A developer wants to extend a Copilot Studio agent with tools hosted on an external MCP (Model Context Protocol) server. The MCP server exposes a weather lookup tool and a calendar scheduling tool. To register this MCP server in Copilot Studio, what information must the developer provide during configuration?
Select an answer to reveal the explanation.
Short Explanation and Infographic
Registering an MCP server is like giving a new contractor your office address and access badge—Copilot Studio needs the server's endpoint URL and credentials, then it automatically discovers what tools are available.
Full explanation below image
![Portrait infographic 1536x2048 titled 'Registering an MCP Server in Copilot Studio'. Show a registration flow: Copilot Studio MCP Settings panel with two input fields: 'Server Endpoint URL' (https://mcp.example.com/api) and 'Authentication' (OAuth 2.0 credentials). Arrow labeled 'Auto-Discovery Request' points to an MCP Server box showing Tool List response: [Weather Lookup, Calendar Scheduling]. Arrow labeled 'Tools Available in Agent' points to agent's Action palette showing both tools. Side panel shows the MCP protocol spec symbol. Microsoft Fluent design, teal/blue palette, clean technical diagram with labeled callouts.](/media/microsoft/ab-620/AB-620-e5-q006-infographic.webp)
Full Explanation
Model Context Protocol (MCP) is an open standard that allows AI agents to connect to external tool servers that expose capabilities such as data lookups, API calls, and integrations. In Copilot Studio, registering an MCP server requires providing the server's endpoint URL (typically an HTTPS endpoint conforming to the MCP spec) and any authentication credentials the server requires (such as an OAuth 2.0 client ID/secret or API key). Once registered, Copilot Studio queries the MCP server's tool discovery endpoint to automatically enumerate available tools—the developer does not need to manually define each tool.
Option C is correct because the MCP specification uses server-side tool discovery: the agent connects to the endpoint, authenticates, and the server returns a list of available tools with their schemas. Copilot Studio then makes these tools available in the agent's action configuration.
Option A is wrong because while a base URL is part of what's needed, the statement 'no additional configuration needed' is incorrect. Authentication credentials are required for secure MCP servers, and the URL alone is not sufficient to register an MCP server—the URL must conform to the MCP protocol endpoint structure.
Option B is wrong because MCP tools are not configured as separate HTTP connectors in Power Platform. MCP is a distinct protocol from Power Platform custom connectors. Treating them as HTTP connectors would bypass MCP's tool discovery mechanism and require manual schema definition for each tool.
Option D is wrong because Copilot Studio does not require the developer to upload a JSON manifest manually. The MCP server itself exposes a discovery endpoint that Copilot Studio queries automatically after registration. Manual manifest upload is a pattern used with OpenAPI specifications for custom connectors, not with MCP servers.
Exam tip: MCP server registration in Copilot Studio follows a two-field pattern: endpoint URL + authentication. After that, tool discovery is automatic. Don't confuse MCP registration with custom connector registration, which does require manual OpenAPI spec upload.