/mcp endpoint or serves the discovery tools on a /radar endpoint. Everything else about the Gateway (apps, credentials, policy, monitoring) is the same either way.
Radar changes how tools are discovered, not who can access them. The same credentials, policy, and monitoring that apply to the standard endpoint apply to every call Radar dispatches.
Why teams use Radar
Every tool definition you expose to a model costs context tokens, and agents make worse choices when forced to pick from dozens or hundreds of options at once. Radar keeps the initial tool list small by replacing a Gateway’s full inventory with:- Three built-in discovery tools (
radar_search,radar_execute_tool, andradar_manage_cache). - Any tools the agent has already discovered and used, which stay directly callable.
How it works
When a client connects to a Radar Gateway,tools/list returns only:
- The three Radar tools.
- Tools the agent has previously discovered and hasn’t lost from its personal memory (see Discovered-tool memory).
- The agent calls
radar_searchwith a natural-language description of the task. - Radar returns full definitions for the closest-matching tools.
- The agent calls
radar_execute_toolto run one of those tools, which dispatches to the MCP server that owns it. - A successful call adds the tool to the agent’s discovered-tool memory, so it shows up directly in
tools/listnext time without another search.
Enable Radar
Radar is toggled with the Use Radar switch when creating or editing a Gateway.Open the Gateway editor
Create a new Gateway or edit an existing one. See Gateway/Deployment Creation and Editing a Gateway.
Turn on Use Radar
Flip the Use Radar switch. Every connection URL and client install snippet for that Gateway (Cursor, Claude Desktop, Claude Code, and others) then points at the Gateway’s
/radar endpoint instead of /mcp.When a Gateway you’re creating or editing exposes more than 50 tools, Airia suggests turning on Radar with a dismissible banner. You’re always free to keep the full tool list instead.
The discovery tools
radar_search
Searches every tool available on the Gateway using a natural-language description of what you’re trying to do, and returns full tool definitions (name, description, and input schema) for the closest matches.| Parameter | Type | Required | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
query | string | Yes | N/A | Natural-language description of the capability you’re looking for, for example “find bugs assigned to me in Jira.” |
max_results | integer | No | 5 | Maximum number of tools to return. |
min_relevance | number | No | 0.5 | Minimum relevance score (0–1) a tool must meet to be included. |
radar_search does not error. It returns a normal response indicating no tools were found, so the agent can try a different phrasing.
radar_execute_tool
Runs a tool that was returned byradar_search. This step exists because tools found through search usually aren’t part of the agent’s initial callable tool list. radar_execute_tool dispatches the call to whichever MCP server owns that tool and returns its normal result.
| Parameter | Type | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
tool_name | string | Yes | The exact name of the tool, as returned by radar_search. |
arguments | object | No | Arguments to pass to the tool, matching its input schema. |
radar_manage_cache
Lets the agent inspect and curate its own discovered-tool memory.| Action | Description |
|---|---|
list | Lists every cached tool, along with whether it’s pinned, how many times it’s been used, and when it was last used. |
pin | Protects specific tools from being dropped from memory, regardless of how long it’s been since they were used. |
unpin | Removes pin protection from specific tools. |
remove | Drops specific tools from memory. |
clear | Empties the cache. Set include_pinned: true to also remove pinned tools; otherwise pinned tools are kept. |
Discovered-tool memory
Radar remembers which tools an agent has successfully used, so it doesn’t re-runradar_search for the same capability every time. Once a tool is discovered and called successfully, it’s added to a memory scoped to you and that Gateway, and it appears directly in tools/list on future requests without another search.
- Memory persists between sessions. Closing and reopening a conversation doesn’t reset it.
- By default, up to 20 tools stay in memory at once. When memory is full, the least valuable tool is dropped to make room for a new discovery.
- Up to 5 tools can be pinned at a time (via
radar_manage_cache) to guarantee they’re never evicted, no matter how little they’re used.
Reconnecting integrations through Radar
If one of your connected apps needs attention (credentials were never set up, or an existing connection expired or was revoked), Radar still surfaces it. Aradar_search result for that app includes a tool that walks you through reconnecting rather than failing outright. Agents using Radar can guide you through fixing a broken connection instead of reporting a dead end.
When to use Radar
| Scenario | Recommendation |
|---|---|
| Gateway exposes 50+ tools | Enable Radar |
| Gateway spans several unrelated apps or domains | Enable Radar |
| Small, focused Gateway (a handful of tools, single purpose) | Standard /mcp is simpler |
| You want every tool visible to the agent up front | Standard /mcp |
Troubleshooting
radar_search returns no tools
radar_search returns no tools
Symptoms: A search comes back with no matches, even though you expect the capability to exist behind the Gateway.Cause: No tool met the
min_relevance threshold for that phrasing.Fix: Rephrase the query to describe the task more directly, raise max_results, or lower min_relevance.A tool I used earlier is gone from the tool list
A tool I used earlier is gone from the tool list
Symptoms: A tool that was directly callable earlier no longer appears in
tools/list and has to be searched for again.Cause: Discovered-tool memory holds up to 20 tools. When it fills, the least valuable tool is evicted.Fix: Pin the tools you rely on with radar_manage_cache (up to 5) so they’re never dropped.Related Resources
Gateway/Deployment Creation
Create a Gateway and choose whether to enable Radar
Editing a Gateway
Toggle Radar on an existing Gateway
Server Management
Approve which servers your organization can use
MCP Monitoring
Inspect tool calls, denials, and errors