Introduction
Two ways for your own software to work with your OnKey agent — a REST API and an MCP server.
OnKey gives your team's software two ways to work directly with your agent — no AI assistant required in the loop:
- REST API — a plain, authenticated HTTP API for back-office tools, HR systems, scripts, or reporting jobs. Manage your agent's mobile users, message your team, and add documents to the Knowledge Base.
- MCP server — the same capabilities exposed as an MCP tool surface, so an AI assistant (Claude, ChatGPT, and similar) can act on your agent on your behalf.
Both run on the same connection OnKey already set up for you, and both use the same Agent API Token. If you were given a token for the MCP connection, you can use the REST API with it too.
Who this is for
A developer on your team who wants to integrate your existing software with OnKey. This is separate from the day-to-day, email-based way your Admins already work with their Virtual Operations Agent — this is the programmatic surface.
Which one should I use?
| Use the… | When you're… |
|---|---|
| REST API | Calling from your own code — an HR sync job, an internal dashboard, a script. A developer wrote the exact request. |
| MCP server | Letting an AI assistant do the work, with a human approving each action before it sends. |
One important differenceThe MCP server always shows an Admin a preview before anything sends (the "stage → confirm" step), because an AI assistant can misread an instruction. The REST API sends immediately — the developer who wrote the integration is the approver. See Authentication for more.
Next steps
- Authentication — get and use your Agent API Token.
- Make your first request — a five-minute REST quickstart.
- API Reference — the full, interactive endpoint reference with a "Try It" console.
Updated about 1 hour ago