Interact with Live XML Data in Warp via CData Connect AI

Warp is an agentic development environment that combines a modern terminal with an AI agent. It supports large language model (LLM) interactions and Model Context Protocol (MCP) server integrations, so the agent can reach live external data sources without leaving the terminal.

By integrating Warp with CData Connect AI through its built-in MCP Server, the Warp Agent gets governed, real-time access to live XML data. You can explore XML data, ask questions in plain language, and work with your records without writing custom integration code.

This article walks through configuring XML connectivity in Connect AI, configuring the CData MCP Server in Warp, and interacting with live XML data from the Warp Agent.

Step 1: Configure XML connectivity for Warp

Connectivity to XML from Warp is made possible through Connect AI's Remote MCP Server. To interact with XML data from Warp, start by creating and configuring a XML connection in Connect AI.

1. Log into Connect AI, click Sources, and then click Add Connection

2. Select XML from the Add Connection panel

3. Enter the necessary authentication properties to connect to XML.

   Connecting to Local or Cloud-Stored (Box, Google Drive, Amazon S3, SharePoint) XML Files

   CData Drivers let you work with XML files stored locally and stored in cloud storage services like Box, Amazon S3, Google Drive, or SharePoint, right where they are.

   Setting connection properties for local files

   Set the URI property to local folder path.

   Setting connection properties for files stored in Amazon S3

   To connect to XML file(s) within Amazon S3, set the URI property to the URI of the Bucket and Folder where the intended XML files exist. In addition, at least set these properties:

   • AWSAccessKey: AWS Access Key (username)
   • AWSSecretKey: AWS Secret Key

   Setting connection properties for files stored in Box

   To connect to XML file(s) within Box, set the URI property to the URI of the folder that includes the intended XML file(s). Use the OAuth authentication method to connect to Box.

   Dropbox

   To connect to XML file(s) within Dropbox, set the URI proprerty to the URI of the folder that includes the intended XML file(s). Use the OAuth authentication method to connect to Dropbox. Either User Account or Service Account can be used to authenticate.

   SharePoint Online (SOAP)

   To connect to XML file(s) within SharePoint with SOAP Schema, set the URI proprerty to the URI of the document library that includes the intended XML file. Set User, Password, and StorageBaseURL.

   SharePoint Online REST

   To connect to XML file(s) within SharePoint with REST Schema, set the URI proprerty to the URI of the document library that includes the intended XML file. StorageBaseURL is optional. If not set, the driver will use the root drive. OAuth is used to authenticate.

   Google Drive

   To connect to XML file(s) within Google Drive, set the URI property to the URI of the folder that includes the intended XML file(s). Use the OAuth authentication method to connect and set InitiateOAuth to GETANDREFRESH.

   The DataModel property is the controlling property over how your data is represented into tables and toggles the following basic configurations.

   • Document (default): Model a top-level, document view of your XML data. The data provider returns nested elements as aggregates of data.
   • FlattenedDocuments: Implicitly join nested documents and their parents into a single table.
   • Relational: Return individual, related tables from hierarchical data. The tables contain a primary key and a foreign key that links to the parent document.

   See the Modeling XML Data chapter for more information on configuring the relational representation. You will also find the sample data used in the following examples. The data includes entries for people, the cars they own, and various maintenance services performed on those cars.

   
4. Click Save & Test
5. Navigate to the Permissions tab and update user-based permissions

Add a Personal Access Token

A Personal Access Token (PAT) is used to authenticate the connection to Connect AI from Warp. It is best practice to create a separate PAT for each integration to maintain granular access control.

1. Click the gear icon () at the top right of the Connect AI app to open Settings
2. On the Settings page, go to the Access Tokens section and click Create PAT
3. Give the PAT a descriptive name and click Create

4. Copy the token when displayed and store it securely. It will not be shown again

With the XML connection configured and a PAT generated, Warp can now connect to XML data through Connect AI.

Step 2: Configure Connect AI in Warp

Enable the Warp Agent, configure an LLM provider, and the Connect AI MCP endpoint in Warp so the agent can discover and call live data tools.

1. Download and install Warp, and then sign up or log in to your Warp account
2. Click the Tabs panel icon at the top left of the window, or press Ctrl + Shift + B
3. Click Settings, expand Agents, select Warp Agent, and toggle Warp Agent on

Configure an LLM provider

The Warp Agent needs an LLM provider to interpret your prompts and decide which MCP tools to call. Add an API key for your preferred provider.

1. On the same Warp Agent page, scroll down to the Custom Inference section
2. Enter the API key for the LLM provider of your choice (e.g., OpenAI, Anthropic, or Google)

Add the Connect AI MCP Server

1. Under Agents, click MCP servers, and then click Add
2. In the Add New MCP Server editor, paste the following JSON configuration:

   {
     "mcpServers": {
       "CData_Connect_AI": {
         "url": "https://mcp.cloud.cdata.com/mcp",
         "headers": {
           "Authorization": "Basic your_base64_encoded_email_PAT"
         }
       }
     }
   }

   Note: Combine your Connect AI email and PAT in the format email:PAT, Base64 encode the combined string, and prefix it with Basic. For example, given [email protected]:ABC123...XYZ, the header value becomes something like: Basic dXNlckBteWRvbWFpbjphSzkvbVB4Mi9Rcjd2TjQ...

   
3. Click Save to add the MCP server
4. Under My MCPs, confirm that CData_Connect_AI appears with the toggle enabled and the tools available

With the MCP server and an LLM provider configured, the Warp Agent is ready to interact with live XML data through Connect AI.

Step 3: Interact with live XML data from the Warp Agent

Use natural language prompts in the Warp Agent to explore live XML data.

1. Click the icon in the left navigation bar and select Agent
2. Enter a prompt to interact with your data, for example:
   • List the sources available in my CData_Connect_AI mcp connection
   • Show me what I can explore in XML
   • Fetch the five most recent records from XML data
   
3. The agent calls the Connect AI MCP Server and returns live results from XML data

Your Warp Agent now calls the Connect AI MCP Server to interact with live XML data through remote MCP tools, all from the terminal.

Get CData Connect AI

To interact with hundreds of SaaS and enterprise data sources directly from your AI agents and cloud applications, try CData Connect AI. Download a free 14-day trial of CData Connect AI, and our Support Team is available to answer any questions.