Atlas

This guide will help you set up an Atlas MCP server that provides access to Microsoft Graph API using Entra ID authentication with On-Behalf-Of (OBO) flow. This sample uses Microsoft Graph API as the API layer for MCP to interface with, as an example.

Connect to an existing instance

You can use this Atlas MCP server to test the experience in Visual Studio Code:

   "graph-mcp": {
         "url": "https://graph-mcp.azurewebsites.net/"
   } 

⚠️ Warning: All tenant data accessed via Microsoft Graph API will pass through this Atlas MCP server. Ensure you trust the deployment and review security best practices before use. It is recommended to connect only non-production Entra ID tenants. For your own instance of Atlas, follow the instructions below.

Table of Contents

1. Prerequisites
2. Entra ID Application Registration
3. Configure the Application
4. Local Development Setup
5. Azure Deployment
6. Testing the Deployment
7. Available MCP Tools
8. Troubleshooting

Prerequisites

• Azure subscription
• Azure CLI installed (Download here)
• .NET 9.0 SDK installed
• PowerShell (Windows) or Bash (macOS/Linux)
• An MCP client for testing (VS Code Insiders edition)

Entra ID Application Registration

Step 1: Create App Registration

1. Sign in to Azure Portal: https://portal.azure.com
2. Navigate to Azure Active Directory → App registrations
3. Click "New registration"
4. Fill in the details:
   • Name: Atlas MCP Server
   • Supported account types:
     • Accounts in this organizational directory only (Single tenant)
   • Redirect URI: Leave blank for now
5. Click "Register"

Step 2: Configure API Permissions

1. In your app registration, go to "API permissions"
2. Click "Add a permission"
3. Select "Microsoft Graph" → "Application permissions"
4. Add these permissions:
   • Directory.Read.All (Read directory data)
5. Click "Add permissions"
6. IMPORTANT: Click "Grant admin consent" for your organization

Step 3: Create Client Secret

1. Go to "Certificates & secrets"
2. Click "New client secret"
3. Add description: MCP Server Secret
4. Set expiration: Choose appropriate duration (recommended: 12-24 months)
5. Click "Add"
6. ⚠️ COPY THE SECRET VALUE IMMEDIATELY - you won't be able to see it again!

Step 4: Expose an API (Required for On-Behalf-Of)

1. Go to "Expose an API"
2. Click "Set" next to Application ID URI
3. Accept the default URI (api://your-client-id)
4. Click "Add a scope":
   • Scope name: user.read
   • Who can consent: Admins and users
   • Admin consent display name: Access user data
   • Admin consent description: Allow the application to access user data on behalf of the signed-in user
   • User consent display name: Access your data
   • User consent description: Allow the application to access your data
   • State: Enabled
5. Click "Add scope"

Step 5: Note Down Important Values

Copy these values - you'll need them later:

• Tenant ID (Directory ID): Found in "Overview"
• Client ID (Application ID): Found in "Overview"
• Client Secret: The value you copied in Step 3

Configure the Application

Step 1: Update appsettings.json

Open appsettings.json and replace the placeholder values:

{
  "Logging": {
    "LogLevel": {
      "Default": "Information",
      "Microsoft.AspNetCore": "Warning"
    }
  },
  "AllowedHosts": "*",
  "AzureAd": {
    "Instance": "https://login.microsoftonline.com/",
    "TenantId": "YOUR_TENANT_ID_HERE",
    "ClientId": "YOUR_CLIENT_ID_HERE", 
    "ClientSecret": "YOUR_CLIENT_SECRET_HERE"
  }
}

Replace these values:

• YOUR_TENANT_ID_HERE → Your Entra ID Tenant ID
• YOUR_CLIENT_ID_HERE → Your App Registration Client ID
• YOUR_CLIENT_SECRET_HERE → Your Client Secret

Step 2: Update Program.cs (if needed)

The fallback values in Program.cs should also be updated. Find these lines around line 13-15:

var tenantId = builder.Configuration["AzureAd:TenantId"] ?? "YOUR_TENANT_ID_HERE";
var clientId = builder.Configuration["AzureAd:ClientId"] ?? "YOUR_CLIENT_ID_HERE";

Replace the fallback values with your actual Entra ID values.

Local Development Setup

Step 1: Test Locally

1. Open terminal in the project directory

2. Build and run the application:

   dotnet build
   dotnet run
   

3. Verify it's running:

   • Open browser: http://localhost:7071/.well-known/oauth-protected-resource
   • Should return JSON with OAuth configuration

Step 2: Test with MCP Client

Configure your MCP client to:

• Server URL: http://localhost:7071
• Available tools: GetCurrentUserFromGraph, CallGraphApiEndpoint, etc.
• Test prompt: Using Agent mode in your client, ask the Agent "Get my user profile". It should return the users attributes.

Azure Deployment

Step 1: Login to Azure

az login

Step 2: Create Resource Group

az group create --name "rg-mcp-server" --location "East US"

Step 3: Create App Service Plan

az appservice plan create --resource-group rg-mcp-server --name mcpServer --sku B1

Step 4: Create Web App

az webapp create --resource-group "rg-mcp-server" --plan "mcpServer" --name "graph-mcp"

⚠️ Note: Replace "graph-mcp" with a globally unique name if this one is taken.

Step 5: Configure App Settings (Important!)

az webapp config appsettings set --resource-group "rg-mcp-server" --name "graph-mcp" --settings \
  "AzureAd__TenantId=YOUR_TENANT_ID_HERE" \
  "AzureAd__ClientId=YOUR_CLIENT_ID_HERE" \
  "AzureAd__ClientSecret=YOUR_CLIENT_SECRET_HERE" \
  "AzureAd__Instance=https://login.microsoftonline.com/" \
  "ASPNETCORE_ENVIRONMENT=Production"

Replace the placeholder values with your actual Entra ID values.

Step 6: Build and Package

dotnet publish -c Release -o ./publish

Step 7: Create Deployment Package

Compress-Archive -Path "./publish/*" -DestinationPath "./publish.zip" -Force

Step 8: Deploy to Azure

az webapp deployment source config-zip --resource-group "rg-mcp-server" --name "graph-mcp" --src "./publish.zip"

Testing the Deployment

Step 1: Test PRM Endpoint

Open in browser: https://graph-mcp.azurewebsites.net/.well-known/oauth-protected-resource

Expected response:

{
  "resource": "https://graph-mcp.azurewebsites.net/sse",
  "authorization_servers": ["https://login.microsoftonline.com/YOUR_TENANT_ID/v2.0"],
  "bearer_methods_supported": ["header"],
  "resource_documentation": "https://docs.example.com/api/mcp"
}

Step 2: Test with MCP Client

Configure your MCP client:

• Server URL: https://graph-mcp.azurewebsites.net
• Tools: Test the available MCP tools

Available MCP Tools

1. GetCurrentUserFromGraph

• Description: Get current user information from Microsoft Graph /me endpoint
• Parameters: None
• Returns: User profile information

2. CallGraphApiEndpoint

• Description: Universal tool to call any Microsoft Graph API endpoint
• Parameters:
  • endpoint (required): Graph API endpoint (e.g., /v1.0/me, /v1.0/users)
  • method (optional): HTTP method (GET, POST, PUT, PATCH, DELETE) - defaults to GET
• Returns: JSON response from Graph API

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

1. "Token validation failed"

   • Check your Entra ID configuration
   • Verify Tenant ID and Client ID are correct
   • Ensure admin consent was granted for API permissions

2. "On-Behalf-Of flow failed"

   • Check client secret is correct and not expired
   • Verify the "Expose an API" configuration
   • Ensure the incoming token has the right audience

3. "No Bearer token found"

   • Make sure you're sending Authorization: Bearer <token> header
   • Verify the token is valid and not expired

4. "Web app not found" during deployment

   • The app name must be globally unique
   • Try a different name like graph-mcp-yourname

5. Local development not working on localhost:7071

   • Run: dotnet run --urls=http://localhost:7071
   • Check Properties/launchSettings.json has the correct URL

Debug Commands

Check web app status:

az webapp show --resource-group "rg-mcp-server" --name "graph-mcp" --query "{State:state, HostName:defaultHostName}"

View application logs:

az webapp log tail --resource-group "rg-mcp-server" --name "graph-mcp"

Test local server:

curl http://localhost:7071/.well-known/oauth-protected-resource

Security Best Practices

1. Never commit secrets to source control
2. Use Azure Key Vault for production secrets
3. Regularly rotate client secrets
4. Use least-privilege principle for API permissions
5. Enable HTTPS only for production
6. Monitor and log authentication attempts

Support

• Entra ID issues: Check Azure Portal → Azure Active Directory → Sign-ins
• App Service issues: Check Azure Portal → App Service → Log stream
• MCP Protocol: Refer to Model Context Protocol documentation

🎉 Your MCP server with Microsoft Graph API is now ready!