Activate or deactivate a tool

task australia Updated Oct 22, 2026 1 min read ai-gw-activate-tool.md

Raw file servicenow.com

Allow agents to call one MCP server tool through AI Gateway, or block every call to it.

Before you begin

AI Gateway and the server's connection must be on. While either is paused, tools can't be changed.

Role required: sn_ai_governance.ai_steward

Procedure

Open the MCP server record: navigate to Settings > AI Gateway, and on the Overview tab, select the server name, or in AI Control Tower, navigate to Inventory > Assets > MCP servers and select the server name.
Select the AI Gateway tab, and then select the Tools sub-tab.
Select Refresh tools.

If the server's authorization has expired, select Reauthorize first.
Review the tool's Scan status and Threat category.
Turn the tool's Active toggle on or off, and then select Activate or Deactivate in the confirmation dialog.

Result

AI Gateway is set up to block every call to a tool when it's inactive. When a tool is active, agents can call it, and any policies for the tool apply to each call. The tool's status also shows in the Available MCP tools panel on the record's Details tab.

What to do next

If Automatically deactivate vulnerable tools is on, a later scan can change a tool's status. For details, see AI Gateway Tools tab.

Keywords MCP toolsactivate tooldeactivate tool

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---
title: Activate or deactivate a tool
description: Allow agents to call one MCP server tool through AI Gateway, or block every call to it.
locale: en-US
canonical_url: https://www.servicenow.com/docs/r/australia/intelligent-experiences/ai-gw-activate-tool.html
release: australia
topic_type: task
last_updated: "2026-10-22"
reading_time_minutes: 1
keywords: [MCP tools, activate tool, deactivate tool]
breadcrumb: [Govern tools and data, AI Gateway, Configure, AI Control Tower, Establishing AI governance, Enable AI Experiences]
---

# Activate or deactivate a tool

Allow agents to call one MCP server tool through AI Gateway, or block every call to it.

## Before you begin

AI Gateway and the server's connection must be on. While either is paused, tools can't be changed.

Role required: sn\_ai\_governance.ai\_steward

## Procedure

1.  Open the MCP server record: navigate to **Settings** &gt; **AI Gateway**, and on the **Overview** tab, select the server name, or in AI Control Tower, navigate to **Inventory** &gt; **Assets** &gt; **MCP servers** and select the server name.

2.  Select the **AI Gateway** tab, and then select the **Tools** sub-tab.

3.  Select **Refresh tools**.

    If the server's authorization has expired, select **Reauthorize** first.

4.  Review the tool's **Scan status** and **Threat category**.

5.  Turn the tool's **Active** toggle on or off, and then select **Activate** or **Deactivate** in the confirmation dialog.


## Result

AI Gateway is set up to block every call to a tool when it's inactive. When a tool is active, agents can call it, and any policies for the tool apply to each call. The tool's status also shows in the **Available MCP tools** panel on the record's **Details** tab.

## What to do next

If **Automatically deactivate vulnerable tools** is on, a later scan can change a tool's status. For details, see [AI Gateway Tools tab](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ServiceNow/ServiceNowDocs/australia/markdown/australia/intelligent-experiences/ai-gw-tools-tab.md).