Connected MCP service does not guarantee an agent can use its tools

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A connection to an MCP server does not prove an AI agent can actually use its tools, so users troubleshooting unavailable tools should not reflexively replace their token. The article advises checking the stage in order: whether the setup is inbound or outbound, whether the project scope and server definition are approved and secure, whether sign-in and startup succeed, and whether a read-only test works. It explains that in the APX desktop app, agents discover tools via mcp_search and run them via mcp_call, and that server exposure does not override agent restrictions or approvals. It also recommends verifying a read-only request before attempting writes, and recording the failed stage and error while keeping credentials out of reports.

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