> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.mcpmanager.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Quickstart: Your first governed tool call

> A hands-on MCP Manager quickstart: add the public docs MCP server with no authentication, put it behind a gateway, connect Claude, call a tool, and watch the request appear in your audit log — end to end in about 15 minutes.

By the end of this quickstart you'll have added a real MCP server to **MCP Manager**, exposed it through a [gateway](/mcp-gateway-concepts/mcp-gateways), connected your AI client, called a tool, and watched that exact call show up in your audit log attributed to you. In MCP Manager every tool call routes through a governed gateway, so you can answer *who did what, through which tool* from day one.

The server you'll connect is MCP Manager's own public documentation server, which needs no credentials. The whole path takes about five minutes.

<Info>
  This tutorial uses **Basic server management** (to add a server), **Basic gateway management** (to create a gateway), and **View and export logs** (to see the call). If you don't see the **Add** button or the **Logs** page, your role lacks that capability — access depends on the capability, not on a role name. See the [capabilities reference](/deployment/rbac-and-roles/capabilities).
</Info>

## What you'll need

* An MCP Manager workspace you can sign in to.
* An MCP client to connect at the end. This tutorial shows [Claude Code](https://docs.claude.com/en/docs/claude-code), but use Claude, Cursor, VS Code, or whatever MCP-compatible client you already have.
* About five minutes.

## Step 1: Add the docs MCP server

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open the add-server flow">
    Go to [MCP Servers](https://app.mcpmanager.ai/settings/servers) and click **Add**. The **Add an MCP server** dialog opens.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Enter the server URL">
    In the **Server URL** field, paste the MCP Manager docs server:

    ```text Server URL theme={null}
    https://docs.mcpmanager.ai/mcp
    ```

    Click **Continue**. MCP Manager connects to the URL and detects how it wants to authenticate.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Continue without authentication">
    The docs server is public, so MCP Manager offers a no-credentials path. Under **Server doesn't require authentication?**, click **Continue without authentication**.

    <Note>
      Most servers do require auth. MCP Manager can detect the authentication style automatically for certain servers, simplifying your expereince. If it detects that the MCP Server requires auth but can't determine which kind, you'll see **OAuth Pre-registration** or **Token / Headers** instead. Those paths are covered in [Remote MCP Servers](/mcp-gateway-concepts/mcp-servers/remote).
    </Note>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Name it and finish">
    In **Server name**, enter `MCP Manager Docs`, then continue. MCP Manager discovers the server's tools and shows **Server added**.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Note>
  Adding a server puts it in MCP Manager and makes it available to add to gateways — think of it as staged behind the curtain. It isn't something anyone can connect to yet. A gateway is what brings it on stage.
</Note>

```mermaid theme={null}
%%{init: {'theme':'base','themeVariables':{'fontFamily':'Lato, sans-serif','lineColor':'#6a6b76','primaryColor':'#e0e2e8','primaryTextColor':'#12141d','primaryBorderColor':'#6a6b76','edgeLabelBackground':'#ffffff','textColor':'#12141d'}}}%%
flowchart LR
  A["🖥️<br/>Add server<br/>(staged, not connectable)"] --> B["🛡️<br/>Assign to a gateway"]
  B --> C["User connects to the gateway"]
  C --> D["✅<br/>Tools available in the client"]
  classDef server fill:#aed8ff,color:#062b4c,stroke:#0b4880,stroke-width:1.5px;
  classDef gateway fill:#0086ff,color:#ffffff,stroke:#062b4c,stroke-width:2px;
  classDef trust fill:#2fedb4,color:#062b4c,stroke:#059669,stroke-width:1.5px;
  class A server;
  class B gateway;
  class D trust;
```

## Step 2: Put the server behind a gateway

A [gateway](/mcp-gateway-concepts/mcp-gateways) is the only thing users connect to. You'll create one and assign the docs server to it.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Create the gateway">
    Go to [Gateways](https://app.mcpmanager.ai/settings/gateways) and click **Add**. In the **Add a gateway** dialog, set **Gateway name** to `Quickstart`.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Provision it to your team">
    Under **Provision access to teams**, choose a team. Most workspaces start with a default team that you're already on — if it's there, select it and move on. Click **Save this gateway**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Assign the docs server">
    Open the **Quickstart** gateway, go to its **Servers** tab, and click **Assign a server**. Find the **MCP Manager Docs** server from Step 1 in the list and select it. MCP Manager shows a screen previewing the capabilities that server provides. Confirm to add it.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Step 3: Connect your AI client to the gateway

Open the **Quickstart** gateway's overview page and copy its **gateway URL**. It includes the gateway ID in the path, which pins the connection to this specific gateway, so it looks like this — with your gateway's own ID in place of `<your-gateway-id>`:

```text Gateway URL theme={null}
https://app.mcpmanager.ai/gateway/v1/mcp/<your-gateway-id>
```

Add the URL you copied to your client. In Claude Code that's one command:

```bash terminal theme={null}
claude mcp add --transport http mcp-manager "PASTE_YOUR_GATEWAY_URL_HERE"
```

The first time your client connects, it opens a browser to MCP Manager. Sign in if prompted. Because the URL already points at the Quickstart gateway, you won't be asked to choose a gateway — just click **Allow**, and your client lands back with the docs server's tools ready.

## Step 4: Call a tool

In your client, ask a question that makes it reach for the docs server:

```text theme={null}
Search the MCP Manager docs for how PII redaction works.
```

Your client calls a tool from the **MCP Manager Docs** server through your gateway and answers from the live documentation. That request just made a full round trip through MCP Manager.

## Step 5: See the call in your audit log

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open the logs">
    Go to [Logs](https://app.mcpmanager.ai/settings/logs). The newest entries are at the top.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Find your tool call">
    Look for a row whose **Method** is `tools/call`. You'll also see entries for `tools/list` (your client discovering what's available) and `initialize` (the connection handshake).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Open the entry">
    Click the row to open **Log details**. The **Fields** section shows it was called by you (**User name**, **User email**), through the **Quickstart** gateway, on the **MCP Manager Docs** server, with the **Duration** and **Response code**. The **Body** and **Headers** sections hold the actual request and response.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Check>
  You added a server, exposed it through a gateway, called a tool, and found that call in the log — tied to your identity. That attribution is what makes an MCP Manager rollout auditable: every action traces back to a real person, through a known gateway, on a known server.
</Check>

## What's next

You ran the whole loop with one public server and the default settings. The next tutorials add the parts a real rollout needs:

* Scope tools to a group and invite people in [Build a team gateway](/tutorials/team-gateway).
* Add a guardrail in [Add your first gateway rule](/tutorials/first-gateway-rule).
* Read the audit trail in depth in [Trace a call in your logs](/tutorials/trace-in-logs).

## Further reading

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Connect your AI client to a gateway" icon="plug" href="/tutorials/connect-your-ai-client">
    The end-user side of Step 3, for every client and across teams.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Remote MCP Servers" icon="cloud" href="/mcp-gateway-concepts/mcp-servers/remote">
    The authentication paths real servers use — OAuth and token/header auth.
  </Card>

  <Card title="MCP Gateways" icon="network-wired" href="/mcp-gateway-concepts/mcp-gateways">
    What a gateway is and how it brokers identity and applies rules.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Viewing Logs" icon="rectangle-list" href="/features/viewing-logs">
    The full reference for the audit log you just used.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>