Where in the Gemini app do I add a custom MCP server?

Custom apps are added on the web, not in the mobile app. On a computer, go to gemini.google.com, then at the bottom open Settings, then Connected Apps (if it isn't listed, open Personal Intelligence first, then Connected Apps), and under Custom apps choose Add a custom app. Once connected there, the app is available in the Gemini mobile app as well.

I don't see Connected Apps or Custom apps anywhere. What's missing?

First check under Personal Intelligence — Google nests Connected Apps there in some builds. If it is still absent, check the requirements Google lists for custom apps: you need to be 18 or over and in the US, signed in with a personal Google account rather than a work or school one, with Keep Activity turned on, and the feature is English only for now. Custom apps are added on the web, so a phone will not show the option. Google lists no subscription for custom apps themselves, though Gemini Spark separately requires a Google AI Pro or Ultra subscription, so a Spark workflow needs that part.

I authorized the connection but nothing happens when I ask Spark to use it. What's wrong?

Two things to check. First, type @ in the prompt and pick the custom app by name — that is Google's tip for making sure Gemini actually uses a connected custom app. Second, confirm Keep Activity is turned on in your Google account settings, because custom apps are unavailable when it is off, which lets authorization succeed while the connection stays inactive. Both are on the Google side rather than anything to do with the server.

How to Add a Remote MCP Server to the Gemini App

How do I add a custom MCP server to the Gemini app?

Custom MCP servers reach Gemini through its Custom apps feature, set up in Connected Apps on the web. Google describes them as powering Gemini Spark workflows and quick actions in chat. On a computer, go to gemini.google.com → Settings → Connected Apps → under Custom apps, choose Add a custom app → paste the server's URL → Next → approve in the browser. There is no config file and no credential to enter. Once connected on the web, the app is available in the Gemini mobile app too.

Check the requirements before you go looking

This is worth resolving before anything else, because it decides whether the option appears at all. Custom apps, which rolled out starting June 29, 2026, are listed by Google as needing:

To be 18 or over and in the US
A personal Google account — not work, not school
Keep Activity turned on; custom apps are unavailable when it is off
An MCP server URL that follows the standard MCP specifications

Google adds that for now custom connected apps are English only, and can be connected only in the Gemini web app.

Google's custom-apps page lists no subscription. Gemini Spark is listed separately, and it does require a Google AI Pro or Ultra subscription — so if what you want is a custom app driving a Spark workflow, that requirement applies to the Spark half. Google also describes custom apps as powering quick actions in chat, and lists no subscription for that.

One nuance that causes real confusion: Google expanded Spark itself to more countries and languages in July 2026, but the custom-apps requirements are listed separately and still read US and English. Spark reaching your region does not automatically mean custom apps have.

If you don't see the option, work down the list above before assuming it is your plan. Google describes custom apps as serving both Spark workflows and quick actions in chat, so the connection is not limited to Spark once it is in place.

On a work account: Gemini Enterprise

Custom apps in the Gemini app are for personal accounts. Teams on Gemini Enterprise Business edition have a separate route, which Google labels pre-GA: a team administrator opens the team's Manage team page, then Connected apps → Add MCP Server, and the server becomes available to the team. Google requires Streamable HTTP (the older SSE transport isn't supported) on a public HTTPS endpoint, with the identity provider reachable from the public internet as well.

The connection uses either no authentication or an OAuth client ID and client secret registered in advance. Google's setup page doesn't describe automatic client registration, so a server that only registers clients automatically won't fit this route yet.

The steps

1. Open Connected Apps

On a computer, go to gemini.google.com, click Settings at the bottom, then Connected Apps.

If Connected Apps isn't there, click Personal Intelligence first — Google nests it one level down in some builds.

2. Add the server as a custom app

Under Custom apps, select Add a custom app, enter the server's URL, and click Next.

You should not need to open "Advanced features" or enter any credentials. A server that supports automatic client registration lets Gemini configure itself.

3. Authorize

A browser window opens with the server's consent screen. Sign in if prompted, review the request, and approve. You are returned to Gemini with the app connected.

4. Use it

Give Spark a task that needs the server, and it can call the server's tools as it works.

What usually goes wrong

The option isn't there. Check under Personal Intelligence first, then check the requirements above. This is a rollout boundary, not a fault.

The connection fails immediately. Check the URL against exactly what the server publishes — the path matters, and a trailing slash where the server doesn't expect one is enough to break it.

Authorization succeeded but nothing happens. This is the subtle one. Confirm Keep Activity is on in your Google account settings; custom apps are unavailable when it is off. The authorization genuinely succeeded — the connection just stays inactive until Keep Activity is enabled, which is why nothing errors and nothing works.

A worked example

Here is the flow with a real server. Tempreon is a hosted MCP server that gives an AI tool a persistent memory of your work, and it registers clients automatically, so the entire setup is one URL:

https://api.tempreon.com/functions/v1/tempreon-mcp/mcp

Paste that under Custom apps, click Next, approve in the browser, and Gemini can use it. The account-holder walkthrough is in the Gemini setup doc.

If the Spark requirements rule you out today, the same Google models are available in Google Antigravity, which is generally available with a free tier and supports MCP servers directly.