This article applies to client-side IT administrators and technical sponsors responsible for enabling PI's MCP connector during the current Pre Beta phase.
Once you've set up PI's MCP connector with your host AI (and your users have had a chance to sign in), you'll want to test the connection to ensure the MCP is being properly invoked.
To do so, ask your LLM a PI-specific question, using a name exactly as it appears in the PI application.
Example: Show me Jordan Lee’s behavioral assessment.
Use the output to gauge whether the connection was successful:
Working correctly: The host indicates it called a tool from "Obi by PI," and the answer cites PI sources.
Not working: There was no tool call, no citation, or no data returned. See "Troubleshooting and support" below.
Important: A general PI science question such as "What is a Reference Profile?" is not a valid test. Hosts may answer those unaided until you add the routing instruction above.
Troubleshooting and support
Here are some common issues PI clients have experienced with the MCP, along with their cause and suggested resolution steps.
Issue | Cause | Resolution |
Cannot add the connector | Host plan or policy does not allow custom or remote connectors. In ChatGPT, the app may still be a draft. | Enable custom connectors in the host, or have an admin publish it org-wide. Copilot is admin-managed only. |
Fails on add, or "cannot connect" | Incorrect server URL | Must match https://mcp.predictiveindex.com/mcp. Remove and re-add. |
Sign-in fails | User is not provisioned in PI, or lacks Obi access | Confirm the user has a valid PI account with Obi enabled. |
Connector added but no answers | Network restriction, or the host is not routing to Obi | Allow the domains listed in our troubleshooting help article; add the recommended routing instruction. |
Host answers PI questions without Obi | The host self-answered from its own knowledge. | Add the recommended instruction so PI questions always route to Obi. |
Copilot never calls Obi | Data policy, orchestration disabled, or the agent is unpublished | See the Microsoft Copilot section above. |
Some requests work, others fail | Stale tool list, or a blocked tool | ChatGPT: refresh the tool list. Claude: an Owner checks the per-tool permission level. |
Prompted to approve every call | Claude’s permission level is set to "Needs approval." | An Owner changes the level. |
Obi cannot pull data on a person | The person has no completed assessment, the user lacks access, or the name does not match PI. | Confirm the assessment exists and the user has access; retry using the name exactly as it appears in PI. |
Session keeps asking to sign in | Sign-in session or refresh token expired | Re-authenticate. This is expected periodically. |
How to get additional support for the PI MCP connector
Before requesting additional support, please refer to our existing MCP support articles and the troubleshooting table above.
Escalate unresolved connection or account-access issues to Stefano Hernandez ([email protected]). Please include:
Your host and plan
Whether it affects one user or all
The user's (or users') PI email
The exact error
When the error happened
For guidance on how to best use Obi, refer to our existing Obi support articles or have your PI administrator contact your dedicated PI consultant.