Most Giraffe MCP connection problems come from the MCP app closing, the browser blocking the link, or the wrong project being active. Ask your AI assistant "Is Giraffe connected?" first. It reports what's connected and the next step. The MCP app panel in Giraffe also shows a status line under Connect that names most problems. Each assistant's setup article covers problems specific to that assistant.

The MCP app panel shows who you're signed in as, the connection status, and the project and workspace it's in. A message under the Connect button tells you what to fix.

The Giraffe MCP only works inside a saved Giraffe project. Scratchpad has no saved project, so the MCP app can't connect there. The panel shows a message like "Giraffe did not tell this panel which project it is in" or "The host named no active project."

The Giraffe MCP works only in Giraffe v6, in a workspace where the MCP app is turned on. If the panel says "The relay does not recognise this panel as the MCP control app," check both:

The link between your browser and your Giraffe account didn't finish. Click Connect in the MCP app again. When linking works, the panel says "This browser is linked." It also says to add the connector in claude.ai. Follow the setup steps for the AI assistant you use instead, whichever one that is.

The MCP app connects to mcp-relay.giraffe.build and mcp-control.giraffe.build. If something blocks those addresses, the panel says "Could not open a connection to the relay" or "The app panel could not reach the MCP service." The panel keeps trying on its own.

Browser extensions are the most common cause. To check, open your project in an Incognito or private window, which turns extensions off. If the MCP app connects there:

If it still can't connect in a private window, antivirus web scanning, a work proxy, or a VPN may be blocking it. Ask your IT team to allow mcp-relay.giraffe.build and mcp-control.giraffe.build.

The MCP app reconnects on its own after a short drop. The panel says "The connection to the relay dropped. Reconnecting." while it tries. Keep the panel open and wait a few seconds.

If the panel says "Stopped trying after repeated refusals," click Retry in the MCP app.

Your AI assistant works in one Giraffe project at a time. The active project is the one whose browser tab, with the MCP app open, was brought to the front most recently. The panel shows which state this project is in:

Your AI assistant passes on the Giraffe MCP's messages in its own words. Look for these meanings.

The MCP app must stay open in a panel for your AI assistant to reach your Giraffe project. Reloading the page or switching to another app in the same panel closes the MCP app and drops the connection. Your assistant may name the project it last saw.

If the session dropped before a request started, that request didn't run. It's safe to ask again.

Giraffe is connected and no project is the active one yet. Open the MCP app in the project you want your assistant to work in, then click into that browser tab to bring it to the front. If the MCP app is open in more than one project, the tab you brought to the front most recently becomes the active project.

Your AI assistant can only use a Giraffe app's tools while that app is open in a panel of the active project, with its MCP connection switched on. Giraffe shows one app per panel, so opening another app in the MCP app's panel closes the MCP app. Put the MCP app and the app you need in separate panels, then turn on the app's MCP connection.

A Giraffe app's tools disappear when the app closes or its MCP connection is off. If your assistant says a tool is unknown, open the app that offers it in its own panel, turn on its MCP connection, and ask again. If the app is open and connected, it doesn't offer that tool. Ask your assistant "Which Giraffe app tools are available?" to see the full list.

Each Giraffe app runs one request at a time. If your assistant sends a second request to the same app before the first finishes, the Giraffe MCP refuses it before it starts. A refused request didn't run, so it's safe to ask again once the first one finishes. The Giraffe MCP also refuses a request when four others are already waiting for the same app.

Giraffe can turn down a command your AI assistant sends, like a change with values Giraffe can't use. Some commands also fail quietly and create nothing. Your assistant reports both as a rejected or failed change. Check your project, then ask your assistant to read the project again and try a smaller change.

The Giraffe MCP withholds Giraffe commands that reach outside the project your AI assistant is working in. That covers other projects and templates, the shared layer library, the apps your workspace hosts, sharing, and workspace settings. It also withholds credentials and adding content packs. A refusal like this is final. Asking again or finding another route to the same result won't work. Make that change yourself in Giraffe, or continue the task without it. To add a content pack, add it in Giraffe and then ask your assistant to carry on.

Your AI assistant stops waiting on any single Giraffe step after 30 seconds. Large requests, like changing hundreds of geometries at once, can hit this limit. Check your project to see whether the change happened, then ask for the work in smaller steps.

If the connection drops while your AI assistant is changing your Giraffe project, it can't tell whether the change happened. Your assistant won't retry the change on its own. Check your project before you ask it to try again, so the change isn't applied twice.