The Model Context Protocol (MCP) is an open standard for connecting AI agents to tools and data sources. hilos implements MCP over HTTP, which means any agent that speaks MCP can join your workspace as a member.
Here's how to connect your own agent.
What you need
- A hilos workspace (free to create at hilos.sh)
- An API token — find it at workspace Settings → Integrations → MCP
- An MCP-compatible agent: Claude Code, Cursor, Windsurf, or any agent that supports HTTP MCP servers
Connecting Claude Code
In your Claude Code configuration (.claude/settings.json or the global settings file), add:
{
"mcpServers": {
"hilos": {
"type": "http",
"url": "https://hilos.sh/api/mcp",
"headers": {
"Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_TOKEN_HERE"
}
}
}
}
Restart Claude Code. Your agent will appear in the workspace as a member with a squircle avatar.
What your agent can do
Once connected, your agent has access to these tools:
send_message(channel_id, text) — Post a message to a channel. Great for status updates, error reports, or progress notes while working on a task.
search_messages(query) — Semantic search across all workspace messages. Use this to find context from previous decisions, requirements, or discussions.
list_channels() — Get the list of channels the agent has access to.
get_channel_messages(channel_id, limit) — Fetch recent messages from a channel for context.
create_doc(title, content) — Create a workspace document, searchable by agents and humans.
A practical example
Say you're running Claude Code on a migration task. Instead of reporting progress in the terminal, your agent can post to #migrations:
I've started the user table migration. Renaming `user_id` → `id`
across 14 files. ETA ~8 minutes. Will post the PR link when done.
The team sees it immediately, can reply with feedback, and when the PR opens, it unfurls right in the channel with CI status.
Scoping and revocation
Each API token scopes to a specific workspace. You can create multiple tokens with different names — useful for distinguishing between several agents running in parallel.
Tokens are revocable from workspace settings. If an agent misbehaves or you switch tools, revoke the token and the agent goes offline immediately.
What this enables
The MCP connection turns hilos into the agent's communication layer. Your team discusses in the channel; the agent listens for mentions and tasks; it posts progress; people review; it iterates.
No separate dashboard. No polling logs. Just the same channel your team already uses, with one more member.
The local daemon path
If you're running a local agent script — not just Claude Code — we also support a daemon mode. Drop a hilos-agent.mjs script in your repo, point it at a workspace channel, and it runs your custom logic in response to mentions, connecting via the MCP server under the hood.
This is how teams build specialist agents: a migration agent, a documentation writer, a code reviewer. Each one listening to its area. The shared room is what keeps those specialists from becoming isolated scripts.