External Plugins (MCP)

StarZero Agents can connect to external tools and services through plugins, extending what the AI can do beyond its built-in capabilities. This uses a standard called MCP (Model Context Protocol), which is a common way for AI tools to connect with outside services.

What Are Plugins?

Plugins are external services that give StarZero Agents new abilities. When you connect a plugin, the AI gains access to the tools that plugin provides, and can use them alongside its built-in features.

For example, a plugin might let the AI:

• Access a specific content management system
• Connect to a social media scheduling tool
• Use a specialized audio processing service
• Pull data from an external database

The possibilities depend on what plugins are available to you.

Rich Media from Plugins

Plugins can return more than just text. When a plugin sends back images, audio, video, or other files, StarZero Agents automatically processes and displays them in the chat. For example, a plugin might return a generated image or an audio clip — you'll see these directly in the conversation without any extra steps.

This means plugins that produce visual or audio content work seamlessly alongside StarZero Agents' built-in tools.

Suggested Plugins

When you open the External Plugins settings, you'll see a Suggested section with recommended plugins organized by category — Publishing, Assets, Google Workspace, and Other. Plugins you've already added won't appear in the suggestions.

Most suggested plugins can be added with one click. Some (like Buffer, Slack, or Figma) open a guided setup that walks you through connecting your account — just follow the instructions in the popup.

Buffer — Social Media Scheduling

The Buffer plugin lets the AI schedule and manage social media posts across your connected platforms. After rendering a video, you can publish it directly:

• "Schedule this video to my Instagram for tomorrow at 10am"
• "Post this clip to my Buffer queue"

To connect, you'll need an API key from your Buffer account — the setup wizard walks you through creating one.

Pexels — Free Stock Photos and Videos

The Pexels plugin gives the AI access to a massive library of free stock photos and videos. This is especially useful for adding B-roll — supplementary footage that illustrates what's being discussed without showing the speaker.

Once enabled, you can ask the AI to search for stock footage naturally:

• "Find some B-roll of ocean waves to use as a background"
• "Search for stock footage of people working in an office"
• "Get some aerial city shots I can use as transitions"

The AI will search Pexels, show you the results, and let you pick which ones to use. When stock content is used in your video, an attribution overlay is automatically added (e.g., "Video by John Smith on Pexels") as required by Pexels' license.

All Pexels content is free to use in your projects.

Google Drive — Upload Files Directly

When you connect the Google Drive plugin, the AI can upload files straight to your Drive from any URL. This is especially useful after rendering a video or generating content — instead of downloading the file and uploading it yourself, just ask:

• "Upload that rendered video to my Google Drive"
• "Save this video to my Drive in the 'Client Projects' folder"
• "Upload the generated clip to Drive"

The AI streams the file directly to your Drive — it works with videos, images, PDFs, and any other file type. You'll get a link to the uploaded file so you can share it or find it later.

Adding a Plugin

For suggested plugins, just click Add (or Connect for plugins that need credentials) and follow any setup instructions.

To add a custom plugin:

1. Open Customize from the sidebar
2. Go to the External Plugins tab
3. Click Add Custom and enter the plugin's MCP server URL
4. Save your changes

Once added, the plugin's tools become available to the AI immediately. You don't need to do anything special to use them — just ask for what you need in the chat, and the AI will use the plugin's tools when appropriate.

Advanced Options

When adding a custom plugin, you'll see an Advanced section you can expand. It contains:

• Headers — Add custom HTTP headers (like API keys or authorization tokens) that will be sent with every request to the plugin.
• OAuth Client Credentials — If the plugin requires pre-registered OAuth credentials, enter your Client ID and Client Secret here.

Most plugins don't need these — they're there for services that require custom authentication.

Viewing Plugin Tools

Each connected plugin displays the tools it provides as small labels underneath its URL. Hover over any tool label to see a description of what it does. This makes it easy to understand what capabilities a plugin adds without needing to test it in the chat.

Enabling and Disabling Plugins

You can temporarily disable a plugin without removing it. Each plugin has an Enable/Disable button — disable it to turn off the plugin, and enable it again whenever you need it.

Disabled plugins are grayed out in the list and their tools won't be available to the AI. This is useful when you want to keep a plugin configured but don't need it for your current work.

If a plugin requires authorization (like Google sign-in), re-enabling it may prompt you to authorize again. A loading spinner appears on the toggle while authorization is in progress — just complete the sign-in in the popup window and the plugin will reconnect automatically.

For Google-connected plugins (Google Calendar, Google Drive, Gmail), StarZero Agents automatically detects when your authorization has expired and prompts you to re-authorize. You don't need to manually remove and re-add the plugin — just complete the sign-in when prompted and the plugin will resume working.

Tool Approval

By default, when the AI wants to use a plugin's tool, it asks for your approval first. You'll see a prompt in the chat describing what the AI wants to do, and you can approve or deny it.

This gives you control over what external actions the AI takes on your behalf.

Removing a Plugin

To disconnect a plugin:

1. Open Customize → External Plugins
2. Find the plugin you want to remove
3. Click Remove and confirm
4. The plugin is disconnected immediately

Removing a plugin immediately revokes the AI's access to that plugin's tools. Your existing projects and content are not affected.

Things to Know

• Plugins extend, they don't replace. All of StarZero Agents's built-in features continue to work normally. Plugins just add new capabilities on top.
• Plugin availability varies. The plugins available to you depend on what services have been set up for your organization or account.
• Each plugin is independent. Adding or removing one plugin doesn't affect any others.
• Plugin tools appear in the chat. When the AI uses a plugin tool, you'll see it in the conversation, just like any other AI action.