MCP Servers

MCP (Model Context Protocol) lets you connect external tool servers to Quarterback. Once connected, their tools become available to Athena alongside the built-in tools like file read, shell, and search.

What MCP Servers Do

An MCP server exposes a set of tools over a standard protocol. For example:

• A GitHub MCP server gives Athena tools to search repos, create issues, and read PRs
• A database MCP server lets Athena query your database directly
• A custom server can expose any tool you build

When connected, the server’s tools appear to Athena automatically. Tool names are prefixed with the server name (e.g., github__search_repositories).

Adding a Server

Open Settings > MCP Servers and click Add Server.

Stdio Servers

Most MCP servers run as local processes. Configure them with:

• Name — An identifier for this server (e.g., “github”)
• Command — The command to start the server (e.g., npx)
• Arguments — Command arguments (e.g., @modelcontextprotocol/server-github)
• Environment Variables — One per line in KEY=value format

Example for the GitHub MCP server:

Command: npx
Arguments: @modelcontextprotocol/server-github
Environment: GITHUB_TOKEN=${GITHUB_TOKEN}

HTTP Servers

For remote MCP servers, select the HTTP type and provide:

• URL — The server’s endpoint
• Headers — One per line in Key: Value format (e.g., Authorization: Bearer ${API_TOKEN})

Environment Variables

You can reference environment variables from your shell using ${VAR} syntax. These are expanded when the server starts. Use ${VAR:-default} to provide a fallback value.

Managing Servers

Each server in the list shows its current status and tool count.

Enable / Disable

Use the toggle switch to enable or disable a server without deleting its configuration. Disabled servers don’t start or consume resources.

Server Status

Status	Meaning
Connected	Running and tools are available to Athena
Connecting	Starting up (stdio) or establishing connection (HTTP)
Error	Failed to connect — check the error message for details
Disabled	Turned off via the toggle

If a server disconnects unexpectedly, Quarterback will automatically retry with exponential backoff (up to 5 attempts).

Edit and Delete

Click the pencil icon to edit a server’s configuration, or the X icon to delete it. Sensitive values (API keys, tokens) are masked in the edit form to prevent accidental exposure, but are preserved when you save.

Org Scoping

MCP servers are configured per org. Each org has its own set of servers, and you’ll only see the current org’s servers in the sidebar panel. You can configure the same server name in different orgs with different settings.

Configuration File

Server configurations are stored in ~/.qb/mcp.json. You can edit this file directly if you prefer:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "my-org": {
      "github": {
        "type": "stdio",
        "command": "npx",
        "args": ["@modelcontextprotocol/server-github"],
        "env": { "GITHUB_TOKEN": "${GITHUB_TOKEN}" },
        "enabled": true
      }
    }
  }
}

After editing the file manually, use Settings > MCP Servers > Reload to pick up changes.

Quick View

The sidebar’s MCP panel shows a summary of your connected servers and tool count for the current org. Use the gear icon to open the full settings page.