# Automation overview

Source: https://docs.fortrabbit.com/platform/automation/intro
Reviewed: 2026-08-24


| Tool                                                         | What it is                    | Authentication       | Use case                  |
| ------------------------------------------------------------ | ----------------------------- | -------------------- | ------------------------- |
| [MCP server](/platform/automation/mcp)            | Remote endpoint for AI agents | OAuth (via browser)  | Personal AI agent         |
| [CLI](/platform/automation/cli)                   | `frbit` binary, client of API | Personal API token   | AI agent, script, CI jobs |
| [Agent skills](/platform/automation/agent-skills) | Workflow instructions         | Nothing of their own | Help your agent succeed   |
| [Public API](/platform/automation/api)            | REST interface over HTTP      | Personal API token   | Build an integration      |

## How they relate



```raw
  platform
  │
  ├── MCP server   ◀── OAuth ──────  AI agent
  │
  └── public API   ◀── API token ──  own code, integrations
      │
      └── CLI      ◀── API token ──  terminal, CI job, AI agent
```

The public API is the base layer and the CLI is a client of it, which is why both take the same personal API token. The MCP server is a second front door with its own OAuth flow, not a wrapper around the REST API.

Agent skills sit outside that picture. They hold no credentials and open no connection — they tell an agent how a deployment is done here, how a database is synced, and which command to run over SSH. The agent acts through whatever connection it has.

The common pair is the MCP server plus agent skills: the agent sees the account and follows the platform workflows. `frbit setup agent` installs both in one command.

## Both a token and an MCP connection?

No. Connecting over MCP issues its own credentials in the browser, bound to that one agent. A token only comes in when:

- The CLI is installed — it is an API client and signs in with a token, even for `frbit setup agent`. Going through the CLI is what makes both credentials appear at once.
- The MCP client has no OAuth support — the token goes in as a bearer credential instead.
- Something calls `/v1` directly — a script, a CI job, or an integration in another language.

---

- [MCP server](/platform/automation/mcp)
- [CLI](/platform/automation/cli)
- [Agent skills](/platform/automation/agent-skills)
- [Public API](/platform/automation/api)