Adding Custom Tools

Overview

AIDA can connect to virtually any external tool using MCP (Model Context Protocol) — an open standard for connecting AI agents to services. Once connected, AIDA can use these tools automatically during conversations.

Popular tools you can add: Slack, GitHub, Notion, Jira, Linear, Postgres, and hundreds more.

Adding an MCP Server

1. Open AIDA → Tools (in the sidebar)
2. Scroll to the MCP Servers section
3. Click Add MCP Server
4. Fill in the details:
   • Name — a label for this server (e.g. "GitHub")
   • Command — the executable to run (usually npx or python)
   • Arguments — command arguments as a JSON array
   • Environment Variables — any API keys or tokens as a JSON object
5. Toggle Enabled on
6. Click Save

AIDA will connect to the server on the next chat message.

Requirements

Most MCP servers require Node.js to be installed on the server. Check with:

node --version

If not installed:

curl -fsSL https://deb.nodesource.com/setup_20.x | sudo -E bash -
sudo apt-get install -y nodejs

Popular MCP Servers

Slack

Send and read messages in Slack channels.

• Command: npx
• Arguments: ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-slack"]
• Environment: {"SLACK_BOT_TOKEN": "xoxb-your-token", "SLACK_TEAM_ID": "T..."}

Get your Slack bot token from api.slack.com/apps.

GitHub

Read repositories, issues, and pull requests.

• Command: npx
• Arguments: ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-github"]
• Environment: {"GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN": "ghp_..."}

Get your token from GitHub → Settings → Developer Settings → Personal Access Tokens.

Notion

Read and create Notion pages and databases.

• Command: npx
• Arguments: ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-notion"]
• Environment: {"NOTION_API_KEY": "secret_..."}

Get your key from notion.so/my-integrations.

Filesystem

Read and write files on the server.

• Command: npx
• Arguments: ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem", "/home/ubuntu/files"]
• Environment: {}

Replace /home/ubuntu/files with the directory you want AIDA to access.

Troubleshooting

Server fails to connect

• Make sure Node.js is installed: node --version
• Check the command and arguments are correct
• Verify environment variables (API keys) are valid
• Check AIDA logs: sudo docker logs aida --tail 50

Tools not appearing in chat

• Make sure the server is toggled Enabled
• Restart AIDA after adding a new server
• Some servers take a few seconds to initialize

Slow startup Each MCP server adds startup time. Disable servers you are not actively using to keep AIDA responsive.

Finding More MCP Servers

Browse the official MCP server registry at modelcontextprotocol.io for a full list of available servers and their configuration details.