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Model Context Protocol - Getting Started

Overview​

The SailPoint MCP (Model Context Protocol) Server enables AI applications to interact with SailPoint's identity governance platform through a standardized interface. This guide walks you through setting up your first connection and testing the available tools.

What you'll accomplish:

Prerequisites​

Before you begin, ensure you have:

  • Access to a SailPoint tenant with API access enabled
  • Valid authentication credentials - refer to our Authentication documentation for details
  • Internet connection for accessing the web-based MCP Inspector
  • Modern web browser (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, or Edge)

Step 1: Launch the MCP Inspector​

The MCP Inspector is a web-based tool that makes it easy to connect to and test MCP servers without writing code.

Run the following command in your terminal:

npx @modelcontextprotocol/inspector

What happens next:

  • If this is your first time running the command, npm will ask to install the package - enter y to confirm
  • Your default web browser will automatically open the MCP Inspector interface

MCP Inspector

Step 2: Configure the Connection​

Set the Transport Type​

In the MCP Inspector sidebar, locate the Transport Type dropdown menu and select Streamable HTTP.

Enter Your Server URL​

In the URL field, enter your SailPoint MCP server endpoint:

https://[tenant].api.identitynow.com/v2025/access-requests/mcp

Replace [tenant] with your actual tenant name. For example:

  • If your SailPoint URL is https://acme.identitynow.com, use acme
  • Full URL would be: https://acme.api.identitynow.com/v2025/access-requests/mcp

Step 3: Set Up Authentication​

Prepare Your Access Token​

You'll need a valid SailPoint API access token. If you don't have one yet:

  1. Follow our Authentication documentation to generate a token
  2. Ensure your token has the necessary permissions for MCP operations
  3. Copy the token value - you'll need it in the next step

Configure Authentication in MCP Inspector​

  1. Select the Authentication tab in the MCP Inspector
  2. Set the following values:
    • Header Name: Authorization
    • Bearer Token: Paste your access token (without the "Bearer " prefix)

Connect to the Server​

Select Connect to establish the connection.

Success indicators:

  • The connection status should show as "Connected"
  • You'll see the main MCP Inspector interface
  • No error messages appear in the console

MCP Connected

Step 4: Test Your Connection​

List Available Tools​

Select List Tools to retrieve available MCP tools from the SailPoint server.

If successful, you will see:

  • A list of available tools with descriptions
  • Tool names, parameters, and usage information
  • No error messages or timeouts

The SailPoint MCP server currently provides four core tools.

Test the connection by listing the available tools​

Select List Tools to see the available tools. If the connection is successful, you will see a list of tools:

Available Tools

Next Steps​

Now that you have a working connection, you can:

  • Explore available tools - Learn about each tool's capabilities in our Available Tools guide
  • Test tool execution - Try running tools with different parameters to understand their behavior
  • Build integrations - Use the MCP protocol in your AI applications to automate SailPoint operations