HERE MCP app and supertab tools

These tools let an AI agent find, launch, and work with content in a user's Enterprise Browser (EB). Your agent can set up a workspace for the user (for example, a markets dashboard with a specific instrument already loaded) so the user doesn't have to locate it manually.

New to the MCP server? Start with the overview.

Tool	Category	Purpose
list-apps	Discover	List the apps the user can access
list-supertabs	Discover	List the user's local and published supertabs
launch-app	Launch	Open an app, with optional FDC3 context
open-supertab	Launch	Open a local or published supertab, with optional FDC3 context
create-supertab	Launch	Combine two or more apps in a new supertab with a row, column, or grid layout
get-channel-contexts	Channels	Read the current context on every color channel
get-channel-memberships	Channels	See which supertabs are on which color channel
broadcast-context	Channels	Broadcast an FDC3 context to a color channel
list-open-supertabs	Desktop state	List open windows, their supertabs, and the views in each
get-focused-content	Desktop state	Find the window, supertab, and view the user is focused on

To raise an FDC3 intent, including one aimed at a specific app, use raise-intent.

How the tools work

There are two kinds of tools:

• Server-side tools. list-apps and list-supertabs read from the HERE content directory. They work even if Enterprise Browser isn't running.
• Desktop tools. All other tools act on the user's live Enterprise Browser session. The MCP server sends the request to the user's desktop and waits for a response, so you receive the result (or an error) before the call completes.

Security model

• Entitlements still apply. An agent can only see and open apps and supertabs the user has access to.
• The token decides the user. Tools always act for the subject (sub) of the bearer token. They can't act for anyone else.
• MCP launches behave like user launches. Content opened through the MCP server works the same as content the user opens directly.
• Usage is metered. Every tool call is recorded for your organization.

Prerequisites

1. You can connect to the MCP server. See Connecting for the endpoint and authentication. Then call tools/list to check which of these tools your organization has enabled.
2. Content is set up in the Admin Console. Apps and published supertabs need to be configured and assigned to users. See Manage apps and Manage supertabs.
3. Apps have clear names and context types. Agents pick apps based on what list-apps returns: the app name and the context types it accepts. Vague names make it hard for an agent to choose the right app.
4. Enterprise Browser is running (for desktop tools). If it isn't, desktop tool calls time out. Requests aren't queued or retried.

Discover content

list-apps

Lists the apps in the content directory that the user can access.

Input

Field	Type	Required	Description
query	string	No	Search string to filter the results

Output

Each app includes:

Field	Description
appId	ID to pass to launch-app or create-supertab
name	App name
description	App description. Admins can't currently set app descriptions in the Admin Console, so this field might be empty
manifestType	Kind of app, such as a web app or a native desktop app
Context types	FDC3 context types the app accepts

Example

const apps = await mcp.call("list-apps", { query: "chart" });

list-supertabs

Lists the user's supertabs from two sources:

• Saved: the user's local supertabs
• Published: supertabs that admins have published and assigned to the user

For more on the difference, see Local and published supertabs.

Input

Field	Type	Required	Description
source	"saved" | "published"	No	Only return supertabs from this source. Omit this field to return both

Output

Each supertab includes:

Field	Description
id	ID to pass to open-supertab
title	Supertab title
source	saved or published. Pass it to open-supertab along with id

Example

const supertabs = await mcp.call("list-supertabs", { source: "published" });

Launch content

All three launch tools take an optional FDC3 context object. If you include one, Enterprise Browser broadcasts it after the content opens, so the apps load with that context already applied. The context needs a type field. See Context objects for examples.

launch-app

Opens a web app or a native desktop app.

Input

Field	Type	Required	Description
appId	string	Yes	ID of the app, from list-apps
context	object	No	FDC3 context to broadcast to the app's channel after it opens

Output

Field	Description
success	true if the app opened
windowId	ID of the window the app is in
viewId	ID of the view the app opened in

If the app fails to open, you receive an error.

Example

const result = await mcp.call("launch-app", {
  appId: "chart-app",
  context: { type: "fdc3.instrument", id: { ticker: "AAPL" } }
});
// → { success: true, windowId: "...", viewId: "..." }

open-supertab

Opens a saved (local) or published supertab.

Input

Field	Type	Required	Description
id	string	Yes	ID of the supertab, from list-supertabs
source	"saved" | "published"	Yes	Where the supertab comes from, from list-supertabs
context	object	No	FDC3 context to broadcast to the supertab's color channel after it opens

Output

Field	Description
success	true if the supertab opened
pageId	ID of the supertab
windowId	ID of the window the supertab is in
contextGroup	Color channel the supertab is on

If the supertab fails to open, you receive an error.

Example

const result = await mcp.call("open-supertab", {
  id: "markets-dashboard",
  source: "published",
  context: { type: "fdc3.instrument", id: { ticker: "AAPL" } }
});

create-supertab

Creates a new supertab containing two or more apps, arranged in the layout you specify.

Input

Field	Type	Required	Description
appIds	string[]	Yes	IDs of the apps to include, from list-apps. Requires at least two
layout	"row" | "column" | "grid"	Yes	How to arrange the apps
title	string	No	Title for the new supertab
context	object	No	FDC3 context to broadcast to the new supertab's color channel, so every app in it gets the context

Output

Field	Description
success	true if the supertab was created and opened
pageId	ID of the new supertab
windowId	ID of the window the supertab is in
contextGroup	Color channel the supertab is on

If the supertab can't be created, you receive an error.

Example

const result = await mcp.call("create-supertab", {
  appIds: ["chart-app", "news-app", "research-app"],
  layout: "grid",
  title: "AAPL overview",
  context: { type: "fdc3.instrument", id: { ticker: "AAPL" } }
});

Work with color channels

Color channels link top-level tabs so they share context. See Signals for how users work with color channels, and Add signals with context sharing for how apps receive context.

get-channel-contexts

Reads the current FDC3 context on each color channel. Takes no input.

Output

{
  "channels": [
    {
      "id": "green",
      "displayName": "Green",
      "currentContext": { "type": "fdc3.instrument", "id": { "ticker": "AAPL" } }
    }
  ]
}

get-channel-memberships

Shows which open supertabs are on each color channel. Takes no input.

Output

{
  "memberships": [
    {
      "channelId": "green",
      "pages": [
        { "pageId": "...", "title": "AAPL overview", "windowId": "..." }
      ]
    }
  ]
}

To determine which channel a supertab is on, look for its pageId in the response. list-open-supertabs also returns each supertab's channel as contextGroup.

broadcast-context

Broadcasts an FDC3 context to a color channel. Every app on that channel receives it.

Input

Field	Type	Required	Description
channel	string	Yes	ID of the color channel, from get-channel-contexts
context	object	Yes	FDC3 context object. Must include a type field

Output

{ success: true } if the broadcast succeeds. If the channel doesn't exist, you receive an error.

Example

const result = await mcp.call("broadcast-context", {
  channel: "green",
  context: { type: "fdc3.instrument", id: { ticker: "MSFT" } }
});

Read desktop state

list-open-supertabs

Lists every open Enterprise Browser window, the supertabs in each one, and the views in each supertab. Takes no input.

Output

{
  "windows": [
    {
      "windowId": "...",
      "pages": [
        {
          "pageId": "...",
          "title": "AAPL overview",
          "isActive": true,
          "contextGroup": "green",
          "views": []
        }
      ]
    }
  ]
}

isActive marks the active supertab in each window. views lists the view tabs in the supertab.

get-focused-content

Returns what the user is focused on: the last focused window, the active supertab in it, and the focused view in that supertab. Takes no input.

Output

{
  "windowId": "...",
  "page": { "pageId": "...", "title": "AAPL overview", "contextGroup": "green" },
  "view": { "viewId": "...", "title": "Chart", "url": "https://..." }
}

To read the text content of the user's views, use get-browser-context.

Common workflows

Open a dashboard with context. Call list-supertabs to find the dashboard. Then call open-supertab with its id, its source, and a context for the instrument the user asked about.

Build a custom workspace. Call list-apps and pick apps based on their names and context types. Then call create-supertab with those appIds, a layout, and a context.

Track the user's current activity. Call get-focused-content to get the focused supertab and its contextGroup. Then call get-channel-contexts to see what's on that channel, or broadcast-context to change it.

Limits

• No changes to existing content. You can't use these tools to modify or close supertabs or views that are already open.
• Live session required. Desktop tools act on the user's current Enterprise Browser session. If no session is active, the call times out.
• Current user only. Tools only act for the authenticated user.

Related tools

• HERE MCP server overview
• HERE MCP intent tools: list-intent-handlers and raise-intent
• get-browser-context: read text and markdown from the user's open views
• send-notification: send the user a desktop notification

Reference

• Supertabs
• Signals
• Add signals with context sharing
• FDC3 2.0 specification
• Model Context Protocol specification