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

# Agents and Protocols

> Connect external tools and delegate work to agent-compatible systems

## MCP

The MCP node connects Innflow to external Model Context Protocol servers. Use it when a workflow needs to discover or call tools exposed by another system.

**Modes:**

| Mode                      | Description                                                                |
| ------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Direct tool execution** | Select a server tool and call it directly from the workflow                |
| **Agentic use**           | Connect MCP tools to an AI Agent so the agent can choose when to call them |

**Configuration:**

| Field              | Description                                             |
| ------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Server URL**     | Streamable HTTP endpoint for the MCP server             |
| **Authentication** | Credentials required by the server, if any              |
| **Tool**           | Tool to call in direct execution mode                   |
| **Input**          | Tool input payload, with support for template variables |

**Accessing output:** `{{variableName.output}}`

***

## A2A Agent

The A2A Agent node delegates work to an external agent that supports the Agent-to-Agent protocol.

**Common uses:**

* Send a task to a specialized external agent
* Poll for an agent result before continuing the workflow
* Connect Innflow workflows to agent systems owned by another team or vendor

**Configuration:**

| Field              | Description                                           |
| ------------------ | ----------------------------------------------------- |
| **Endpoint**       | A2A-compatible agent endpoint                         |
| **Mode**           | Polling or task submission mode                       |
| **Task**           | Instructions or payload to send to the external agent |
| **Authentication** | Credentials required by the endpoint                  |

***

## Tool-Only Nodes

Some nodes can be connected to AI Agent nodes as callable tools instead of running as standalone workflow steps.

| Tool node      | Use for                                     |
| -------------- | ------------------------------------------- |
| **Slack Tool** | Let an agent send or read Slack messages    |
| **Gmail Tool** | Let an agent send or read Gmail messages    |
| **HTTP Tool**  | Let an agent call an HTTP API               |
| **Exa Tool**   | Let an agent search or retrieve web content |

Use tool-only nodes when the model should decide whether a tool call is needed during the agent run.