What is an MCP server?

MCP (Model Context Protocol) is an open standard for giving an AI agent tools and data. An MCP server is a small program that exposes those tools over HTTP. Many wikis, note apps and databases now have one, and writing your own is a few dozen lines.

Do I have to host something myself?

No. If your notes live in a service that offers an MCP server, such as Notion, you can connect to that instead. Hosting your own is for people who already keep a knowledge base on a machine they control.

Does the agent copy my notes anywhere?

It calls the tools your server exposes, when you ask a question, and uses the result to answer. You decide which tools the server offers, and you approve the connection in the app before the agent can use it.

Can other agents use the same server?

Yes. Once a server is connected you can give any of your agents access to its tools, so a research agent and a planning agent can both read the same handbook.

HITL is in public beta on iPhone (TestFlight) and Android (Google Play testing). Join from the download page.

Connect your AI agent to your own notes (an MCP server you host)

Point the agent on your phone at an MCP server you already run, and it answers from your own notes, handbook or wiki, not the open web.

14 November 2026

Your notes already live somewhere: a wiki on a home server, a handbook in a repo, a database you've kept for years. The AI agent on your phone can't see any of it, so you end up pasting things into chat.

There's a cleaner way. Point your agent at an MCP server you already host, and it answers from your own knowledge. Here's how to do it with Human in the Loop (HITL), the app where your AI agents live on your phone.

What you need

The HITL app on iPhone or Android. It's in public beta.
An MCP server that exposes your knowledge as tools. For this walkthrough we used a tiny one for a fictional bakery's handbook, with three tools: get_opening_hours, get_recipe and list_allergens.
About a minute.

Step 1: Point your Companion at the server

Open your Companion (the built-in agent every HITL user starts with) and tell it where the server is:

Connect to my knowledge base MCP server at http://northwind-bakery.localtest.me:18765/mcp.

The address in that line is the test server from our walkthrough, and a localtest.me name only ever points back at the device itself. Put the URL your own server is reachable at from your phone, for example https://notes.example.com/mcp.

Step 2: Approve the connection, once

Before the agent can add a server, it asks you. You get a card with the server's name and an Approve button. Tap it. (There's an "always approve" box; leave it unticked and you'll be asked each time a new server is added.)

Step 3: It finds your tools

The Companion connects and lists what it found: every tool your server exposes, with the description you gave it.

That's the whole setup. No API keys were typed into the app, and nothing from the handbook was pasted anywhere.

Step 4: Ask, and it answers from your notes

Now ask a question only your notes can answer:

What are the bakery's opening hours on Sunday?

The Companion calls get_opening_hours and answers from the result, including the detail that only the handbook knows (on Sundays the sandwich counter is closed).

Ask again, about something else:

Which allergens are in the sourdough?

Every answer comes from a tool call to your server, so it's your handbook speaking, not a guess.

Prefer not to host anything?

Any MCP server your phone can reach over HTTP(S) works the same way. If your notes live in Notion, or in an Obsidian vault with an MCP plugin that serves over HTTP, connect to that instead of running your own. The steps don't change: tell the Companion where the server is, approve it once, and ask.

One server, every agent

Once a server is connected, it isn't tied to the Companion. Any agent you make, or install from the Marketplace, can be given the same tools, so your handbook becomes shared memory and knowledge for all of them.

Why this matters

Most assistant apps can only see what you paste into them. An agent that can call your own tools, from your phone, with you approving each new connection, is a different thing: it's your knowledge, your server, your agent.

Try it

HITL is in public beta on iPhone and Android. Join the beta, connect a server, and ask your notes a question from the bus.

Frequently asked questions

What is an MCP server?: MCP (Model Context Protocol) is an open standard for giving an AI agent tools and data. An MCP server is a small program that exposes those tools over HTTP. Many wikis, note apps and databases now have one, and writing your own is a few dozen lines.
Do I have to host something myself?: No. If your notes live in a service that offers an MCP server, such as Notion, you can connect to that instead. Hosting your own is for people who already keep a knowledge base on a machine they control.
Does the agent copy my notes anywhere?: It calls the tools your server exposes, when you ask a question, and uses the result to answer. You decide which tools the server offers, and you approve the connection in the app before the agent can use it.
Can other agents use the same server?: Yes. Once a server is connected you can give any of your agents access to its tools, so a research agent and a planning agent can both read the same handbook.
How do I get HITL?: HITL is in public beta on iPhone (TestFlight) and Android (Google Play testing). Join from the download page.