage and are not accessible to anyone but the toolset author (owner). To enable access for other users, toolsets owners can publish them or DIAL administrators can manually add them to the Public folder, where all published resources are stored.

Refer to Entities/Toolsets to learn more.

Main Screen

The Assets/Toolsets screen displays all toolsets located in the Public folder in DIAL file storage. Toolsets get to the Public folder when published by users or added by administrators.

Note: This screen, does not give access to private toolsets of users.

• Refer to Access Control to learn more about Private and Public logical spaces for objects storage in DIAL.
• Refer to Chat User Guide to learn how end users can publish toolsets and to DIAL Core API Publications to learn how to create and manage publication requests via API.

Public file storage

Objects in the Public folder are arranged hierarchically, similar to a file system.

• Root folder: Public is a root folder with sub-folders. It is visible to all authorized users. If a sub-folder is not specified for the new object being published, it is placed in the root folder by default.
• Sub-folders: Objects can be placed in sub-folders for logical organization purposes - one object per sub-folder is recommended.

Note, that access rules can be applied to sub-folders (manually or in publication request). You can view and manage access rules in Folders Storage. The effective authorization rule for an object in a sub-folder includes restrictions applied to all parent sub-folders up to the root folder. Refer to Tutorials to learn about affective rules for folders.

Available Actions	Description
Create sub-folder + import objects	Hover over any folder to display the + icon. It allows importing objects into new child or sibling sub-folders. The process is similar to Import, but you’ll need to provide a name for the new folder. Additionally, there’s an optional step where you can define access rules for the new sub-folder. Note: New sub-folders can only be created using this method or as part of a publication request if a new folder is specified during that process.
Actions	Hover over any folder to view a context menu icon with actions you can perform in relation to the selected folder. - Rename: Use to rename the selected folder. - Move to: Use to select a target location in the hierarchy to move the selected folder. - Manage permissions: Redirects to Folder Storage to manage access to the folder. - Delete: Use to delete the folder with objects inside it.

Toolsets grid

Click any folder to display its content in the toolsets grid.

Column	Description
ID	Toolset's unique identified.
Version	Version of the toolset.
Author	Username or system ID associated with the user who created or last updated this toolset.
Updated time	Timestamp of the last update.
Actions	Actions you can perform on the selected toolset: - Open in new tab: Opens the toolset's properties, features, and parameters in a new tab. - Move to another folder: Select a target folder in the hierarchy to move the toolset. - Delete: Remove the toolset. You can also use Bulk Actions in the toolbar to delete multiple toolsets at once. - Duplicate: Create a copy of the toolset in one of two ways: New version: Creates another version of the selected toolset. You can also quickly add a new version on the Configuration screen by clicking Create in the Version dropdown. New toolset: Clones the selected toolset as a new one.

Export

Use Bulk Actions in the toolbar to download selected toolsets. This is useful for migrating toolsets between environments, sharing sets of toolsets with other users, or keeping a point-in-time backup.

To export toolsets:

1. Click Bulk Actions button in the toolbar.
2. Select toolsets by checking the boxes in each row. You can also select the version you want to export.
3. Click Export in the bottom to launch the export modal.
4. In the modal window select the export format: ZIP Archive or JSON.
5. Click Export to generate export file and start downloading.

Import

Use Import in the toolbar to upload new or update existing toolsets from ZIP archive. This is essential for migrating, restoring, or sharing toolsets assets between DIAL users.

To import toolsets:

1. Click Import in the toolbar to launch the import modal.

2. Drag & Drop your DIAL Admin archive into the files area or click Browse to open a file picker.

   

3. Select a Conflict resolution strategy. It allows you to decide how to handle existing toolsets with the same identifier and version:

   • Skip: Leave existing toolsets untouched, only new ones will be added.
   • Override: Replace toolsets having the same name and version with the imported ones.

4. Use Ignore paths toggle to skip folder structure from the imported files. When enabled, all toolsets will be imported directly into the root folder without recreating the original folder hierarchy.

5. Click Finish to start.

   

Create

On the main screen you can add new toolsets to the public folder.

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

Follow these steps to add a new toolset:

1. Click + Create to invoke the Create Toolset modal.

   Field	Required	Description
   ID	Yes	Unique identifier of the toolset.
   Display Name	Yes	Name of the toolset displayed on UI.
   Version	Yes	Semantic identifier (e.g., 1.2.0) of a toolset's version.
   Description	No	Description of a toolset.
   External Endpoint	Yes	Endpoint DIAL Core will use to communicate with the related MCP server.

2. Once all required fields are filled click Create. The dialog closes and the new toolset configuration screen is opened. This entry will appear immediately in the listing under the selected folder once created.

   

Delete

There are several ways to delete an application or a specific version of it:

• Click Delete in the toolbar on the Configuration screen to permanently remove the selected toolset from your DIAL instance.
• Use the Delete option in the toolset context menu.
• Delete the related folder where the toolset is located.
• Use Bulk Actions on the main screen to delete more than one toolset.

Configuration

Click any toolset on the main screen to open a screen with information about the selected toolset and its configuration details.

Properties

In the Properties tab, you can preview and modify selected toolset's basic properties.

Available actions

You can find the following action buttons in the configuration screen header:

Action	Description
Version	Version of the toolset. Can be selected from the dropdown to display properties for different versions of toolset. In the dropdown, click Create to add a new version of the toolset.
Delete	Use to delete the selected toolset.

Fields description

Field	Required	Editable	Description
ID	-	No	Unique identifier of the toolset. It is read-only but includes a copy-to-clipboard button for easy reference.
Author	-	No	User who created toolset.
Updated Time	-	No	Timestamp of the last update.
Creation Time	-	No	Creation timestamp.
Authentication	-	No	Current authentication status of the selected toolset: - Logged out: The toolset in not authenticated with the related MCP server. - Logged in (Personal): The toolset is authenticated for your user only. - Logged in (Organization): The toolset is authenticated for all users in your organization.
Folder Storage	-	No	Path to the toolset's location in the hierarchy within the public folder. Click to navigate to Folders Storage.
Display Name	Yes	Yes	The name of the toolset displayed on UI.
Description	No	Yes	Toolset description.
Icon	No	Yes	Logo of the toolset displayed on UI. Maximum size: 512 MB. Supported types: .jpeg, .jpg, .jpe, .png, .gif, .apng, .webp, .avif, .svg, .svgz, .bmp, .ico.
Topics	No	Yes	Topics are semantic labels that you can assign to toolsets (e.g. "finance", "support") for better navigation on UI. Click to display a list of available topics. You can add your own custom topics to the list following these rules: - The topic name must not exceed 255 characters. - The topic name must not contain leading or trailing spaces.
Storage folder	Yes	Yes	Path to the toolset's location in the hierarchy of the Public folders. Use Move to to change the application's location.
External Endpoint	Yes	Yes	Endpoint DIAL Core will use to communicate with the related MCP server.
Transport	Yes	Yes	Transport supported by MCP server. - HTTP (default) - SSE (deprecated)
Authentication	Yes	Yes	Authentication settings for the toolset.
Forward per request key	Yes	Yes	Set this flag to true if you want a per-request key to be forwarded to the toolset endpoint allowing a toolset to access files in the DIAL storage. Note: it is not allowed to create toolsets with authType.API_KEY and forwardPerRequestKey=true.
Max retry attempts	Yes	Yes	Number of times DIAL Core will retry a failed call (due to timeouts or 5xx errors).

Authentication

If the toolset you have chosen requires authentication at the related MCP server, you will have to sign in before you can use it. For example, if you are using an application that relies on the MCP toolset and authentication is required, you will not be able to access it unless you are logged in. Therefore, make sure you are authenticated with MCP server you are about to use.

Note, that toolset can be published with credentials by other users. In this case, a toolset can be already authenticated for all users in the organization - Logged in (Organization). You can use it or log out and log back in with your personal credentials - Logged in (Personal).

Refer to DIAL Core to learn more about toolset authentication

Step 1: Select and configure the authentication method

DIAL supports several authentication methods for toolsets:

• OAuth: Authenticate via OAuth 2.0 with an external identity provider. If this option is selected, you have to choose With login for a dynamic registration of clients or With login & configuration for a static registration of clients - depending on what method your MCP server supports. For a dynamic option, it is enough to provide an External Endpoint in the toolset properties. For a static, populate the authentication form with correct values provided by the identity provider:
  • Redirect URI: Redirect URI used during sign in flows. After authentication, the MCP Server redirects the User to the provided URI.
  • Client ID: Unique identifier of the client/application requesting access to the resource.
  • Client Secret: Confidential key used by a client to authenticate itself with the authentication server.
  • Scopes Supported: List of supported scopes that define access levels. May be discovered via .well-known endpoints.
  • Default authorization endpoint: URL for performing authorization. Can be discovered via .well-known metadata if provided by the Authorization Server.
  • Default token endpoint: URL where a client exchanges authorization code for an access token. Can be discovered via .well-known metadata if provided by the Authorization Server.
  • PKCE method: Proof Key method for Code Exchange (PKCE), usually plain or S256.
• API Key: Authenticate using API key. If this option is selected, provide API key and header name in the configuration.
• Without authentication: No authentication is required.

Step 2: Choose personal or organization authentication

Having selected and configured any authentication method, click Save and Log In to authenticate a toolset with the related MCP server. At this step, prior to the actual authentication, you will be prompted to select between Personal and Organization authentication:

• Personal: the toolset will be authenticated for your user only with the authentication state labeled Logged in (Personal).
• Organization: the toolset will be authenticated for all users in your organization with the authentication state labeled Logged in (Organization). Any user will be able to log out and log back in with personal credentials.

Important: at this step, for authentication with API keys, you will be prompted to provide a valid API key value.

Tools Overview

Tools are functions supported by an MCP server that can be used by clients to perform specific actions. On this screen, you can find and manage all tools supported by the related MCP server.

In case your toolset was created based on the MCP container deployed in DIAL, the content of this screen is inherited from the related MCP container and displays all the enabled tools. Click Manage tools to access, try and enable all the available tools.

Use all tools

Enable Use all available tools toggle to automatically include all tools supported by the related MCP server. When enabled, you cannot add or remove tools manually.

Click on any tool to preview its details or try it out.

Manage tools

Disable Use all available tools toggle to enable a manual tools management mode.

1. Disable Use all available tools toggle and click Manage tool button to open the Manage tools modal.
2. The modal displays all tools available to your user. You can preview and enable/disable each tool individually.
3. MCP sever can support other tools that are not available to your user and therefore are not rendered in the list of available tools. If you know their names, you can manually add them. Manually-added tools are labeled accordingly on the Tools Overview screen.
4. Click Confirm to apply changes.
5. On the Tools overview screen, use the filter to see all tools, just auto-detected tools or manually added tools.
6. Hover over any tool to see its details or try it out.

Try tools

Click or hover over any enabled tool to enter the Try out mode.

In the Try out mode, you can test each enabled tool by sending a sample request to the server. When sending a request, you can use the rendered UI form to populate the request input fields or enter JSON view mode to get access to all the fields supported by the input schema.

JSON Editor

Advanced users with technical expertise can work with the toolset properties in a JSON editor view mode.

Use the JSON Editor toggle to switch between the form-based UI and raw JSON view of the toolset’s configuration. It is useful for advanced scenarios of bulk updates, copy/paste between environments, or tweaking settings not exposed on UI.

TIP: You can switch between UI and JSON only if there are no unsaved changes.

Switching to the JSON Editor

1. Navigate to Assets → Toolsets, then select the toolset you want to edit.
2. Click the JSON Editor toggle (top-right). The UI reveals the raw JSON.