This article explains how to connect the Cinode Model Context Protocol (MCP) server to Microsoft Copilot Studio. By adding the Cinode MCP server, your agent can securely access Cinode data such as employees, skills, customers, and projects, and use that information when responding to users.
The setup is done directly in Copilot Studio and does not require custom development.
This article is provided for guidance only. Cinode does not guarantee that all steps, labels, or behaviours described here are up to date, and we do not take responsibility for changes made by Microsoft or other third parties.
If anything in this article is unclear or does not match what you see in Copilot Studio, always refer to the official Microsoft documentation. When in doubt, the official documentation should be considered the source of truth.
Prerequisites
Before you begin, make sure you have:
Copilot Studio
As of 2026-01-22, these are the licenses required. Other combinations or options may be eligible. Reach out to Microsoft for queries related to licenses.
Copilot Studio User License - this is a per user license assigned to individuals who need access to create and manage agents.
Copilot Studio License - this is a license for your organisation, also known as a tenant license.
Users of your agents don't need a special license. After you publish your agent, anyone who can access the published agent can interact with it.
Getting Started
Navigate to Copilot Studio
Press Create an Agent or navigate to an existing one
When inside the configuration for an Agent, navigate to the Tools section
Press Add Tool
In the modal, select New tool and then Model Context Protocol
In the Create MCP tool prompt, fill in name and description. Enter
https://mcp.cinode.com/_mcpas the Server URL
Set Authentication to API Key and set the Header name to
AuthorizationYour tool is created and now you need to connect to the MCP Server!
In the modal, click Not connected and create a new connection
In the text field that appears enter your token, refer to the section about token formatting below
Once connected you can now return to the tool configuration view where you'll see available tools
Format the authentication token
The Authorization field must always include both the authentication type and the token value. Tokens entered without the correct prefix will not work.
Use one of the following formats:
Bearer token
If you are using a Cinode API token, format it as:
Bearer <token>
Example:
Bearer eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9...
Basic authentication
If you are using client credentials, the value must be formatted as:
Basic <token>
The <token> must be a Base64-encoded string of:
client_id:client_secret
For example, if your credentials are:
client_id: myClientId client_secret: myClientSecret
You first combine them:
myClientId:myClientSecret
Then Base64-encode the result and prefix it with Basic.
Only the final formatted value should be pasted into the Authorization field when connecting to the MCP server.
Test the connection
Use the Test your agent panel to verify that the connection works:
Ask questions that require Cinode data, for example about employees or teams.
Confirm that the agent responds with relevant, real data.
If the agent cannot access data, recheck the API key and server URL.
Publish your agent
Once everything works as expected:
Select Publish.
Choose the channels where the agent should be available, such as Microsoft Teams or Microsoft 365 Copilot.
Complete the publishing flow.
Your agent can now use Cinode data through the MCP server.