Connect Bali to MCP servers

The Model Context Protocol (MCP) is an open standard for connecting AI assistants to external tools and data. Add an MCP server to Jabali Studio and Bali can use its tools while building your game, for example to read your design wiki, query a database of game items, or control another app on your computer.

Only add servers you trust

An MCP server can run programs on your computer or reach online services on your behalf. Add servers from sources you trust, and keep approvals turned on until you know what a server’s tools do.

Add an MCP server

There are several ways to add a server:

• From Settings: open Settings → MCP and click Add MCP Server.
• From the chat: click + under Bali’s chat box and choose Add MCP server. The server is turned on for the current project.
• From Project Settings: in AI Settings → MCP Servers, click Add MCP Server. The server is turned on for that project.
• From a bundle: if you have an MCP bundle (an .mcpb file), click Import .mcpb in Settings → MCP or in the project’s MCP Servers settings, or drag the file onto the MCP settings page or into Bali’s chat.

Server settings

Field	What to enter
Label	Required. A name you’ll recognize.
Description	Optional. What the server is for.
Transport	How Studio talks to the server: HTTP (the default), SSE or STDIO.
URL	For HTTP and SSE servers, the server’s address.
Command, Arguments, Working Directory, Environment	For STDIO servers, the program to run on your computer and how to run it.
Auth Type	None, API Key, Bearer Token, Basic Auth or Static Headers.
Allowed Tools	Which tools Bali may use. Leave blank to allow every tool the server offers.
Approval Policy	When Bali must ask before using a tool. See Approvals.
Enabled	Turn the server on or off.

Use the server’s own documentation to find the right transport, URL or command.

Which transport do I need?

• STDIO runs a program on your computer, such as a command-line tool you’ve installed. Use it for local servers.
• HTTP and SSE connect to a server running elsewhere, usually online. Use them for hosted services.

Manage servers

Each server in Settings → MCP shows its status and how many tools are available. From a server’s card you can:

• Check Connection to test that it works
• Inspect Tools to see what each tool does, and switch individual tools on (Allowed) or off (Filtered out)
• Edit the server’s settings
• Clear Secrets to remove saved keys and tokens
• Delete the server

If an imported bundle needs more setup, such as an API key, Studio tells you it still needs configuration before use and opens the server editor so you can fill in the missing values. You can reopen the editor at any time with Edit.

Turn servers on for a project

Servers you add in Settings → MCP are available to all your projects but aren’t turned on automatically. To use one in a project:

1. Open the project and click the gear icon (Open Project Settings).
2. Open AI Settings → MCP Servers.
3. Switch the server to Active for project.

Here you can also Override confirmation policy for this server to use a different approval policy in this project. Only servers that are Enabled in Settings → MCP appear in this list.

Servers you add from the chat, by dropping a bundle into the chat, or with Add MCP Server or Import .mcpb on this page are turned on for the project straight away.

Approve tool calls

By default, Bali asks before using any MCP tool. When it wants to use one, an MCP Tool Approval Required card appears in the chat showing the tool and what Bali wants to do with it. Click Approve or Deny.

To stop being asked about a tool you trust, open Advanced: Persistent Approval on the card. You can allow:

• this tool, or every tool from this server
• in this project, or in all projects

Each server’s Approval Policy sets the default:

Policy	Bali asks before…
Require approval for all MCP tools	every tool call (the default)
Require approval for specific MCP tools	calls to the tools you choose
Do not require approval for MCP tools	nothing. Use only for servers you fully trust.

Troubleshooting

• The server won’t connect. Click Check Connection for details. For STDIO servers, check that the command is installed and runs in a terminal. For HTTP and SSE servers, check the URL and your authentication settings.
• Bali doesn’t use the server. Make sure it’s Enabled and Active for project in the project’s AI settings, and that the tools you need aren’t filtered out.
• Bali uses the wrong tool. Name the server or tool in your request, for example “Use the wiki server to look up the lore for the north kingdom.”