How to Add a Remote MCP Server to the Gemini App
Custom MCP servers reach Gemini through Spark's custom apps, added on the web. The exact menu path, the subscription and region requirements that decide whether you'll see the option at all, and the account setting that makes an approved connection do nothing.
Last verified August 15, 2026
How do I add a custom MCP server to the Gemini app?
Custom MCP servers reach Gemini through Gemini Spark, Google's always-on agent inside gemini.google.com, using its Custom apps feature. On a computer, go to gemini.google.com → Settings & help → Connected Apps → under Custom apps for Spark, 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, Spark can use the app in the Gemini mobile apps 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 for Spark, which rolled out starting June 29, 2026, require:
- Gemini Spark access, which comes with a Google AI Pro or Ultra subscription
- A personal Google account — not Workspace, not school
- As listed: US-only, 18+, English, with Keep Activity turned on
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, that is the likeliest reason, and nothing is wrong with the server you are trying to add. Regular Gemini chat without Spark has no custom app path yet.
The steps
1. Open Connected Apps
On a computer, go to gemini.google.com, click Settings & help 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 for Spark, 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; Spark requires it for connected apps. 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/mcpPaste that under Custom apps for Spark, click Next, approve in the browser, and Spark 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 in free public preview and supports MCP servers directly.
Sources
The dated claims on this page were checked against these vendor documents. Client UIs move constantly, so if one of these has changed since the date shown, trust the vendor over this page — and tell us.
- Connect & manage custom apps for Gemini Spark in the Gemini web app — Gemini Apps Help — read 2026-08-15
- What's new for Gemini Spark — Gemini Apps Help — read 2026-08-15
Frequently asked questions
- 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 open Settings and help, then Connected Apps, and under Custom apps for Spark choose Add a custom app. Once connected there, Spark can also use the app in the Gemini mobile apps.
- I don't see Connected Apps or Custom apps for Spark anywhere. What's missing?
- First check under Personal Intelligence — Google nests Connected Apps there in some builds. If it is still absent, you are likely outside the current rollout: custom apps require Gemini Spark access, which comes with a Google AI Pro or Ultra subscription, plus a personal Google account, and as listed they are US-only, 18+, and English. Regular Gemini chat without Spark has no custom app path yet.
- I authorized the connection but nothing happens when I ask Spark to use it. What's wrong?
- Check that Keep Activity is turned on in your Google account settings. Spark requires it for connected apps, so authorization can succeed while the connection stays inactive until Keep Activity is enabled. This is a Google account setting rather than anything to do with the server.