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Plan an API or MCP integration with clear ownership
An integration should make a known task easier without creating hidden authority, duplicate actions or another inconsistent source of truth. Begin with the business event and the record that should change, not the protocol name.
MCP provides a way for compatible applications to discover and exchange tools, resources and context. It does not replace the underlying product license, your business rules or the controls around authentication and execution.
| Approach | When it may fit | What to inspect |
|---|---|---|
| Export or batch handoff | The work is periodic and a reviewed file is sufficient. | Use a stable schema, dated export and validation before import. |
| API integration | Known systems exchange records or trigger a defined workflow. | Agree on authentication, contracts, retries, limits and record ownership. |
| MCP access | An AI-capable client needs discoverable tools or contextual resources. | Keep tool scopes and authorization explicit; validate actions at the server boundary. |
Specify the contract and record owner
List required fields, units, stable identifiers and supported versions. Decide which system owns each field and how conflicts or revisions are reconciled. An endpoint that returns JSON is not automatically a coherent business integration.
Define failure behavior: unavailable destinations, invalid fields, expired access, rate limits and partial completion. Keep the evidence needed to distinguish a rejected request from a completed action. A timeout alone may not tell you whether the destination performed the action.
- Input and output schemas with explicit required fields.
- Stable identifiers, revisions and authoritative record ownership.
- Version compatibility and documented limits.
- Receipts for errors, retries and completed operations.
Design retries and authority together
Use idempotent operations or a stable idempotency key when repeating a request must not repeat its consequence. Specify retryable failures, backoff and a manual review path for ambiguous completion. Replay tests should cover the difficult cases, not just successful delivery.
Separate discovery from permission. A tool being visible to a client does not mean every user may execute it. Apply authorization and destination limits to the actual server operation, and treat third-party content as data rather than an instruction to broaden access.
- Read-only and write capabilities stated separately.
- Authentication and authorization owners.
- Duplicate, partial-failure and replay tests.
- A bounded exception queue and operating alerts.
Keep access and implementation pricing coherent
A product license or subscription covers its named capabilities under its stated terms. API and MCP may be access methods for those capabilities, not a second generic access fee. Custom connector work, migration and ongoing care need separately agreed scope.
Request a handoff that includes contracts, operating instructions, version references, monitoring and an exit path. A static contract checker can identify structural issues, but cannot prove production authorization, uptime or actual delivery. Those require runtime evidence.
- Named product entitlement and its actual scope.
- Separately scoped implementation and optional care.
- Runtime checks for authorization, replay and error handling.
- A documented owner for future connector changes.
Working checks and planning tools
Use the free checks independently, buy a named product when it fits, or commission the part that needs connecting. An estimate is not a quote or a customer result.
Primary references
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