MCP Integrations Overview
Applies to: Dispatch v1.0.0, last verified 2026-04-05
This page explains what MCP is, lists the six tools Dispatch exposes to all connected agents, and links to per-provider setup instructions.
What is MCP?
Section titled “What is MCP?”The Model Context Protocol (MCP) is an open standard for exposing tools and resources to AI agents. All four providers supported by Dispatch (Claude Code, Codex, Copilot, and Gemini) connect to MCP servers using the same JSON-RPC 2.0 protocol.
Dispatch runs a built-in MCP server at POST /mcp on the same port as the main dashboard. Any agent with access to that URL can call Dispatch tools directly.
The six Dispatch MCP tools
Section titled “The six Dispatch MCP tools”| Tool | Description |
|---|---|
dispatch_get_state | Returns a summary: epic count, agent count, session count, and which agents are live |
dispatch_list_agents | Lists all known agents with tool, liveness, current epic, and persona |
dispatch_get_epic | Full detail for one epic: phases, statuses, plan body, and execution log path |
dispatch_update_phase_status | Sets a phase status to TODO, IN_PROGRESS, DONE, BLOCKED, ON_HOLD, or CANCELLED |
dispatch_emit_activity_event | Pushes a typed event into the live activity feed |
dispatch_get_session_context | Returns transcript path and session metadata for a given session ID |
In Claude Code, these appear as mcp__dispatch__<tool_name>.
Discovery endpoint
Section titled “Discovery endpoint”GET http://localhost:<port>/mcpReturns server name, protocol version, and the full tool list. No auth required. Replace <port> with the port shown in the terminal when the server starts.
Authentication
Section titled “Authentication”By default (localhost dev), all requests are allowed through. To require a bearer token, set the DISPATCH_MCP_TOKEN environment variable before starting the server. Then pass Authorization: Bearer <token> in requests. Auth is checked with a constant-time comparison to prevent timing attacks.
Per-provider setup
Section titled “Per-provider setup”Each provider connects to the same MCP endpoint but configures it differently:
- Claude Code: Dispatch auto-injects
.mcp.jsoninto every registered project. Zero manual steps. - Codex: Dispatch auto-injects
.codex/config.tomlwhen a.codex/directory is detected. Manual snippet also available. - Copilot: Requires a manual snippet in VS Code settings. Auto-inject is not possible for VS Code.
- Gemini: Connect via the Gemini SDK’s built-in MCP support, or import the OpenAPI spec into Vertex AI Agent Builder.