---
name: cao-mcp-apps
description: Enable, operate, and extend CAO's MCP Apps surface — the host-rendered fleet dashboard visible inside MCP App hosts (Claude Desktop, ChatGPT, VS Code Copilot, Goose, Postman). Use when the user says "enable MCP Apps in CAO", "the ui://cao views aren't rendering", "rebuild MCP Apps bundles", "add a new ui://cao/* view", or "configure the MCP Apps OAuth scope layer". Operates on the CAO_MCP_APPS_ENABLED surface and cao_mcp_apps/ build system. Not for the localhost:9889 browser dashboard, not for plugins, providers, or session management.
compatibility: Requires CAO_MCP_APPS_ENABLED=true, cao-server running, and an MCP App-capable host (SEP-1865).
---

# CAO MCP Apps

Operator + developer playbook for CAO's host-rendered fleet UI. Reference docs:
[`docs/mcp-apps.md`](../../docs/mcp-apps.md); example: [`examples/mcp-apps/`](../../examples/mcp-apps/).

**Authoritative spec & sources of truth:**
[MCP Apps Overview](https://modelcontextprotocol.io/extensions/apps/overview) ·
[Build an MCP App](https://modelcontextprotocol.io/extensions/apps/build) ·
[capability negotiation](https://modelcontextprotocol.io/extensions/overview#negotiation) ·
[client matrix](https://modelcontextprotocol.io/extensions/client-matrix) ·
stable spec [`2026-01-26/apps.mdx`](https://github.com/modelcontextprotocol/ext-apps/blob/main/specification/2026-01-26/apps.mdx)
(SEP-1865, Status: Stable) ·
SDK [`@modelcontextprotocol/ext-apps`](https://www.npmjs.com/package/@modelcontextprotocol/ext-apps) v1.7.4
([API ref](https://apps.extensions.modelcontextprotocol.io/api/index.html) ·
[repo](https://github.com/modelcontextprotocol/ext-apps)) ·
provenance [PR #1865](https://github.com/modelcontextprotocol/modelcontextprotocol/pull/1865).

## Turn it on

The surface is **default-off**. Enable and run:

```bash
export CAO_MCP_APPS_ENABLED=true
uv run cao-server        # :9889 (REST + SSE /events)
uv run cao-mcp-server    # registers tools/resources via the mcp_apps plugin
```

It is packaged as the built-in `mcp_apps` plugin (`cao.plugins` entry-point). The
plugin's `on_mcp_server` hook registers the `ui://cao/*` resources, the five app
tools, the topology widget, and advertises the `io.modelcontextprotocol/ui`
capability — best-effort and default-off, so nothing changes when the flag is unset.

## What the operator gets

- `ui://cao/dashboard` — fleet overview + the mutation entry point.
- `ui://cao/agent` — one terminal's status, output tail, inbox, sub-agents.
- `ui://cao/event-stream` — live governance ticker (app-only).
- `cao://widget/topology` + `/widgets/topology/` — build-free live event view.

All mutations flow through `submit_command(kind, payload)` — kinds:
`send_message`, `assign`, `create_session` (standard); `interrupt`, `pause`,
`resume` (lifecycle); `shutdown_session` (destructive).
For full payload schemas and scope requirements per kind, see [references/submit-command-kinds.md](references/submit-command-kinds.md).

## Full capability scope (what the views use)

Beyond `tools/call`, the views exercise the spec's bidirectional channel:

- **Host-delegated open-link** (`ui/open-link`) — the dashboard shows
  "Open full Web UI ↗" → `http://127.0.0.1:9889` **only when** the host
  advertises `hostCapabilities.openLinks` (gate on `app.canOpenLinks()`; the
  sandbox forbids `window.open`).
- **Display modes** (`ui/request-display-mode`) — views declare
  `availableDisplayModes: ["inline","fullscreen"]` at `ui/initialize`.
- **Streamed tool input** (`ui/notifications/tool-input` / `-partial`) — render
  before the result lands.
- **Model-context notes** (`ui/update-model-context`) — body-free gesture
  summaries keep the agent aware without leaking message contents.

`preferredFrameSize` and `requiredScopes` are CAO additions, **not** spec
`_meta.ui` fields (the spec sizes via `containerDimensions` +
`ui/notifications/size-changed`); CAO requests **no** elevated `permissions`.

See [assets/mcp-apps-example.md](assets/mcp-apps-example.md) for a worked MCP Apps integration example.

## Gotchas

- **Host doesn't offer the views** → confirm `CAO_MCP_APPS_ENABLED=true` and that
  `initialize` advertises `io.modelcontextprotocol/ui` (the host must speak
  SEP-1865). Non-SEP-1865 hosts still get text-only tool results.
- **Views are blank / fail to load** → the React bundles aren't built. Run
  `cd cao_mcp_apps && npm ci && npm run build:all`. The topology widget needs no
  build and is the quickest smoke test (`curl /widgets/topology/topology.html`).
- **Mutations rejected with 403** → the auth layer is enabled and the token lacks
  `cao:write`/`cao:admin` (`cao:admin` for `delete_session`). Unset
  `AUTH0_DOMAIN`/`CAO_AUTH_JWKS_URI` to disable enforcement.
- **Events don't stream** → check `GET /events` (SSE) directly; the bus is
  drop-on-slow, so a stalled consumer silently loses events — re-hydrate via
  `cao_fetch_history`.

## Extending the surface

- **Agents emitting UI intents into this surface?** Load the **`agui-author`** skill
  — it teaches how to call `emit_ui` with the six allow-listed components. Your
  `emit_ui` intents feed the L2 constructs that these views render.
- **Building or migrating an MCP App? Load the `mcp-apps-builder` skill first.**
  It equips the official ext-apps Agent Skills (`create-mcp-app`,
  `add-app-to-server`, `migrate-oai-app`, `convert-web-app`) and the build guide.
  Use `add-app-to-server` when adding a new `ui://cao/<name>` view.
- **New command kind** → add it to `submit_command`'s classifier + router in
  `mcp_server/app_tools.py` (map to a real Backplane HTTP endpoint; never bypass
  the HTTP-only boundary) and to the scope pre-check.
- **New view** → add a `ui://cao/<name>` resource in `ext_apps/apps.py` + an entry
  point under `cao_mcp_apps/`, build it, and tag the rendering tool with
  `ui_meta(...)`.
  For the full step-by-step view creation procedure, see [references/extending-views.md](references/extending-views.md).
- **New host-delegated action** → add a thin method on the `McpApp` bridge
  (`cao_mcp_apps/src/shared/mcpApp.ts`) that issues the spec `ui/*` request
  (e.g. `openLink` → `ui/open-link`, `requestDisplayMode` →
  `ui/request-display-mode`); gate UI on the matching `hostCapabilities` flag and
  cover it with a `mockHost` test.
- **Keep the boundary** → `mcp_server/*` must reach state only over HTTP; the AST
  guard test (`test/test_http_only_boundary.py`) enforces it.
- **Keep bundles JIT-free** → no `eval`/`new Function` (host CSP forbids it); the
  CI scan fails the build otherwise.

## Recording & Verification

After building or modifying views, regenerate the demo media:

```bash
cd cao_mcp_apps && npm run build:all && npm run demo
```

This runs `scripts/record-demo.mjs` which:
1. Boots the E2E harness server (serves built bundles in a real MCP-host iframe)
2. Drives Chromium through: dashboard → agent detail → unified → event-stream
3. Records video (`docs/media/mcp-apps-demo.webm`)
4. Captures screenshots (`docs/media/mcp-apps-{dashboard,agent,unified,event-stream}.png`)
5. Generates an optimized GIF (`docs/media/mcp-apps-demo.gif`) when ffmpeg is available

The GIF is referenced in `README.md` and `docs/mcp-apps.md` — always regenerate after
view changes so docs stay current.

**Env overrides:** `CHROMIUM_BIN` (path to Chrome), `FFMPEG_BIN` (for GIF), `DEMO_PORT`.

For a worked example of the full MCP Apps surface in action, see [assets/mcp-apps-example.md](assets/mcp-apps-example.md).