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Dana can pull information from the tools you already use — your CRM, support desk, billing system, and more — and weave it into your meeting briefs. It does this through custom MCP servers. An MCP server is simply a secure doorway that a tool provides so other apps (like Dana) can read information from it. Many products now offer one. If a tool you use has an MCP server, you can connect it to Dana and start seeing its data in your briefs. This guide explains what you can connect, how to do it, and what to expect.

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What you get

Once a tool is connected, Dana automatically looks up each person in your meeting and adds anything relevant to your brief — for example, a customer’s open deals, their recent support tickets, or your last few notes about them.
  • It happens automatically. After you connect a tool once, Dana uses it for every brief. You don’t run anything by hand.
  • Everything is sourced. Each piece of information Dana adds shows where it came from, with the tool’s icon and a “Referenced from …” label. When the tool provides a link, the reference is clickable so you can open the original record in one tap.
  • Dana only reads. Dana never creates, edits, or deletes anything in your tools. It only looks things up.

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Who can use it

Custom MCP servers are available on all paid plans. The number you can connect depends on your plan: Connecting one of Dana’s built-in integrations (such as Slack, Dex, Notion, or HubSpot) does not count toward this limit.

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Before you begin

Not every tool can be connected yet. For Dana to connect to a tool, its MCP server needs to meet all of the following:
  • It’s hosted online. The server must be reachable over the internet at a web address (URL) that starts with https://. Servers that only run locally on your own computer can’t be connected.
  • You can sign in to it. Dana connects by sending you through the tool’s normal sign-in screen, so you stay in control of what Dana can see. The tool needs to support apps connecting this way automatically. Tools that only offer a manual API key are not supported yet.
  • It can be read from. Dana only ever uses the tool’s read, search, and lookup features.
The most useful tools are ones that can look a person up by their email address or name — like a CRM or a support desk. Those give Dana the richest, most person-specific context. Tools that can only be searched by an internal ID still work, but they’ll surface less about each attendee.

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How to connect a tool

1

Open Integrations settings

Open Settings → Integrations.
2

Add a custom MCP server

Find the Custom MCP servers section and select Add custom MCP server.
3

Paste the server address

Paste the tool’s MCP server address (its https://… URL) and continue.
4

Sign in to the tool

You’ll be taken to the tool’s own sign-in page to approve the connection. This is how the tool confirms it’s really you and decides what Dana is allowed to see.
5

Let Dana scan the tool

After you approve, Dana automatically figures out which lookups are useful for briefs and tests them. This takes a few moments.
6

Review the preview

Dana shows you what it found — the lookups it will use and a few real sample items pulled from the tool, so you can see the kind of information that will appear in your briefs.
That’s it. There’s no extra “confirm” step — once the scan finds usable information, the tool is connected and will be used in your next briefs.
If Dana can’t find anything useful to read from the tool, it will let you know and won’t take up one of your connection slots.

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Connection statuses

In the Custom MCP servers section, each connected tool shows a status:

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Managing your connections

  • Re-scan when a tool changes. If a tool adds or removes features, you may see “Re-scan needed.” A quick re-scan brings Dana back up to date.
  • Remove a tool anytime. Select the trash icon next to a server and confirm. Dana stops pulling its data immediately, and you can reconnect later whenever you like.
  • If you downgrade your plan. If your new plan allows fewer servers than you currently have connected, Dana keeps the ones you’ve used most recently and turns the rest off (they’ll show as “Disabled”). Nothing is deleted — upgrade again or remove a server to re-enable the one you want to keep.

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Your privacy and security

Connecting a tool is designed to be safe and to keep you in control:
  • Read-only. Dana never changes anything in your connected tools. It only looks information up.
  • You approve access. You sign in through the tool’s own screen, so you decide what Dana is allowed to see, and you can revoke it at any time from within that tool or by disconnecting it in Dana.
  • What’s shared for lookups. To find context about the people in a meeting, Dana sends an attendee’s name and email address to the connected tool so it can look them up. This is what makes per-attendee context possible.
  • Secure connections only. Dana connects only over secure (https) addresses and won’t connect to private or internal network addresses.

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Troubleshooting

A few common reasons:
  • The address doesn’t start with https://, or it isn’t a valid web address.
  • The tool doesn’t support automatic app sign-in yet (for example, it only offers a manual API key).
  • The tool is one of Dana’s built-ins (Slack, Dex, Notion, HubSpot, Granola) — connect it from its own tile instead.
  • You’ve already connected that same tool.
  • The address couldn’t be reached.
The tool likely changed what it offers. Select Re-scan. If it persists, the tool may have removed a feature Dana was relying on — try reconnecting it.
The tool may not be able to look people up by email or name, so it has little attendee-specific information to contribute. Tools like CRMs and support desks (which key on email) give the best results.
Custom MCP servers are available on paid plans only. Upgrade from Settings → Plans to turn it on.

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Examples of tools you can connect

These are examples to show the kinds of tools that work well. The strongest fits for meeting briefs are tools that can look a person up by email — CRMs, support desks, and billing systems.
Tools change their offerings often, so treat this list as a starting point rather than a guarantee. Always check whether the tool currently offers a hosted MCP server you can sign in to.

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Need help?

If you run into any issues or have questions, we’re here to help. Reach out to us anytime at support@danahq.com.