Enabling, Configuring, and Understanding the Architecture
Introduction
In Blog 1, we explored
what AI agents and MCP are. Now let’s focus on Microsoft’s implementation: the
Business Central MCP Server, announced in public preview with wave 2 (release
27.1). We will cover what it does, how to enable it, how to configure it, and
the architectural role of the BcMCPProxy.
What the BC MCP Server Does
The BC MCP Server
exposes Business Central’s API pages as MCP tools. This means any
MCP-compatible AI client can discover and call BC operations dynamically,
without needing hardcoded API knowledge.
Supported Operations
•
Read: Query data from any exposed BC API page (customers, items,
GL entries, vendors, etc.).
•
Create: Create new records such as sales orders,
purchase orders, and journal entries.
•
Modify: Update existing records, modify customer
details, adjust quantities, and change dates.
•
Delete: Remove records (with appropriate permissions
configured).
•
Bound Actions: Execute OData-bound actions such as Post, Send,
or Release.
Default Behavior
By default, the MCP
Server gives agents read-only access to all exposed Business Central API pages.
Write operations (create, modify, delete) and bound actions must be explicitly
enabled through configuration.
Enabling the MCP Server
Follow these steps in
your Business Central environment:
1. Open Business Central
and search for Feature Management.
2. Locate and enable the
feature: “Feature: Enable MCP Server access.”
3. Ensure you have the MCP
- ADMIN permission set assigned to your user.
Once enabled, you can
create and manage MCP configurations.
Configuring the MCP Server
1. Search for and open the
Model Context Protocol (MCP) Server Configurations page.
2. Click New to create a
configuration.
3. Enter a Code and
Description (e.g., Code: BC, Description: Claude Desktop
Integration).
4. In the Tools section,
add API page objects. Click “Add All Standard APIs as Tools” for a quick start.
5. On each tool line,
configure the allowed operations: Allow Read, Allow Create, Allow Modify, Allow
Delete, Allow Bound Actions.
6. At the header level,
toggle Active to enable the configuration.
Configuration Options
Architecture: The BcMCPProxy
Currently, the only
officially supported MCP client is Microsoft Copilot Studio. To use other
clients like Claude Desktop, VS Code, or Cursor, you need a proxy that bridges
the gap.
The BcMCPProxy is a
.NET 8 console application from Microsoft’s BCTech repository. It sits between
your AI client and the BC MCP Server, handling authentication and protocol
translation.
Data Flow
┌─────────────────────┐
┌─────────────────────┐
┌─────────────────────┐
│ Claude Desktop │ --> │
BcMCPProxy.exe │ --> │ BC MCP Server │
│ (AI Client) │
│ (Local Proxy) │
│ (Business Central) │
└─────────────────────┘
└─────────────────────┘
└─────────────────────┘
MCP/stdio Azure Auth BC APIs
•
Claude Desktop sends MCP requests via stdio to the proxy
executable.
•
BcMCPProxy.exe authenticates using Azure AD delegated
permissions and forwards the request.
•
The BC MCP Server executes the operation against Business
Central and returns the result.
•
The proxy relays the response back to Claude Desktop for
natural-language presentation.
Two Proxy Options
|
|
.NET Proxy
(BcMCPProxy) |
Python Proxy |
|
Platform |
Windows only
(.exe) |
Windows, Mac,
Linux |
|
Installation |
Build from
source |
pip install
bc-mcp-proxy |
|
Best For |
Windows-only
teams |
Cross-platform
teams |
|
Repository |
What’s Next?
In Blog 3, we walk
through the hands-on steps: creating the Azure App Registration, building
BcMCPProxy.exe in Visual Studio, and connecting it to Claude Desktop.
Blog Series Navigation
Blog 1: Understanding AI Agents and MCP
▶ Blog 2: The Business Central MCP Server (You are here)
Blog 3: Building
BcMCPProxy.exe and Connecting to Claude Desktop
Blog 4: Testing
Scenarios and Best Practices
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