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Quick Start Guide - MCP Server

Bijira provides a complete solution for transforming existing APIs into intelligent, AI-ready tools using the Model Context Protocol (MCP). With a centralized control plane, Bijira simplifies the entire lifecycle of MCP server management from creation to discovery delivering a seamless experience for both API developers and AI agent builders.

In this tutorial, you will use Bijira to create an MCP Server from an HTTP backend, test it using the MCP Playground, publish it, and connect it with an MCP client.

Prerequisites

  1. If you're signing in to the Bijira Console for the first time, create an organization:

    1. Go to Bijira Console and sign in using your Google, GitHub, or Microsoft account.
    2. Enter a unique organization name.
    3. Read and accept the privacy policy and terms of use.
    4. Click Create.

    This creates the organization and opens the organization home page.

Step 1: Create a Project

  1. Go to Bijira Console and sign in. This opens the organization home page.
  2. On the organization home page, click + Create Project.

  3. Enter the following details:

    Info

    The Name field must be unique and cannot be changed after creation.

    Field Value
    Display Name Sample Project
    Identifier sample-project
    Description My sample project

  4. Click Create. This creates the project and takes you to the project home page.

Step 2: Create an MCP Server

  1. On the project home page, select MCP Server and click Import API Contract under Expose APIs as MCP Servers.
  2. Click URL for API Contract, enter the following URL, and then click Next: 
    https://raw.githubusercontent.com/wso2/bijira-samples/refs/heads/main/reading-list-api/openapi.yaml

  3. The Create MCP Server from Contract page will be opened. Click Create to complete the MCP Server creation process.

    Create MCP Server from Contract

Step 3: Test the MCP Server

Bijira automatically generates tool schemas based on the information available in your API contract.

You can test the MCP Server in the development environment using the MCP Playground before promoting it to production.

In this guide, you will use the MCP Playground.

  1. In the left navigation menu, click Test and then click MCP Playground.
  2. Select Development from the environment drop-down list.
  3. Click Get Test Key if the test key is not yet populated.

  4. Click Connect to connect with your deployed MCP Server.

    Info

    This sends an Initialize call to the MCP Server deployed in the gateway and establishes a connection.

  5. Click List Tools, select a tool, and click Run Tool

    MCP Inspector

Step 4: Promote and Publish the MCP Server

Once you verify the MCP Server is working as expected in development, promote it to production and publish it for consumers.

  1. In the left navigation menu, click Deploy.
  2. In the Development card, click Promote.

  3. In the Configuration Types pane, select the option Use Development endpoint configuration and click Next.

    Tip

    If you want to specify a different endpoint for your production environment, you can make the change in the Configuration Types pane.

    The Production card indicates the Deployment Status as Active when the MCP Server is successfully deployed to production.

    If you want to verify that the MCP Server is working as expected in production, you can test the tools in the production environment.

Now that your MCP Server is deployed in both development and production environments and can be invoked, the next step is to publish it so that consumers can discover and subscribe to it.

Step 5: Publish the MCP Server

  1. In the left navigation menu, click Develop and then click Lifecycle. This opens the Lifecycle page, where you can see the different lifecycle stages of the MCP Server. The current lifecycle stage is Created.
  2. Click Publish.

  3. In the Publish MCP Server dialog, click Confirm to publish the MCP Server with the specified display name. If you want to change the display name, make the necessary changes and then click Confirm. This changes the lifecycle state to Published.

    Info

    If you want to configure the Developer Portal as an MCP Hub, follow the Developer Portal Mode documentation.

The MCP Server is now available for consumers to discover and subscribe to via the Bijira Developer Portal.

Step 6: Connect with an MCP Client

MCP Servers in Bijira are secured by OAuth2 by default. To access an MCP Server, you must subscribe through an application, obtain a valid token, and configure it in your MCP client.

  1. In the Lifecycle Management pane, click Go to DevPortal. This takes you to the MCP Server published in the Bijira Developer Portal.

    Go to DevPortal

  2. Subscribe to the MCP Server and generate credentials.

    1. In the Developer Portal left navigation menu, click Applications and then click Create.
    2. Enter an application name and click Create. Click the application name to open its home page.
    3. Click Explore More under the Subscribed MCP Servers section. This will navigate you to the MCP Server listing page.
    4. From the MCP Server card, choose the Application and click Subscribe. Now your application is subscribed to the published MCP Server with your selected subscription plan.
    5. Open the created application by selecting Applications from the left menu, and click on the application name.
    6. In the Application detail banner, click Manage Keys. This opens the Manage Keys page.

    7. On the Manage Keys page, select either the Production or Sandbox tab based on your requirement.

      Info

      Sandbox keys can only be used in the sandbox environment.

    8. Click Generate and wait for the keys to be generated. If you want to configure Advanced Configurations, click on the Modify button once the keys are generated and configure the values. Bijira generates new tokens and populates the Consumer Key and Consumer Secret fields.

    9. Close the dialog.
    10. Click Generate to generate an access token. Copy the generated access token.

  3. Invoke the MCP Server:

    1. Go to the MCP Server listing page using the left navigation menu.
    2. Click on the MCP Server.
    3. Click Documentation to open the MCP Playground.
    4. Paste your copied access token with the following format: Bearer <ACCESS_TOKEN>

    5. Click Connect to connect with your deployed MCP Server.

      Info

      This sends an Initialize call to the MCP Server deployed in the gateway and establishes a connection.

    6. Click List Tools, select a tool, and click Run Tool

      MCP Inspector Devportal

Now you have successfully created, deployed, tested, and published an MCP Server using Bijira.