Build Okta-Powered Applications in Gemini Code Assist with CData Code Assist MCP

Gemini Code Assist is an AI-powered coding companion that integrates intelligent code generation into everyday development workflows. With support for MCP, Gemini Code Assist can connect to live enterprise data sources directly from Visual Studio Code, enabling natural language interaction with structured data without switching context or manually writing data access code.

Model Context Protocol (MCP) is an open standard for connecting LLM clients to external services through structured tool interfaces. MCP servers expose capabilities such as schema discovery and live querying, allowing AI agents to retrieve and reason over real-time data safely and consistently.

This guide walks through installing the CData Code Assist MCP for Okta, configuring the connection to Okta, connecting the Code Assist MCP add-on to Gemini Code Assist, and querying live Okta data from within the editor.

Prerequisites

Before starting, ensure the following requirements are met:

1. Visual Studio Code is installed on the machine
2. Gemini Code Assist extension is enabled in Visual Studio Code
3. CData Code Assist MCP for Okta has been installed
4. Access to Okta

Note: Gemini Code Assist must already be set up and functional in Visual Studio Code before configuring MCP servers. MCP servers are accessed when Gemini Code Assist is running in Agent mode.

Step 1: Download and install the CData Code Assist MCP for Okta

1. To begin, download the CData Code Assist MCP for Okta
2. Find and double-click the installer to begin the installation
3. Run the installer and follow the prompts to complete the installation

When the installation is complete, the Code Assist MCP add-on is ready for configuration by connecting to Okta.

Step 2: Configure the connection to Okta

1. After installation, open the CData Code Assist MCP for Okta configuration wizard

   NOTE: If the wizard does not open automatically, search for "CData Code Assist MCP for Okta" in the Windows search bar and open the application.

   
2. In MCP Configuration > Configuration Name, either select an existing configuration or choose to create a new one
3. Name the configuration (e.g. "cdata_okta") and click OK

4. Enter the appropriate connection properties in the configuration wizard

   To connect to Okta, set the Domain connection string property to your Okta domain.

   You will use OAuth to authenticate with Okta, so you need to create a custom OAuth application.

   Creating a Custom OAuth Application

   From your Okta account:

   1. Sign in to your Okta developer edition organization with your administrator account.
   2. In the Admin Console, go to Applications > Applications.
   3. Click Create App Integration.
   4. For the Sign-in method, select OIDC - OpenID Connect.
   5. For Application type, choose Web Application.
   6. Enter a name for your custom application.
   7. Set the Grant Type to Authorization Code. If you want the token to be automatically refreshed, also check Refresh Token.
   8. Set the callback URL:
      • For desktop applications and headless machines, use http://localhost:33333 or another port number of your choice. The URI you set here becomes the CallbackURL property.
      • For web applications, set the callback URL to a trusted redirect URL. This URL is the web location the user returns to with the token that verifies that your application has been granted access.
   9. In the Assignments section, either select Limit access to selected groups and add a group, or skip group assignment for now.
   10. Save the OAuth application.
   11. The application's Client Id and Client Secret are displayed on the application's General tab. Record these for future use. You will use the Client Id to set the OAuthClientId and the Client Secret to set the OAuthClientSecret.
   12. Check the Assignments tab to confirm that all users who must access the application are assigned to the application.
   13. On the Okta API Scopes tab, select the scopes you wish to grant to the OAuth application. These scopes determine the data that the app has permission to read, so a scope for a particular view must be granted for the driver to have permission to query that view. To confirm the scopes required for each view, see the view-specific pages in Data Model < Views in the Help documentation.
   
5. Click Connect to authenticate with Okta through OAuth
6. Then, click Save Configuration to save the Code Assist MCP add-on

This process creates a .mcp configuration file that Gemini Code Assist will reference when launching the Code Assist MCP add-on. With the Code Assist MCP add-on configured, it is ready to connect to Gemini Code Assist.

Step 3: Connect the Code Assist MCP add-on to Gemini Code Assist

1. Ensure Visual Studio Code is installed and the Gemini Code Assist extension is enabled
2. From the configuration wizard, click Next after saving and testing the connection
3. Select Gemini Code Assist from the AI MCP Tool dropdown
4. Click Copy JSON to copy the generated MCP configuration to the clipboard
5. Paste the copied JSON into the appropriate configuration file based on the desired scope:
   • User-level: Configuration applies across all projects for the current user
   • Workspace-level: Configuration applies only to the current workspace or project

   NOTE: The configuration includes the path to Java 17+ executable and the CData Code Assist MCP add-on JAR file. The final argument must match the MCP configuration name saved in the wizard (e.g. "cdata_okta").

6. Save the configuration file and restart Visual Studio Code if necessary

Step 4: Query live Okta data in Gemini Code Assist

1. Open Visual Studio Code and select Gemini Code Assist in the activity bar
2. Enter /mcp in the chat prompt to verify the connection status. The Okta Code Assist MCP add-on should appear with a green connection indicator
3. Ask questions about Okta data using natural language. For example:

   "Provide the list of all tables available in my Okta data connection."

   
4. Generate code that works with live Okta data. For example:

   "Write a function to retrieve records from the Users table where Id matches a given value."

   

Gemini Code Assist is now fully integrated with the CData Code Assist MCP add-on and can use the MCP tools exposed to explore schemas, execute live queries against Okta, and generate data-aware code.

Build with Code Assist MCP. Deploy with CData Drivers.

Download Code Assist MCP for free and give your AI tools schema-aware access to live Okta data during development. When you're ready to move to production, CData Okta Drivers deliver the same SQL-based access with enterprise-grade performance, security, and reliability.

Visit the CData Community to share insights, ask questions, and explore what's possible with MCP-powered AI workflows.