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 IBM Bob marketplace

Giulia Solinas's profile image
Giulia Solinas IBM Champion posted 06/09/26 01:46 PM

Hi, 

I am a bit confused by the Bob documentation about MCP servers. The documentation explicitly states that Bob does not come with any MCP servers configured, but I find videos like this (https://youtu.be/fuJAyfOAmcA?si=Wn75U7oo5p-z1TkX) or tutorials (https://www.ibm.com/think/tutorials/mcp-integration-ibm-bob#179371085) that show how to install MCP servers from a list (so-called Bob Marketplace). I was not able to find a reference to the marketplace in the current documentation (v.1.0.3), and if I open the MCP settings in the Bob IDE and try to search in the bar "Search MCP Servers"  I get no results.

Can you please help me here?

Thanks, Giulia

Maria Robles Calvo's profile image
Maria Robles Calvo

Hello @Giulia Solinas

Thank you for reaching out and for clearly outlining your observations. It’s very helpful to understand where the documentation may not be clear enough, and we truly appreciate you pointing this out. We understand how the current documentation can be confusing when compared with videos and tutorials referencing a “marketplace.” Your feedback is very valuable, and we encourage you to submit it directly on the documentation so it can be improved for all users.


To help clarify your question:

As shown in the video and tutorial you referenced, MCP servers can be accessed within the Bob IDE interface by:

Clicking the three dots located next to the gear icon in the upper-right corner of the chat window

Selecting “MCP Servers” from the dropdown menu

Within that view:

You will find a search bar labeled “Search MCP Servers”

Below that search bar is what is referred to as the MCP Server Marketplace, where available servers can be discovered

This “marketplace” terminology is what is demonstrated in the tutorial, even though it may not yet be explicitly or clearly described in the current documentation version (v1.0.3).

Additionally, if possible, we kindly ask that you submit your documentation feedback so that our team can review and improve clarity around this topic for future users.

Please let us know if you would like assistance investigating why no servers appear in your search results.

Kind regards,
Maria

Giulia Solinas's profile image
Giulia Solinas IBM Champion

Hi Maria, thank you for your answer. Unfortunately the marketplace does not appear on my Bob IDE (see picture attached). I can create custom MCP connections and edit the json files for global and local MCP connections but I cannot access to the other MCPs avaialable through the marketplace. Is it an installation issue? Thank you and kind regards, Giulia