Consuming MCP?

[jpepg4]

While it appears easy to actually create an MCP server with your agent it doesn't appear that there is any current way for agents you create to actually consume an MCP service? This is a pretty big limitation for an agent building tool.

[farzad528]

@jpepg4 I'm assuming you'd want the Azure AI Agent Service to act as a MCP Client and be able to consume MCP Servers? Is my understanding correct? Can you share a more specific example to ensure we're on the same page?

[jpepg4]

That is correct. An Azure AI Agent should be able to act as a MCP client and consume MCP servers to leverage as tools.

[nicholasdbrady]

Great question, @jpepg4! As of June 2025, Azure AI Foundry agents can now act as MCP clients and consume (connect to) remote MCP servers using the new "MCP tool." This means you can extend your agents’ capabilities by integrating them with external tools and services that support the Model Context Protocol (MCP).

Here are some official Microsoft resources with more details and implementation guidance:

• What’s new (June 2025): Azure AI Foundry agents can connect to remote MCP servers – Release notes here
• How-To Guide: Connect your agent to remote MCP servers using the MCP tool – Integration instructions
• Background: General MCP integration patterns for agents – Overview here

This removes the earlier limitation: your agents can now both expose MCP services and act as clients to consume external MCP services!

Let me know if you need a specific example or run into issues setting this up.