Overview
Custom integrations let you extend Gitar with your own tools. Alongside the built-in integrations (Jira, Linear, Slack), you can register an MCP server — or a set of plain instructions — and Gitar’s rules and agents can use it while reviewing pull requests and running automations.Any MCP Server
Connect any stdio or remote MCP server — internal search, ticketing, observability, or a service you built yourself
Instructions Only
Skip the server and just give the agent guidance it should follow for a domain
Use in Rules
Grant a custom rule access by referencing the integration in its frontmatter
Org-Scoped Secrets
API tokens and other secrets are stored per-organization and injected into the server at runtime
Custom integrations are an Enterprise feature. Contact your Gitar account team to have it enabled for your organization.
How It Works
Gitar connects to MCP servers over the Model Context Protocol. When an agent needs your tool, Gitar starts the server, injects any configured secrets and environment variables, and exposes the server’s tools to the agent for that task. Secrets are resolved at runtime from your organization’s secret store — they are never written into rule files or committed to your repository. Two kinds of custom integration are supported:- MCP server — Gitar runs the server and calls its tools. Use this for anything that reads or writes to an external system.
- Instructions only — no server; Gitar just adds your instructions to the agent when the integration is enabled. Useful for encoding domain conventions without a tool.
Add a Custom Integration
1
Open the Integrations settings
In the Gitar dashboard, go to your organization’s Settings → Integrations and click Add Custom Integration.
2
Describe the integration
Fill in the basic fields:
3
Configure the MCP server
Under MCP Server, choose:
- None — an instructions-only integration.
- Command — Gitar runs the server as a subprocess. Enter the Command (for example
npx) and space-separated Arguments (for example-y @acme/acme-mcp-server).
To connect a remote HTTP or SSE MCP server, use the Command transport with
mcp-remote: set the command to npx and the arguments to -y mcp-remote https://mcp.example.com/sse. Gitar bridges the remote server through this local command.4
Add environment variables and secrets
In the same dialog:
- Environment Variables — plain key/value configuration, such as a base URL. Values are stored with the integration and are visible in the dashboard.
- Secrets — API tokens and other credentials. Name each secret exactly as the environment variable your server reads, and Gitar injects it into the server process at runtime. Leave the value blank to reference a secret you have already saved. Never put a credential in the command arguments.
5
Point at a private registry (optional)
If your server is published to a private package registry, fill in Private Package Registry: the registry URL, an optional package scope, and the name of the secret holding the auth token. See Private package registries below.
6
Create the integration
Click Create. The integration appears on your Integrations page and can be enabled or disabled at any time.
Private Package Registries
A server published to a private registry needs credentials at install time, andnpx reads those only from an .npmrc — an environment variable holding the token is not enough on its own. Rather than have you manage that file, Gitar generates it for you.
1
Store the registry token as a secret
Add the token in the Secrets section of the integration, for example as
NPM_TOKEN.2
Fill in the registry fields
3
Reference the package as usual
Set the command to
npx and the arguments to -y @acme/acme-mcp-server. Gitar writes a private .npmrc for that process, so the token never appears in the command line and never persists between runs.Gitar starts your server and completes the MCP handshake within a short budget, so the command should start a published package rather than clone and build a repository at startup.
Using a Custom Integration in Rules
Once an integration is enabled, grant a custom rule access to it by listing its slug in the rule’sintegrations frontmatter — the same way you reference built-in integrations:
Managing Integrations
- Enable / disable — toggle an integration off to remove it from agents without deleting its configuration. Disabled integrations are never offered to agents.
- Edit — update the name, descriptions, instructions, or MCP command at any time from the integration card.
- Delete — remove the integration entirely. Deletion is always available, even if the Enterprise entitlement is later removed, so you can clean up configuration.
Frequently Asked Questions
What transports are supported?
Gitar runs MCP servers over stdio. Local servers run directly via the Command transport. Remote HTTP/SSE servers connect through themcp-remote bridge described above.
Where are my secrets stored?
Secrets are stored per-organization in Gitar’s secret store and injected into the MCP server process at runtime. They are not written to rule files or your repository, and are not exposed to the model directly. Name each secret exactly as the environment variable your server expects — a secret namedACME_API_TOKEN is injected into the server process as ACME_API_TOKEN.
Your secrets are kept separate from the credentials Gitar manages for built-in integrations, so you can safely reuse a name like JIRA_API_TOKEN for your own server: your custom integration always receives your value. Note that secret names are shared across your custom integrations, so if two of your servers need different values, give each one a distinct name.