MCP flow

The Model Context Protocol (MCP) is the open standard used to define and expose your tools to the Connected Apps Platform. MCP allows applicable Google products to use your services as tools to complete complex tasks for users.

The Connected Apps Platform analyzes a user's query. It then checks the available tool schemas to find the right ones, sends these commands and parameters to be executed on the server, which then dispatches the requests to your service.

Sequential diagram of a user query flow using an @ tool call from a user to Gemini, then to an MCP server, and back to Gemini to build a response to the user Figure 1. Example of MCP Connected Apps user flow

Identify requests from applicable Google products

To identify incoming HTTP requests originating from applicable Google products, inspect the request headers on your remote MCP server:

  • User-Agent header: applicable Google products include the User-Agent HTTP header set to Google (for example, User-Agent: Google) on all outgoing JSON-RPC requests such as initialize, tools/list, and tools/call.
  • Telemetry and customization: use this header to segment server analytics, track Gemini-specific request volume, and tailor logging or response behaviors for Google integrations.