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Workshop 6: Apps & Integrations

Duration: 45 minutes | Level: Intermediate | Prerequisites: Workshops 1-3

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What You’ll Master

Extend your expert’s capabilities by connecting it to the tools and services your business uses.
1

Understanding Apps

Learn how apps expand your expert’s capabilities
2

MCP Marketplace

Browse and install Model Context Protocol tools
3

API Connections

Connect to REST APIs and webhooks
4

Authentication

Configure OAuth, API keys, and credentials
5

Custom Tools

Build your own integrations

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How Apps Work

Apps extend your expert with new capabilities: 
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                      EXPERT + APPS                               │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│                                                                 │
│   User Question: "What's on my calendar tomorrow?"              │
│                           │                                     │
│                           ▼                                     │
│   ┌───────────────────────────────────────────┐                │
│   │              YOUR EXPERT                   │                │
│   │                                           │                │
│   │   Understands intent ──► Calls Google     │                │
│   │                         Calendar App      │                │
│   │                              │            │                │
│   │                              ▼            │                │
│   │   ┌─────────────────────────────────┐    │                │
│   │   │   📅 Google Calendar             │    │                │
│   │   │   • 9 AM - Team standup         │    │                │
│   │   │   • 2 PM - Client call          │    │                │
│   │   │   • 4 PM - Code review          │    │                │
│   │   └─────────────────────────────────┘    │                │
│   │                                           │                │
│   │   Formats response for user               │                │
│   └───────────────────────────────────────────┘                │
│                           │                                     │
│                           ▼                                     │
│   "Tomorrow you have 3 meetings: Team standup at 9 AM..."      │
│                                                                 │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

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App Categories

Productivity

  • Google Workspace
  • Microsoft 365
  • Notion
  • Slack
  • Trello

Data & Analytics

  • Databases
  • Spreadsheets
  • BI tools
  • Analytics
  • CRMs

Development

  • GitHub
  • GitLab
  • Jira
  • Linear
  • APIs

Communication

  • Email (Gmail, Outlook)
  • SMS/WhatsApp
  • Discord
  • Teams

Search & Research

  • Web search
  • Tavily
  • Wolfram Alpha
  • Wikipedia

Custom

  • REST APIs
  • Webhooks
  • MCP tools
  • OpenAPI specs

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Browsing the App Marketplace

  1. Click Apps in the sidebar
  2. Browse categories or search
  3. Click an app to view details
Apps Marketplace

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App Information

Each app shows:
  • Description: What the app does
  • Required Auth: How to connect
  • Available Actions: What your expert can do
  • Pricing: Free or premium

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Installing Apps

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Step-by-Step Installation

1

Find the App

Search or browse for the app you need
2

Click Install

Open the app details and click “Install”
3

Configure Auth

Connect your account or add API keys
4

Set Permissions

Choose what actions are allowed
5

Assign to Expert

Enable the app for specific experts
Let’s add web search to your TechSupport AI:
1

Find Tavily Search

In the Apps marketplace, search for “Tavily”
2

Install

Click Install and configure your API key
Get a free Tavily API key at tavily.com
3

Enable for Expert

Add Tavily to your TechSupport AI
4

Test

Ask: “Search for the latest smart home trends in 2024”

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MCP Marketplace

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What is MCP?

Model Context Protocol (MCP) is a standard for connecting AI models to external tools: 
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                    MCP ARCHITECTURE                              │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│                                                                 │
│   B-Bot Expert ──► MCP Client ──► MCP Server ──► Tool/Service  │
│                                                                 │
│   Examples:                                                     │
│   • Expert ──► MCP ──► GitHub API ──► Repository actions       │
│   • Expert ──► MCP ──► Database ──► Query data                 │
│   • Expert ──► MCP ──► File System ──► File operations         │
│                                                                 │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

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Browsing MCP Tools

Navigate to Apps → MCP Marketplace:

GitHub MCP

  • Search code and issues
  • Create/update issues
  • Manage pull requests
  • Repository actions

Database MCP

  • Query SQL databases
  • Read/write data
  • Schema inspection
  • Transaction support

Filesystem MCP

  • Read/write files
  • Directory operations
  • File search
  • Watch for changes

Slack MCP

  • Send messages
  • Read channels
  • Manage threads
  • Search history

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Installing MCP Tools

1

Select Tool

Choose an MCP tool from the marketplace
2

Configure Connection

Add the MCP server URL or let B-Bot host it
3

Authenticate

Provide necessary credentials
4

Test Connection

Verify the tool works correctly

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Authentication Methods

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Types of Authentication

MethodUse CaseSecurity Level
API KeySimple APIs⭐⭐
OAuth 2.0Google, Microsoft, etc.⭐⭐⭐⭐
Bearer TokenAPIs with tokens⭐⭐⭐
Basic AuthLegacy systems⭐
Custom HeadersSpecial requirements⭐⭐⭐

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Provider Keys

Manage your API keys in Settings → Provider Keys: Provider Keys

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🎯 Exercise: Add Provider Keys

1

Navigate to Settings

Go to Settings → Provider Keys
2

Add OpenAI Key

If you have your own, add your OpenAI API key
3

Add Tavily Key

Add your Tavily API key for web search
4

Verify

Test that your expert can use these keys

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Building Custom Integrations

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OpenAPI/Swagger Integration

Connect any API that has an OpenAPI specification:
1

Find OpenAPI Spec

Get the API’s OpenAPI/Swagger JSON file
2

Import in B-Bot

Go to Apps → Custom → Import OpenAPI
3

Configure Auth

Set up authentication method
4

Select Endpoints

Choose which endpoints to expose

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Custom Tool Example

Create a custom tool for your internal API: 
name: "Inventory Checker"
description: "Check product inventory levels"
auth_type: "api_key"
base_url: "https://api.yourcompany.com"
endpoints:
  - name: "check_stock"
    method: "GET"
    path: "/inventory/{product_id}"
    parameters:
      - name: "product_id"
        type: "string"
        required: true

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Tool Configuration Best Practices

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Organizing Tools by Expert

Expert TypeRecommended Tools
Customer SupportCRM, Knowledge Base, Ticketing
Sales AssistantCRM, Calendar, Email, Analytics
Developer HelperGitHub, Jira, Documentation, Search
Content CreatorGoogle Drive, Design tools, Social
Data AnalystDatabase, Spreadsheets, Visualization

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Tool Permissions

Configure granular permissions:

Read-Only

Expert can only retrieve information

Read-Write

Expert can create and modify data

Limited Scope

Restrict to specific resources

Approval Required

Actions need human approval

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Integration Examples

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Example 1: Customer Support Expert

Tools Configured:
├── 🔍 Zendesk (CRM & Tickets)
├── 📚 Notion (Knowledge Base)
├── 📧 Gmail (Email Integration)
├── 📅 Google Calendar (Scheduling)
└── 🔎 Tavily (Web Search)

Sample Conversation:
User: "Check if customer #1234 has any open tickets"

Expert: [Calls Zendesk API]
"Customer #1234 (John Smith) has 2 open tickets:
- #5678: Password reset request (High priority)
- #5679: Feature question (Low priority)
Would you like me to update either of these?"

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Example 2: Developer Assistant

Tools Configured:
├── 🐙 GitHub (Code & Issues)
├── 📋 Linear (Project Management)
├── 📖 Documentation Search
├── 🐛 Error Tracking (Sentry)
└── 💬 Slack (Team Communication)

Sample Conversation:
User: "What's the status of the auth bug from last week?"

Expert: [Searches GitHub and Linear]
"Found 2 related items:
- GitHub Issue #142: 'Auth token expiration bug' - CLOSED
  Fixed in PR #156, merged 3 days ago
- Linear Task DEV-234: 'Test auth flow' - IN PROGRESS
  Assigned to Sarah, due tomorrow

Would you like more details on either?"

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Troubleshooting Integrations

Common causes:
  • Expired API key or token
  • Incorrect credentials
  • Missing permissions/scopes
Solution: Regenerate credentials and reconfigure
Common causes:
  • Too many requests
  • API quotas exceeded
Solution: Check API limits, add delays, or upgrade plan
Common causes:
  • Network issues
  • API service down
  • Incorrect endpoint URL
Solution: Verify URL, check service status, test manually

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🎯 Challenge: Full Integration Setup

Set up a complete integrated expert:
1

Choose Use Case

Pick a real scenario (support, sales, dev, etc.)
2

Install 3+ Apps

Add at least 3 relevant integrations
3

Configure Permissions

Set appropriate access levels
4

Test Workflows

Try multi-step tasks using multiple tools
5

Document

Note which tools work well together

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Key Takeaways

Extend Capabilities

Apps transform your expert from a chatbot to a powerful assistant

MCP Standard

MCP provides a unified way to connect tools

Security First

Always configure appropriate permissions and authentication

Right Tools

Choose tools that match your expert’s purpose

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Next Steps

Workshop 7: Distribution

Deploy and share your experts

Apps Documentation

Complete apps reference