# Model Context Protocols (MCP) and adding AI tools > [!NOTE] > > This functionality is in beta and is evolving rapidly. > > When using any AI tool for development, exercise a level of caution appropriate to your use case and environment. > Always review AI-generated content before using it in critical systems. > > Join our [Discord channel](https://discord.gg/coder) or > [contact us](https://coder.com/contact) to get help or share feedback. ## Overview Coder templates should be pre-equipped with the tools and dependencies needed for development. With AI Agents, this is no exception. ## Prerequisites - A Coder deployment with v2.21 or later - A [template configured for AI agents](./create-template.md) ## Best Practices - Use the most capable ML models you have access to in order to evaluate Agent performance. - Set a system prompt with the `AI_SYSTEM_PROMPT` environment in your template - Within your repositories, write a `.cursorrules`, `CLAUDE.md` or similar file to guide the agent's behavior. - To read issue descriptions or pull request comments, install the proper CLI (e.g. `gh`) in your image/template. - Ensure your [template](./create-template.md) is truly pre-configured for development without manual intervention (e.g. repos are cloned, dependencies are built, secrets are added/mocked, etc.). > Note: [External authentication](../admin/external-auth.md) can be helpful > to authenticate with third-party services such as GitHub or JFrog. - Give your agent the proper tools via MCP to interact with your codebase and related services. - Read our recommendations on [securing agents](./securing.md) to avoid surprises. ## Adding Tools via MCP Model Context Protocol (MCP) is an emerging standard for adding tools to your agents. Follow the documentation for your [agent](./agents.md) to learn how to configure MCP servers. See [modelcontextprotocol/servers](https://github.com/modelcontextprotocol/servers) to browse open source MCP servers. ### Our Favorite MCP Servers In internal testing, we have seen significant improvements in agent performance when these tools are added via MCP. - [Playwright](https://github.com/microsoft/playwright-mcp): Instruct your agent to open a browser, and check its work by viewing output and taking screenshots. - [desktop-commander](https://github.com/wonderwhy-er/DesktopCommanderMCP): Instruct your agent to run long-running tasks (e.g. `npm run dev`) in the background instead of blocking the main thread. ## Next Steps - [Supervise Agents in the UI](./coder-dashboard.md) - [Supervise Agents in the IDE](./ide-integration.md) - [Supervise Agents Programmatically](./headless.md) - [Securing Agents](./securing.md)