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101 lines
5.3 KiB
Markdown
101 lines
5.3 KiB
Markdown
---
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title: "FAQ"
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type: docs
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weight: 2
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description: Frequently asked questions about Toolbox.
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---
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## How can I deploy or run Toolbox?
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MCP Toolbox for Databases is open-source and can be run or deployed to a
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multitude of environments. For convenience, we release [compiled binaries and
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docker images][release-notes] (but you can always compile yourself as well!).
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For detailed instructions, check out these resources:
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- [Quickstart: How to Run Locally](../documentation/getting-started/local_quickstart.md)
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- [Deploy to Cloud Run](../documentation/deploy-to/cloud-run/_index.md)
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- To run Toolbox more securely or harden security, check out our [hardening guidelines](./cli.md#hardening-toolbox)
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[release-notes]: https://github.com/googleapis/mcp-toolbox/releases/
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## Do I need a Google Cloud account/project to get started with Toolbox?
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Nope! While some of the sources Toolbox connects to may require GCP credentials,
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Toolbox doesn't require them and can connect to a bunch of different resources
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that don't.
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## How do I configure Google Cloud telemetry with ADC when running locally?
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If you run Toolbox with `--telemetry-gcp`, make sure Application Default Credentials are available via `GOOGLE_APPLICATION_CREDENTIALS` (or other ADC-compatible setup) and specify a project ID either by:
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- setting `--telemetry-gcp-project`, or
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- setting `GOOGLE_CLOUD_PROJECT` environment variable.
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This avoids "no project found" errors when exporting telemetry to Google Cloud.
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## Does Toolbox take contributions from external users?
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Absolutely! Please check out our [DEVELOPER.md][] for instructions on how to get
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started developing _on_ Toolbox instead of with it, and the [CONTRIBUTING.md][]
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for instructions on completing the CLA and getting a PR accepted.
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[DEVELOPER.md]: https://github.com/googleapis/mcp-toolbox/blob/main/DEVELOPER.md
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[CONTRIBUTING.MD]: https://github.com/googleapis/mcp-toolbox/blob/main/CONTRIBUTING.md
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## Can Toolbox support a feature to let me do _$FOO_?
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Maybe? The best place to start is by [opening an issue][github-issue] for
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discussion (or seeing if there is already one open), so we can better understand
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your use case and the best way to solve it. Generally we aim to prioritize the
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most popular issues, so make sure to +1 ones you are the most interested in.
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[github-issue]: https://github.com/googleapis/mcp-toolbox/issues
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## Can Toolbox be used for non-database tools?
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**Yes!** While Toolbox is primarily focused on databases, it also supports generic
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**HTTP tools** (`type: http`). These allow you to connect your agents to REST APIs
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and other web services, enabling workflows that extend beyond database interactions.
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For configuration details, see the [HTTP Tools documentation](../integrations/http/_index.md).
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## Can I use _$BAR_ orchestration framework to use tools from Toolbox?
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Currently, Toolbox only supports a limited number of client SDKs at our initial
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launch. We are investigating support for more frameworks as well as more general
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approaches for users without a framework -- look forward to seeing an update
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soon.
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## Why does Toolbox use a server-client architecture pattern?
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Toolbox's server-client architecture allows us to more easily support a wide
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variety of languages and frameworks with a centralized implementation. It also
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allows us to tackle problems like connection pooling, auth, or caching more
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completely than entirely client-side solutions.
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## Why was Toolbox written in Go?
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While a large part of the Gen AI Ecosystem is predominately Python, we opted to
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use Go. We chose Go because it's still easy and simple to use, but also easier
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to write fast, efficient, and concurrent servers. Additionally, given the
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server-client architecture, we can still meet many developers where they are
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with clients in their preferred language. As Gen AI matures, we want developers
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to be able to use Toolbox on the serving path of mission critical applications.
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It's easier to build the needed robustness, performance and scalability in Go
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than in Python.
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## Is Toolbox compatible with Model Context Protocol (MCP)?
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Yes! Toolbox is compatible with [Anthropic's Model Context Protocol
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(MCP)](https://modelcontextprotocol.io/). Please checkout [Connect via
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MCP](../documentation/connect-to/mcp-client/_index.md) on how to connect to Toolbox with an MCP
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client.
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## What is the difference between MCP Toolbox and Google Cloud MCP Servers?
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MCP Toolbox and [Google Cloud MCP Servers](https://cloud.google.com/blog/products/databases/managed-mcp-servers-for-google-cloud-databases) serve complementary purposes.
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- **Google Cloud MCP Servers** provides a managed, enterprise-grade experience with necessary stability and governance, offering a "Zero Ops" experience ideal for **[Build-Time Developers ("AI-Assisted")](../documentation/getting-started/_index.md#build-time-vs-runtime-implementation)** who need immediate, secure integration with Google Cloud services without any setup.
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- **MCP Toolbox** is open-source and self-hosted, allowing for rapid prototyping. It is designed for **[Run-Time Developers](../documentation/getting-started/_index.md#build-time-vs-runtime-implementation)** who need to build custom agents/applications, deploy custom tools, and connect to non-Google or on-premises data sources. MCP Toolbox is focused on delivering the most up to date and cutting-edge features quickly before they might be available in managed environments.
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