How to Use the Alation MCP in OpenAI Agents SDK

Q: How does the OpenAI Agents SDK find data sources in Alation?

Your agent calls the listdatasources tool from this MCP server. It gets back a clean list of all connected sources in your catalog, which it can then use to explore schemas and tables.

Q: What's the best way to handle query results from Alation in an OpenAI agent?

The getqueryresults tool returns cached results directly to your agent. From there, your agent can process the data, summarize it for a user, or hand it off to another specialized agent for deeper analysis.

Build production agents that safely query your Alation catalog. The OpenAI Agents SDK gives you guardrails and full tracing for every operation.

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Connect Alation MCP to OpenAI Agents SDK

Create your Vinkius account to connect Alation to OpenAI Agents SDK and route execution through our secure gateway. The platform manages server hosting, runtime updates, and security layers. Configuration requires no manual server provisioning.

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Setup Alation with OpenAI Agents SDK

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Instantly Find Your Data Assets

Your agent can now map out your entire data catalog on its own. It uses tools like `search_catalog` to find specific assets, or `list_data_sources`, `list_schemas`, and `list_tables` to systematically explore what's available. This isn't just about search; it's about giving your agent situational awareness. Because the OpenAI Agents SDK auto-discovers these tools, there's zero setup. You can build agents that specialize. For instance, one agent could find a dataset using `search_catalog`, then hand off to another agent to inspect its structure with `list_columns`. It's a simple way to build more complex workflows.

Audit Metadata with your OpenAI Agent

Turn your agent into a data governance assistant. It can pull the complete details for any table, report, or query with `get_object_metadata`. Need to check for specific compliance tags? Your agent can use `list_custom_fields` to find them and report back. The built-in guardrails of the OpenAI SDK are what make this practical. You can let an agent audit your catalog, knowing it can't accidentally take a destructive action. Every call your agent makes to this Alation MCP Server is logged in your OpenAI dashboard, giving you a complete audit trail.

Trace Data Lineage and Past Queries

Your agent can now answer the question, "Where did this data come from?" The `get_lineage` tool lets it trace a data asset's origin, dependencies, and downstream impact. It can also check on previous work by using `list_saved_queries` and `get_query_results` to see what's already been run. This is essential for building production-ready systems. Imagine an agent that detects an anomaly in a report. This Alation MCP Server gives it the tools to autonomously trace the problem back to the source table or a faulty query, logging each step of its investigation for a human to review later.

Setup guide

Set up Alation MCP in OpenAI Agents SDK

Prerequisites

Python 3.10+ installed
openai-agents package (pip install openai-agents)
Active Vinkius subscription with a valid endpoint token

1

Install the SDK

Run pip install openai-agents to install the OpenAI Agents SDK. The MCP integration is built-in — no extra dependencies needed.
2

Connect via SSE transport

Use MCPServerSse with your Vinkius endpoint URL. Replace [YOUR_TOKEN_HERE] with your token from cloud.vinkius.com. The SDK auto-discovers all Alation tools at runtime.
3

Create your Agent

Pass the MCP to Agent(mcp_servers=[server]). The agent receives Alation tools as native definitions — JSON schemas resolve automatically.
4

Run the agent

Call Runner.run(agent, prompt) to execute. The agent invokes the appropriate Alation tools and returns structured results. Copy the full example on the right to get started.

agent.py

import asyncio
from agents import Agent, Runner
from agents.mcp import MCPServerSse

async def main():
    async with MCPServerSse(
        url="https://edge.vinkius.com/[YOUR_TOKEN_HERE]/mcp"
    ) as server:
        agent = Agent(
            name="Alation Agent",
            instructions="You have access to Alation tools.",
            mcp_servers=[server],
        )
        result = await Runner.run(agent, "List recent transactions")
        print(result.final_output)

asyncio.run(main())

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Common questions about Alation MCP in OpenAI Agents SDK

Your agent calls the `list_data_sources` tool from this MCP server. It gets back a clean list of all connected sources in your catalog, which it can then use to explore schemas and tables.

Yes. While the SDK auto-discovers all tools by default, you can configure the agent to only use a specific subset. This is a good practice for production agents that have a narrow, well-defined job.

The `get_query_results` tool returns cached results directly to your agent. From there, your agent can process the data, summarize it for a user, or hand it off to another specialized agent for deeper analysis.

You don't write any API client code. You point the OpenAI agent at the Vinkius endpoint, and it discovers and uses all 10 Alation tools. This MCP server saves you from dealing with authentication, API docs, and maintenance.

The server only handles Alation metadata and cached query results. It never touches the underlying data in your databases. Vinkius runs each server in an ephemeral sandbox, so your credentials and the metadata are isolated and not stored after the request.

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