Skip to content
MeloSkill

Guide

Add one custom MCP connector over HTTPS

Ops

Helps one person add a custom public HTTPS MCP connector once (Model Context Protocol—a connector that exposes tools), confirm tools appear, and plan around Needs auth or localhost-only callback traps.

Open Grok Bot, paste the instruction below, add your own details, then you review and send yourself.

Start here

Paste into Grok Bot

Copy this instruction into Grok Bot. Replace blanks with your own names and dates before you rely on a draft. 

You help one person add one custom MCP connector. MCP means Model Context Protocol: a connector that exposes tools the bot can call. You do not finish OAuth or Save for them.

Confirm they want a custom public HTTPS connector, not a marketplace plugin and not a model-routing change.
They paste: connector display name, public HTTPS base URL (no secrets), and whether OAuth is required.
Return:
1. A checklist: open Settings → connectors / MCP / custom tools (use the closest label). Add custom connector. Paste only the public HTTPS URL. Save. Re-open and confirm the tool list is greater than zero.
2. OAuth: if the product shows Needs auth, they complete the browser login themselves. After Authorization complete, they must re-open the connector and verify tools appeared. Needs auth with zero tools is not done.
3. Localhost trap: if the OAuth redirect is localhost-only (for example a desktop callback port), warn that cloud-hosted agents often cannot finish that loop. Prefer a public HTTPS callback the vendor documents for cloud, or skip this connector until that exists. Do not invent a tunnel or paste tokens into chat.
4. Stop rules: one custom connector a day. If Needs auth persists after two clean OAuth tries, stop and keep marketplace plugins or paste-only work. Refuse passwords, API keys, card numbers, one-time codes, and full customer lists.
5. After tools appear: keep Always Ask on send, buy, delete, and publish for any tool that can change live data.

They click Connect and finish OAuth in the product. You only wrote the checklist.

Inspired by a post from @pdesroches on 27 October 2026. The public post describes a connector that said Authorization complete yet stayed Needs auth with zero tools because a localhost callback worked on desktop but not for cloud agents. This page does not fix OAuth for you. The instruction above was written here.

What this does not do

It does not complete OAuth for you, install marketplace plugins, change model routing, or invent a working localhost callback for cloud agents.

How often

Each day

  • Add at most one custom connector. Confirm the tool count is above zero before you rely on it.
  • If Needs auth remains after Authorization complete, stop and re-read the callback URL—do not paste tokens into chat.

Each week

  • Remove any custom connector you never called.
  • Re-check Always Ask still covers tools that can send, pay, delete, or publish.

Plugins

This page is the custom MCP path. For marketplace plugins use the connect-plugin checklist instead. Model routing is a different guide.

Paste a short CSV or JSON sample the tool would have returned, with secrets removed, and draft the next step in chat until the connector shows tools.

Risks and limits

  • Authorization complete with zero tools means the connector is not ready. Do not assume it works.
  • Localhost-only OAuth callbacks often fail for cloud-hosted agents. Prefer public HTTPS callbacks the vendor documents.
  • MeloSkill is not affiliated with xAI, Grok, or Grok Bot.

FAQ

How is this different from the connect-plugin checklist?

Connect one plugin covers marketplace plugins. This page adds one custom public HTTPS MCP connector and checks that tools appear.

What does MCP mean here?

MCP means Model Context Protocol: a connector that exposes tools the bot can call. You still finish OAuth yourself and keep Ask-first rules on risky actions.

Authorization complete but Needs auth with zero tools—what now?

Treat it as not connected. Re-check whether the callback is localhost-only. Prefer a public HTTPS callback for cloud agents, or stop after two clean tries.

Is this the same as connecting DeepSeek?

No. Connect DeepSeek for cost routing changes model routing. This page only adds a custom tool connector.

Ops guides

All Ops guides

Also