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Add an MCP server to Grok

Updated

Grok calls a remote MCP server a custom connector. This guide connects BRONTIR, live web research with citations from search to Reddit, YouTube and reviews, to Grok on the web, and to Grok Build, the command-line agent, with one command.

Your client opens a browser tab to sign in, so have a BRONTIR account ready. Opening one is free, and new accounts start with free credits.

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Grok MCP setup, step by step

Sign in with Google

Open grok.com/connectors.

  1. Press New Connector and choose Custom.
  2. Paste this as the server URL:
    https://research.brontir.com/api/mcp
  3. Sign in with your Google account, then press Approve on the BRONTIR authorization page.
  4. Grok picks up the tools by itself. If they don't show up, start a new chat.

On Grok Business and Enterprise a team admin has to add the connector in the console first. Using Grok Build, the command-line agent? grok mcp add --transport http research https://research.brontir.com/api/mcp, then press i on the server row in /mcps to sign in.

Always restart your client after connecting. Quit and reopen the desktop app, or reload the page in a web client. Clients read the tool list once at startup, so until they restart your agent may not see the new tools even though the connector already shows as connected.

Grok MCP troubleshooting

  • The connector is connected, but the agent doesn't see the tools. Restart the client: quit and reopen the desktop app, or reload the page in a web client. If the tools are still missing, start a new chat, since an open conversation can keep the tool list it was created with.
  • You pressed Approve, but the client still shows the connector as not connected. Authorization did go through; the client just hasn't refreshed its own state. Restart the app or reload the page and it will show as connected. If it doesn't, press Connect once more and approve again.
  • The agent uses its built-in web search instead of these tools. Name the tools in your prompt: “use advanced_web_search and advanced_web_fetch from the research MCP” rather than “look this up”. To make it permanent, add the rule to Grok’s custom instructions, which apply to every chat.

Full setup guide for every client: brontir.com/docs.

Grok MCP: common questions

Where do you add an MCP server in Grok?

At grok.com/connectors: press New Connector, choose Custom and paste the server URL.

Do custom connectors need a paid Grok plan?

No. Connectors are available to every Grok user, Free included.

Can everyone on Grok Business add a connector?

On Grok Business and Enterprise a team admin has to add the connector first, in the console at console.x.ai under Grok Business → Connectors, before anyone on the team can use it.

The sign-in window never opens, or closes straight away. What now?

Allow pop-ups for grok.com in your browser and add the connector again. A private window can block the sign-in as well, so use a normal one.

The connector is added, but Grok doesn’t use its tools. Why?

An open chat keeps the tools it started with, so start a new chat. Open the connector on grok.com/connectors to check its tools are listed, and if Grok still reaches for its own search, name them in your prompt: “use the research tools to …”.

How do I add the server to Grok Build?

grok mcp add --transport http research https://research.brontir.com/api/mcp. The sign-in opens in your browser on first use, or press i on the server’s row in /mcps. grok mcp doctor research says why a call fails.

Once connected

What your agent can do with BRONTIR

  • Search the web and the news, Reddit, YouTube, TikTok and other social platforms.
  • Read whole pages, PDFs, video transcripts and comment threads, not snippets.
  • Pull reviews, maps and local businesses, app stores, products and ad libraries.
  • Get it all back structured, with citations down to the exact line.
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