MCP servers: recovery and troubleshooting

An MCP server gives DataMind Oda the tools of another service, such as a task tracker or a code repository. When the connection to a server breaks, Oda recovers on its own where it can.

This page explains what Oda does during a recovery, how to bring a server back by hand, and what its messages do not reveal. To add or connect a server, see Memory, skills and connectors; for what a connected server gives Oda, see MCP tools and resources for Oda.

When a connection drops

If a connection that was working breaks, DataMind Oda reconnects on its own. Automatic reconnect is on by default, and Oda does not ask you.

• It retries with growing waits. Oda keeps trying by itself, waiting longer after each failed attempt.
• The server keeps its place. While Oda retries, the server stays in your list in Settings > MCP servers, and its tools stay listed in your chats. Calls to them fail while the connection is down, instead of disappearing.
• The tools refresh when it returns. Once the connection is back, Oda re-syncs the server's tools, so your tool list matches the server again.
• It eventually gives up. If ten attempts in a row fail, Oda stops trying and removes the server's tools from chats. The server keeps its row, and its tool count drops to zero, until you restart DataMind Oda.

While it recovers, Oda notes each step:

• connection lost; reconnecting: the connection dropped and Oda is retrying on its own.
• A note that begins reconnected and re-synced tools: the connection is back and the tool list has been refreshed.

Recover a server that will not start

A server whose first connection fails behaves differently: DataMind Oda does not retry a failed start on its own, and the server stays in an error state until you act.

1. Open Settings > MCP servers and find the server's row.
2. Click Reconnect to try the connection again.
3. If it fails again, edit the server and save. Changing its address, headers, command or timeout makes Oda try the connection again.
4. If it still does not connect, restart DataMind Oda. A restart is also what brings back the tools of a server that Oda gave up on.

If the server still will not connect, keep the message from its row and contact your DataMind OS administrator.

If automatic reconnect is switched off

Where automatic reconnect is switched off, a dropped connection is not retried by itself: the server's tools stay listed but keep failing until you restart DataMind Oda. A server whose first connection failed with reconnect off gets no tools at all until that restart.

What the messages hide

Messages about MCP servers are written so that they do not reveal your secrets.

• Addresses are shortened. A message that names a server address keeps its scheme and host and shows only the first four and last two characters of the address's last path segment, as in …abcd…12. The rest of the path, and any query, fragment, user name or password inside the address, never appears.
• Known secrets are replaced. A value that Oda knows to be secret, such as an access token, appears as … instead of its real text.
• Unknown errors are cleaned too. Even when a message comes from another program, any address inside it is shortened in the same way.

For problems in other parts of DataMind Oda, see Updates and troubleshooting.

Questions, answered

Will Oda retry a server that failed to start?

No. Only a connection that was up and then dropped is retried on its own. A failed start stays in an error state until you reconnect it, change its details, or restart DataMind Oda.

The connection dropped while Oda was working. What do I need to do?

Usually nothing. Oda retries on its own, and the server and its tools stay listed while it tries; calls to that server's tools fail until it is back. If Oda cannot bring the connection back, the server's tools are removed until you restart DataMind Oda.

Why did a server's tools disappear from my chats?

If the connection dropped and Oda could not reconnect, Oda removes the server's tools from chats until a restart. The server keeps its row in Settings > MCP servers, with a tool count of zero.

How many times does Oda try before it gives up?

Oda retries with a wait that grows after each failed attempt, and it stops after ten failed attempts in a row.

What does connection lost; reconnecting mean?

It is what Oda notes when the connection drops and it starts retrying on its own. You do not need to do anything while it retries.

I renamed my server. Why is it still in an error state?

Renaming alone does not restart the connection. A change to the server's address, headers, command or timeout does; save the change, or click Reconnect, to try again.

Do other MCP servers keep working while one is down?

Yes. Each server keeps its own connection, so a server that is down or fails to start does not affect the others.

Can a message about an MCP server leak my access token?

No. Messages about MCP servers do not echo secret values, and any address in them is shortened. You can copy a message in full when you ask for help.