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Documentation Index

Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://lava.so/docs/llms.txt

Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

Lava routes calls to a catalog of connected services. Some are managed by Lava (no setup required); others need you to connect a personal account or paste an API key. This guide covers both connection paths and how to verify, troubleshoot, and remove connections.

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Prerequisites

  • A Lava account.
  • The Lava MCP installed in your AI chat. See the Quickstart if you haven’t done this yet.
  • The service you want to connect must exist in the Lava catalog. Ask your chat list providers matching "slack" (or similar) to confirm.

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Two Connection Types

Lava distinguishes two kinds of services:
  • HTTP providers — services Lava reaches over HTTP (Slack, Gmail, Serper, Dune, OpenAI, and similar). Connection is either an OAuth flow or an API-key entry page.
  • Federated MCP services — services that speak the MCP protocol themselves (Linear and Granola are current examples). Connection establishes a federation link rather than storing a token directly.
The connection flow is the same for both from the user’s perspective. The difference matters when you call the service: HTTP providers go through call_api, federated MCP services go through call_mcp.

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Connect a Service via the Dashboard

The dashboard is the canonical path. It shows every service available to your account and the connection state for each.
  1. Open https://www.lava.so/dashboard/wallet/connected-services.
  2. Find the service in the list. Services with a “Connect” button are not yet connected.
  3. Click “Connect”. The dashboard opens the service’s auth flow — OAuth consent screen, an API-key entry form, or a federation handshake, depending on the service.
  4. Complete the auth flow. The dashboard returns you to the connected-services list.
Expected result. The service shows “Connected” with a timestamp.

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Connect a Service from Your Chat

You can also connect from inside the chat. This is useful when you’re already in a conversation and don’t want to leave. In your chat, type: 
Connect Slack to Lava.
The chat calls connect_service with the service ID. Lava returns an authorization URL: 
{
  "url": "https://www.lava.so/auth/connect/slack?session=...",
  "expires_in": 600
}
Open the URL within ten minutes (the session expires). Complete the auth flow in the browser. Return to your chat. For multi-tenant services (currently Canvas), include the tenant hostname: 
Connect canvas:canvas.yale.edu to Lava.
Expected result. The chat can now use the service. Run a tool that needs it — for Slack, ask the chat to list your channels: 
List my Slack channels.

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Verify a Connection

To confirm a service is connected, ask your chat to list keys: 
What services do I have connected?
The chat calls list_keys. Connected services appear in the response: 
{
  "data": [
    { "service": "slack", "connected_at": "2026-04-29T15:00:00Z" },
    { "service": "serper", "connected_at": "2026-04-28T10:00:00Z" }
  ]
}
Services that Lava manages directly (most paid model APIs) don’t appear in list_keys because there’s no user-supplied credential. To check whether a provider needs a personal credential, ask your chat: 
What's the auth status for OpenAI?
The chat calls get_provider_details. The response includes an auth_status field with one of three values:
  • ready — Lava manages the credential. Use the provider directly.
  • user_ready — You’ve connected your own credential. Use the provider directly.
  • setup_required — You need to call connect_service first.

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Disconnect a Service

To remove a stored credential or revoke a federation link: 
Disconnect Slack from Lava.
The chat calls disconnect_service. Lava removes the credential. You can also disconnect from the dashboard at https://www.lava.so/dashboard/wallet/connected-services — click the service and confirm removal. Expected result. list_keys no longer shows the service. Calls to the service return auth_status: setup_required until you reconnect.

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Troubleshooting

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”The chat says the service isn’t connected, but I just connected it”

The chat client caches auth state for the session. After a fresh connection, ask the chat to refresh: 
List my connected services again.
If the service still doesn’t appear, the auth flow may not have completed cleanly. Reconnect via connect_service or the dashboard. Lava requests the minimum scopes each service needs to support the tools the MCP exposes. If a scope feels too broad, cancel the consent flow and check the service’s scope documentation. You can request a narrower scope by contacting the Lava team.

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”Authorization URL expired”

The URL returned from connect_service expires after ten minutes. Call connect_service again to generate a fresh URL.

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”I want to connect a service that isn’t in the catalog”

Ask your chat: 
Request that Lava add Acme as a provider.
The chat calls request_provider. The Lava team triages provider requests and may reach out by email for more context.

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Next Steps