Model Context Protocol (MCP)
Biyan is an MCP host. MCP servers expose tools and data sources that a compatible cloud model can call during a conversation.
Before connecting a server
- Confirm the selected cloud model supports tool calling.
- Install the command runtime required by the server, such as Node.js or Python.
- Review the server's source, permissions, environment variables, and network behavior.
- Start with individual tool approval rather than global automatic permission.
Add a server
- Open Settings → MCP Servers.
- Choose Add Server.
- Enter a display name, command, arguments, and only required environment variables.
- Start the server and inspect its exposed tools.
- Enable the tools required for the conversation.
Biyan Web Research
The managed web-research integration is named Biyan Web Research, uses the biyan-web-research sidecar, and uses BIYAN_WEB_RESEARCH_* environment variables.
Migration recognizes the earlier managed names. A conflicting user-created entry is preserved as a disabled copy for review; Biyan does not overwrite it silently.
Safety
MCP tools can read data, access authenticated services, execute commands, or make changes with your permissions. Treat tool output as untrusted input and approve sensitive actions explicitly.
MCP tool definitions and relevant results consume model context and may be sent to the selected cloud provider. Biyan's document parser is not an embedding service and MCP does not restore the retired RAG/vector pipeline.
See MCP Servers for configuration details and MCP Routing for contributor telemetry hooks.