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You can build MCP servers in any language capable of writing to stdout or hosting an HTTP endpoint — Python, JavaScript, Go, and more.

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How it works

MCP servers expose capabilities through the protocol to connect Kombai with external tools or data sources. Kombai supports three transport methods:
TransportExecution environmentDeploymentUsersInputAuth
stdioLocalKombai managesSingle userShell commandManual
SSELocal/RemoteDeploy as serverMultiple usersURL to an SSE endpointOAuth
Streamable HTTPLocal/RemoteDeploy as serverMultiple usersURL to an HTTP endpointOAuth

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Installing MCP servers

1

Open MCP Servers

Click the icon below the chat input box.
2

Add a new MCP server

Click the + button in the top-right corner of the popover to open the MCP Servers page. Then, click the Add MCP button to open the mcp.json file.
3

Configure your MCP server

Add your MCP server configuration inside the mcpServers object and save the file.See the examples below for common server configurations.
4

Verify your MCP server

After saving, the MCP Servers page will display your configured server along with its connection status.

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Examples

Set up custom MCP servers using a JSON configuration file:

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CLI Server - Node.js

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "server-name": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "mcp-server"],
      "env": {
        "API_KEY": "value"
      }
    }
  }
}

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CLI Server - Python

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "server-name": {
      "command": "python",
      "args": ["mcp-server.py"],
      "env": {
        "API_KEY": "value"
      }
    }
  }
}

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Remote Server

// MCP server using HTTP or SSE - hosted on a server
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "server-name": {
      "url": "http://localhost:3000/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "API_KEY": "value"
      }
    }
  }
}

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Static OAuth for remote servers

For MCP servers that rely on OAuth, you can supply static OAuth client credentials in mcp.json rather than using dynamic client registration. This is useful when:
  • The MCP provider supplies you with a fixed Client ID (and optionally a Client Secret)
  • The provider requires whitelisting a redirect URL (e.g. Figma, Linear)
  • The provider does not support OAuth 2.0 Dynamic Client Registration

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Remote Server with Static OAuth

Include an auth object in remote server entries that specify a url: 
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "oauth-server": {
      "url": "https://api.example.com/mcp",
      "auth": {
        "CLIENT_ID": "your-oauth-client-id",
        "CLIENT_SECRET": "your-client-secret"
      }
    }
  }
}
FieldRequiredDescription
CLIENT_IDYesOAuth 2.0 Client ID provided by the MCP provider
CLIENT_SECRETNoOAuth 2.0 Client Secret (applicable when the provider uses confidential clients)
scopesNoOAuth scopes to request. If left out, Kombai will use /.well-known/oauth-authorization-server to discover scopes_supported

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Combining with config interpolation

auth values support the same interpolation syntax as other fields: 
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "oauth-server": {
      "url": "https://api.example.com/mcp",
      "auth": {
        "CLIENT_ID": "${env:MCP_CLIENT_ID}",
        "CLIENT_SECRET": "${env:MCP_CLIENT_SECRET}"
      }
    }
  }
}
Instead of hardcoding the Client ID and Client Secret in the mcp.json file, it is recommended to use environment variables.

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STDIO server configuration

For STDIO servers (local command-line servers), set the following fields in your mcp.json:
FieldRequiredDescriptionExamples
typeYesServer connection type"stdio"
commandYesCommand to launch the server executable. Must be accessible on your system path or specified as a full path."npx", "node", "python", "docker"
argsNoArray of arguments passed to the command["server.py", "--port", "3000"]
envNoEnvironment variables for the server process{"API_KEY": "${env:api-key}"}

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Configuration locations

Project Configuration

Place .kombai/mcp.json in your project root for project-specific tools.

Global Configuration

Place ~/.kombai/mcp.json in your home directory for tools accessible across all projects.