Skip to main content

Connecting Microsoft 365 Copilot to the Crelate MCP Server

Follow these steps to set up the Crelate MCP Server in Microsoft 365 Copilot, from generating credentials to asking questions about your Crelate data.

Written by Amanda Krutz

This section explains how to connect Microsoft 365 Copilot to Crelate. A Microsoft 365 administrator must complete Steps 2 through 4, and Step 7 if it is needed. Each user then completes Steps 5 and 6.

Before you begin

  • You must have the AI Administrator or Global Administrator role in Microsoft 365 to complete the Microsoft setup. Without one of these roles, the Connectors page does not appear in the Microsoft 365 admin center. To check your role, go to Users, then Active users, select your name, and review Roles. If you do not have the role, ask an administrator in your organization to complete these steps or to assign the role to you.

  • Your Crelate account must be eligible for the MCP Server.

  • The connection is read-only. Copilot can answer questions about your Crelate data, but it cannot create or change Records.

  • The connection works in the Microsoft 365 Copilot app on the web and desktop. It may not appear in Teams, Outlook, or the mobile app.

  • Copilot Studio is not supported at this time.

Connecting Microsoft 365 Copilot to Crelate

Step 1: Generate your credentials in Crelate

  1. In Crelate, open the AI Platform Connectors area in settings.

  2. Generate credentials for Microsoft 365 Copilot.

  3. Copy the Client ID, the Client secret, and the Redirect URI.

  4. Save the Client secret somewhere secure. It is shown only once. If it is lost, select Rotate secret to generate a new one.

Step 2: Create the app in the Microsoft Developer Portal

  1. Sign in to Microsoft and go to dev.teams.microsoft.com.

  2. Select Apps, then New app.

  3. Enter the name Crelate MCP and select Create.

  4. On Basic information, enter the following details. Complete any other required fields the portal flags, such as the icons under Branding, and select Save.

  5. Copy the App ID shown on the Basic information page. You will need it in Steps 3 and 4.

Field

Value

Short description (80 characters or fewer)

Read-only access to Crelate recruiting data

Long description (must differ from the short description)

Connects Microsoft 365 Copilot to Crelate through MCP so users can ask questions about candidates, Contacts, Companies, Jobs, and activities.

Developer name

Crelate, Inc.

Website

https://www.crelate.com

Privacy policy

https://www.crelate.com/legal/privacy-policy

Terms of use

https://www.crelate.com/legal/terms-of-service

Step 3: Set Up the OAuth Client Registration

  1. In the Developer Portal, select Tools, then OAuth client registration, then create a new registration.

  2. Enter the following details. The fields may appear in a different order.

    • Name: Crelate MCP

    • Client ID and Client secret: the values from Step 1

    • Authorization endpoint and Token endpoint: open https://mcp.crelate.com/.well-known/oauth-authorization-server in your browser and copy the authorization_endpoint and token_endpoint values

    • Scope: enter crelate.mcp.read,crelate.mcp.read.bulk

    • PKCE: select the box to enable it. Skipping it causes an authorization failure that does not name PKCE as the cause.

    • Client authentication method: leave this on the default option, which sends the Client ID and secret as request body parameters. Do not change it to HTTP Basic Auth. Crelate expects the credentials in the request body, and selecting a different method causes the error described in the troubleshooting section.

    • App ID: enter the App ID from Step 2 if the form asks for it

  3. Save the registration.

  4. Reopen the registration and confirm that the Scope field shows exactly crelate.mcp.read,crelate.mcp.read.bulk, with a comma and no space. The scopes control what Copilot is permitted to read, so include only the permissions you want to grant. Missing or incorrectly formatted scopes are the most common reason the connection fails.

  5. Copy the registration ID shown on the saved registration. This is the Reference ID you will enter in Step 4. It is different from the Crelate Client ID and from the App ID, so be careful to copy the correct value.

Step 4: Create the Custom MCP Connector

  1. Sign in to the Microsoft 365 admin center with an account that has the AI Administrator or Global Administrator role.

  2. Go to Copilot, then Connectors, then the Your Connections tab.

  3. Select Add Connection and create a Custom MCP connector.

  4. Enter the connector details.

    • Name: Crelate MCP

    • Description: Read-only access to Crelate recruiting data

    • Server URL: https://mcp.crelate.com/mcp

    • Terms of use: https://www.crelate.com/legal/terms-of-service

    • App ID: the App ID from Step 2, which links the connector to your app

  5. Under Authenticate your MCP endpoint, complete the following.

    • Authentication type: select OAuth 2.0

    • Reference ID: paste the Reference ID you copied from the OAuth client registration in Step 3

  6. Select Authorize. The button becomes available after the Reference ID is entered.

  7. Save the connector. After a short time, Crelate MCP should appear in Your Connections with a status of Ready.

  8. Select Crelate MCP and review the Staged rollout setting. Choose Visible to everyone, or choose a specific group to limit access while you test.

Step 5: Add Crelate MCP as a source in Copilot

  1. Open the Microsoft 365 Copilot app at m365.cloud.microsoft/chat.

  2. Open Chat settings, then select Sources.

  3. Find Crelate MCP and select Connect.

  4. The consent screens open. Sign in to Crelate with your Crelate account when prompted, then allow access. Your Crelate account must have API Access enabled.

  5. Return to Sources and confirm that Crelate MCP is connected.

Step 6: Chat with your Crelate data

  1. Start a new chat in Copilot.

  2. Select the plus icon, then More, then All agents, and choose Crelate MCP. You can also type @ in the message box and choose it from the list.

  3. Ask a question, such as “List my open Jobs in Crelate.” A Crelate sign-in card may appear the first time. Approve it and ask again.

Copilot can only see the data your Crelate user is allowed to see.

Step 7: Additional configuration if needed

Complete this step only if Steps 1 through 6 are finished, the scopes in Step 3 are confirmed, and Copilot still reports that it cannot connect to Crelate. In some setups, the connection must also be added to the app package.

Find your Reference ID

  1. In the Developer Portal, select Tools, then OAuth client registration.

  2. Open the Crelate registration and copy the registration ID. This is the same Reference ID used in Step 4.

Add the connection to the manifest

  1. In the Developer Portal, select Apps, open Crelate MCP, then select App package editor.

  2. Open the file named manifest.json.

  3. Add a comma after the last existing section. Then paste the following section before the final closing brace of the file, and replace the placeholder with your registration ID. Keep the quotation marks around the ID.

    Full json text:

    "agentConnectors": [

    {

    "id": "crelate-mcp",

    "displayName": "Crelate",

    "description": "Read-only access to Crelate recruiting data",

    "toolSource": {

    "remoteMcpServer": {

    "mcpServerUrl": "https://mcp.crelate.com/mcp",

    "authorization": {

    "type": "OAuthPluginVault",

    "referenceId": "PASTE-YOUR-REGISTRATION-ID-HERE"

    }

    }

    }

    }

    ]

  4. Save the file. The portal checks the manifest and shows any errors in red. Correct them, such as a missing comma or a missing required field, and save again.

  5. Select Publish, then Download app package. Have your administrator upload the updated package in the Microsoft 365 admin center.

  6. Open a new Copilot chat and ask “List my open Jobs in Crelate.” A Crelate sign-in card should appear. Approve it and ask again.

Troubleshooting

Copilot says it cannot access Crelate data.
Confirm that Crelate MCP is connected under Chat settings, then Sources. Then select it from the @agents list in a new chat before asking your question. If the message continues, confirm the scopes in Step 3, and then complete Step 7.

The scopes are missing or incorrect.
Open the OAuth client registration in the Developer Portal and set the Scope field to crelate.mcp.read,crelate.mcp.read.bulk, with a comma and no space. Save the registration, then start a new Copilot chat and try again.

The Authorize button is unavailable, or authorization fails in the admin center.
Confirm that OAuth 2.0 is selected and that the Reference ID is the registration ID from the OAuth client registration, not the Crelate Client ID or the App ID. Then confirm that the scopes and the PKCE setting in the registration are correct.

The consent screens show “Something went wrong. Please try again,” or the error “Client must not use multiple authentication methods.”
This usually means the OAuth client registration is sending the credentials in a way Crelate does not accept, or that it still holds an outdated setting from an earlier attempt. Complete the following steps in order.

  1. In the Developer Portal, open Tools, then OAuth client registration, and open the Crelate registration.

  2. Confirm that the client authentication method is set to the default option, which uses request body parameters. If it is set to HTTP Basic Auth, change it back to the default and save the registration.

  3. To make sure the registration does not contain outdated settings, replace the credentials:

    1. In Crelate, open the AI Platform Connectors area in settings.

    2. Under Connected platforms, select Revoke next to Microsoft 365 Copilot.

    3. Generate new credentials for Microsoft 365 Copilot, and save the new Client secret somewhere secure. It is shown only once.

  4. In the Developer Portal, update the existing OAuth client registration with the new Client ID and Client secret. Confirm that the scopes and PKCE setting are still correct, and save the registration. The Reference ID does not change, so you do not need to update the connector in the Microsoft 365 admin center.

  5. Return to Copilot, open Chat settings, then Sources, and select Connect on Crelate MCP to try again. A private browser window can help rule out saved sign-in data.

If the error continues, contact Crelate Support with the time of the attempt and the request ID shown on the error page.

The consent screens do not open, or the sign-in window closes without finishing.
Allow pop-ups for the Copilot site in your browser, then select Connect again. If the window still does not open, try a private browser window.

The consent screens end with an “access_denied” error.
First, confirm that the scopes were entered exactly as shown in Step 3. Next, confirm that PKCE is enabled and that the Client ID and secret match the AI Platform Connectors page in Crelate. Then confirm that you signed in with a Crelate account that has API Access turned on and is on an eligible plan. Make sure you select the Allow option on the consent screen and do not close or cancel it. If the error continues, contact Crelate Support with the time of the attempt and the request ID shown on the error page.

Crelate MCP does not appear under Sources.
Confirm in the admin center that the connector shows as Ready and that the staged rollout includes the user. Sign out and back in, or try a private browser window. A new connector can take a while to reach all users.

The manifest editor shows “Unexpected non-whitespace character after JSON.”
The new section was placed outside the main closing brace of the file. The agentConnectors section must sit inside the manifest, after a comma, and the final line of the file must be a single closing brace.

The Connectors page does not appear in the Microsoft 365 admin center.
The page requires the AI Administrator or Global Administrator role in Microsoft 365. Ask an administrator to confirm that your account has one of these roles.

Copilot Studio.
Copilot Studio is not supported at this time. Contact Crelate Support if you need it.

What's Next?

Crelate + MCP (Model Context Protocol
Setting Up Your Crelate MCP Connection
Did this answer your question?

Related Articles