Connect Your First Integration
A step-by-step tutorial to set up external service integrations for workflows, chat, and data sync.
This tutorial walks you through connecting your first external service to Fabric AI. In about 10 minutes, you'll have an integration ready to use in workflows, AI chat, and data connections.
What You'll Accomplish
By the end of this tutorial, you'll have:
- Connected an external service (GitHub, Slack, or Notion)
- Tested the connection
- Used the integration in an AI conversation
- Understood the three integration methods
Prerequisites
Before starting, make sure you have:
- ✅ A Fabric AI account
- ✅ An account with at least one external service (GitHub, Slack, Linear, Notion, etc.)
Understanding Integration Methods
Fabric AI offers three ways to connect external services:
| Method | Purpose | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| MCP Servers | AI-driven tool calls in chat and orchestrator | Interactive use — "create an issue", "post to Slack" |
| Workflow Integrations | Automated nodes in the visual workflow builder | Recurring automations — scheduled reports, triggered actions |
| Data Connections | Sync external data for RAG and reports | Knowledge retrieval — search company docs, query databases |
You can use all three methods with the same service. For example, you might:
- Use GitHub MCP for ad-hoc issue creation in chat
- Use GitHub workflow nodes for automated PR workflows
- Use GitHub data connection to index repository documentation
Step 1: Set Up an MCP Server
MCP servers let AI agents interact with external tools during conversations.
Navigate to MCP Settings
Go to Settings → MCP Servers in the left sidebar.
Browse the Registry
Click Add Server to see all available MCP servers organized by category:
- Development — GitHub, GitLab, Jira, Linear
- Communication — Slack, Discord, Teams
- Productivity — Notion, Confluence, Google Drive
- Cloud — AWS, Cloudflare, Vercel
Select and Connect
Pick a server — we'll use GitHub as an example:
Option A: OAuth (Recommended)
- Click Connect with OAuth
- Authorize Fabric AI in the GitHub popup
- Done — tokens are stored and auto-refreshed
Option B: API Key
- Generate a Personal Access Token on GitHub
- Paste it into the API key field
- Click Save
Test the Connection
Click Test Connection. You should see a success message with latency info.
Try It in Chat
Open AI Chat and try a command:
"List my open GitHub issues"The AI discovers the GitHub MCP tools and uses them to fetch your issues.
Step 2: Set Up a Workflow Integration
Workflow integrations power the visual workflow builder nodes.
Open the Workflow Builder
Navigate to Workflows and open or create a workflow.
Add an Integration Node
Click + to add a node, then browse the Integrations category. Select the service you want (e.g., Slack, GitHub, Linear).
Configure Credentials
Click Configure Integration on the node:
- Enter your API key or token
- Click Test Connection to verify
- Credentials are encrypted and stored securely
Configure the Action
Set up what the node does:
- GitHub: Create Issue → set owner, repo, title
- Slack: Send Message → set channel, message
- Linear: Create Issue → set team, title, priority
Step 3: Set Up a Data Connection
Data connections sync external content for RAG retrieval and reports.
Navigate to Data Connections
Go to Settings → Data Connections and click Available Providers.
Connect a Service
Select a provider — we'll use Notion as an example:
- Click Connect
- Authorize in the popup window
- Select which pages/databases Fabric can access
Wait for Sync
Once connected, Fabric processes your data:
- Documents are extracted and chunked
- Text is embedded using your configured embedding provider
- Content becomes searchable via RAG
Check the status indicator — it shows Connected when ready.
Query Your Data
Open AI Chat and ask questions about your connected data:
"What does our Notion wiki say about the onboarding process?"The AI retrieves relevant content from your synced data.
Integration Scope
Personal vs Organization
| Scope | Visibility | Use Case |
|---|---|---|
| Personal | Only you | Your personal GitHub, personal Drive |
| Organization | All org members | Company Jira, shared Slack workspace |
Choose the scope when connecting. Organization integrations are managed by org admins.
Multi-Tenant Isolation
- Personal connections are never visible in organization contexts
- Organization connections are never visible to other organizations
- Each user can have their own connections alongside org-shared ones
Quick Reference: Popular Integrations
| Service | MCP Server | Workflow Node | Data Connection |
|---|---|---|---|
| GitHub | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Slack | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Linear | ✅ | ✅ | - |
| Notion | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Google Drive | - | ✅ | ✅ |
| Confluence | - | ✅ | ✅ |
| Jira | ✅ | - | - |
Troubleshooting
"Connection failed" during setup
- Double-check your API key or token
- Ensure the token has the required permissions/scopes
- Try disconnecting and reconnecting for OAuth-based services
Tools not appearing in AI Chat
- Verify the MCP server is Enabled in settings
- Check that the server's health status is Healthy
- Try refreshing the tool list in the chat settings
Data not appearing in RAG queries
- Check that the data connection status is Connected
- Wait for the initial sync to complete
- Verify you have an Embedding Provider configured in AI settings