In Admin, open Oda. The page has three tabs: General, MCP and Skills. This page covers MCP and Skills, where you push items to the company's DataMind Oda users. An MCP server gives Oda the tools of another service; a skill teaches it a task that should be done the same way every time.
Changes reach Oda users within 10 minutes: both tabs say so, and every save message repeats it. What users see on their side is described in Memory, skills and connectors.
Push an MCP server
Open Admin > Oda and go to the MCP tab.
Click Add server. The dialog Add MCP server opens on the Connection tab.
Enter a Name ("Users see this name in Oda.").
Enter the Server address the provider gives you. It starts with https:// and usually ends in /mcp.
Add any Headers the server needs. The hint reads "Sent with every request, for example an API key. Leave empty if the server signs users in.".
For a server that runs as a program on each user's computer, open Advanced and enter a Local command (stdio) with its Arguments ("One argument per line.") and any Environment variables.
On the Access tab, choose the Mode and who receives the server. Both are explained below.
Click Add server. The message reads "{name} saved. Oda users get the change within 10 minutes.".
Push a skill
Open Admin > Oda and go to the Skills tab.
Click Add skill. The dialog Add skill opens on the Content tab.
Fill the form, or click Load from SKILL.md to read an existing skill file.
Enter a Name: lowercase letters, digits and single hyphens, for example weekly-sales-report. Users run the skill by typing / and this name. The name cannot change after you add the skill.
Enter a Description. Oda decides from this text whether to load the skill, so name the tasks it is for.
Optionally add When to use (optional) guidance, and write the Instructions in Markdown.
Optionally turn on Only when someone types /name if Oda should never load the skill by itself.
On the Access tab, choose the Mode and who receives the skill.
Click Add skill. The message reads "/{name} saved. Oda users get the change within 10 minutes.".
Choose who gets an item
The Access tab is the same for a server and a skill. It decides how the item updates and who receives it.
Mode is how later edits work:
Managed: "Your edits reach everyone. Removing it removes it from everyone.". The company keeps control of the item.
Install once: "Each user gets a copy they own. Later edits don't reach them.". Only users who install the copy afterwards get your later edits.
Audience is who receives the item:
Leave Only for specific roles off and everyone with Oda receives it ("Otherwise everyone with Oda gets it.").
Turn it on and pick one or more roles with Pick roles… or Search roles…. With no role picked, saving is refused with "Pick at least one role.".
For a Managed server only, you can also turn on Required for everyone ("Users can't turn it off. Otherwise it's on by default and each user can turn it off."). Skills have no such option.
Note
The Mode is fixed once the item is added. To change it, remove the item and add it again.
A saved item whose roles have all become inactive warns "No active roles, so nobody gets it" on its row. It never falls back to everyone by itself; open it and pick active roles to fix it.
Headers, variables and shared values
An MCP server can carry values that travel with it: Headers sent with every request, and Environment variables for a local command. Add rows with Add header or Add variable. Each row works in one of two ways:
Each user enters: Oda asks each user for their own value ("Entered in Oda").
Shared value: you store one value for everyone. The field is masked, reads "Saved - type to replace" when a value is stored, and a stored value is never shown back to you.
Switching a row back to Each user enters clears the stored value. When any row is shared, the form warns: "Shared values are sent to every Oda user and can be read on their computer.". For anything a person should keep private, use Each user enters.
Edit or remove an item
To change an item, click Edit on its row. The dialog opens with the item's name in the title, and a validation problem switches to the tab that holds the fix.
A Managed MCP server edit that affects users is confirmed first, in This change affects Oda users with Save anyway. The list names what changes, for example:
"{name} is removed: the values users entered are deleted from their Oda."
"{name} becomes a shared value: it replaces the values users entered, which are deleted."
"The server type changes: Oda restarts it with the new settings for every user."
An Install once edit asks for no confirmation: it only reaches users who install the copy later. The skill dialog has no such confirmation either.
To remove an item, click Remove on its row and confirm Remove in the dialog. Messages read "{name} removed." or, for a skill, "/{name} removed.".
Removing a Managed item takes it away from everyone. For a server, the values users entered are deleted from their Oda.
Removing an Install once item leaves the copies users already installed.
Limits and messages
Limits:
A skill Name can be up to 64 characters: lowercase letters, digits and single hyphens, for example monthly-close.
Description and When to use hold up to 1,024 characters each, and Instructions up to 100 KB.
A server needs either a Server address (starting with https://) or a Local command (stdio), not both.
Messages you may meet:
Field checks: "Enter a name.", "Use lowercase letters, digits and single hyphens in the name, for example monthly-close.", "Enter a description.", "Enter the instructions." and "The instructions can be at most 100 KB.".
Server checks: "Enter the server address, or a local command under Advanced.", "Enter the full server address, starting with https://.", "Use a server address or a local command, not both.", "Headers only work with a server address. Remove them, or clear the local command.", "Environment variables only work with a local command. Remove them, or add the command under Advanced." and "Enter a name for every value, or remove the empty row.".
A list that cannot load shows "Failed to load the MCP servers." or "Failed to load the skills.", with a Retry button. An empty list reads "No MCP servers yet. Added servers appear in Oda for the users you pick." or "No skills yet. Added skills appear in Oda for the users you pick.".
A failed save or removal shows "Failed to save the MCP server", "Failed to save the skill", "Failed to remove the MCP server" or "Failed to remove the skill".
Who can do this
Opening the Oda tab needs View DataMind Oda Settings, for example through the DataMind Oda Settings Viewer set.
Adding, editing and removing MCP servers and skills needs Modify DataMind Oda Settings, part of the DataMind Oda Settings Manager set. Without it, you see the lists but no add buttons or row actions.
Everyone with Oda. Turn on Only for specific roles on the item's Access tab to narrow it to one or more roles.
When do users get a change I save?
Within 10 minutes: both tabs and every save message say "Oda users get the change within 10 minutes.". A Managed item updates in place for the people who have it. An Install once item stays as it was for people who already installed it; only later installs get your edits.
Can I switch an item from Install once to Managed later?
No. The Mode is fixed once the item is added. Remove the item and add it again with the other mode.
A row warns "No active roles, so nobody gets it". What do I do?
Every role you picked is now inactive or gone, so the item reaches no one. Open the item, choose who should get it on the Access tab, and save. It does not fall back to everyone on its own.
Can users read a value I mark as a shared value?
Yes. The form warns "Shared values are sent to every Oda user and can be read on their computer.". Use Each user enters for anything people should keep to themselves.
Can I rename a skill after saving?
No. The name is the command users run, so it cannot change. Add the skill again under the new name, then remove the old one.
What happens to values users typed when I remove a server?
For a Managed server, the values users entered are deleted from their Oda. For an Install once server, the copies users already installed stay on their computers.
Do I have to remove and re-add a server to change its settings?
No. Click Edit and change what you need. A Managed server confirms changes that affect users first, and some edits warn about what happens, such as values being replaced or the server restarting for everyone.
Why does saving fail with "Use a server address or a local command, not both."?
A server connects either to a Server address or to a Local command (stdio), not both. Clear one of the two and save again.
Where do users find what I pushed?
After the change reaches them, a pushed MCP server appears in the person's Oda under Settings > MCP servers, and a pushed skill under Settings > Skills. The user side is described in Memory, skills and connectors.