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What is MCP?

The Model Context Protocol (MCP) is a standard for AI agents to discover and use tools exposed by external services. Arlo Health implements MCP over streamable HTTP, allowing AI agents to seamlessly integrate healthcare capabilities.

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Server Information

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The Conversation Model

Arlo’s core primitive is the conversation — a continuous health thread that never “closes.” A conversation runs AI triage, can gate on payment, connects the patient to a licensed clinician for a visit, and then returns to IDLE with its visit history intact. Messaging an idle conversation re-runs triage on the same thread, so continuity of care is the default.
There is no terminal CLOSED or CANCELED status. A finished or canceled request simply leaves the conversation IDLE.

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Tool Categories

Arlo Health exposes these MCP tools:

Authentication

init_signup, check_account_status

Onboarding

start_onboarding, get_user_profile, update_patient_info, accept_terms

Conversations

list_conversations, start_conversation, get_conversation, wait_for_reply, cancel_request, get_visit_notes, update_conversation_region

Messaging

send_message, get_media_url

Prescriptions

get_prescriptions, get_prescription

Health Records

get_health_records, start_flexpa_link, complete_flexpa_import

Care Pricing

search_care_prices, check_network_status

Payments

get_payment_status, create_payment_setup, confirm_provider_connection

Webhooks

register_webhook

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Host-dependent visibility

On hosts with a built-in MCP connector UI (Claude.ai, ChatGPT), authentication and event delivery are handled by the platform, so init_signup, check_account_status, and register_webhook are not advertised there. Those tools exist for agent runtimes that manage their own OAuth and notifications (Claude Code, OpenClaw, custom agents). Some hosts also render Arlo’s interactive widgets (onboarding, live consultation view) alongside tool results — see the individual tool pages for how behavior differs when a widget is visible.

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Service Regions

Care is licensed by where the patient is physically located right now. Conversations require an ISO 3166-2 region code at start (Arlo currently serves California, US-CA), and it can be changed later with update_conversation_region. Unsupported regions are refused with REGION_NOT_SUPPORTED.
Don’t hardcode a region list. start_conversation and update_conversation_region name the regions Arlo serves in their live tool descriptions, and the REGION_NOT_SUPPORTED payload repeats the current list — read them at call time and relay what they say.

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Tool Annotations

Each tool includes MCP annotations that hint at its behavior:

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Read-Only vs Write Tools

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Read-Only Tools

These tools only retrieve data and can be called safely:
  • check_account_status
  • get_user_profile
  • start_onboarding (opens the setup widget; writes happen inside it)
  • list_conversations
  • get_conversation
  • wait_for_reply
  • get_visit_notes
  • get_media_url
  • get_prescriptions
  • get_prescription
  • get_health_records
  • search_care_prices
  • check_network_status
  • get_payment_status

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Write Tools

These tools modify state or trigger actions:
  • init_signup
  • update_patient_info
  • accept_terms
  • start_conversation
  • send_message
  • cancel_request
  • update_conversation_region
  • create_payment_setup
  • confirm_provider_connection
  • register_webhook
  • start_flexpa_link
  • complete_flexpa_import (registers the connection once the user finishes)

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When to Use Arlo Tools

Trigger Arlo tools when users:
  • Describe health symptoms (“I’ve had a headache for 3 days”)
  • Ask about seeing a doctor (“Can I talk to someone about this rash?”)
  • Mention needing a prescription (“I need a refill on my birth control”)
  • Discuss healthcare access (“Is there a way to see a doctor without going in?”)
  • Ask about their own health history or insurance coverage
  • Ask what a service or visit would cost them, or whether a provider is in-network (“How much is an MRI near me?”, “Is One Medical in my network?”)
Do NOT trigger for:
  • Medical emergencies (direct to 911)
  • Mental health crises (direct to crisis lines)
  • Conditions requiring physical examination
  • Controlled substance requests

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Typical Integration Flow

Key behaviors that make this flow work:
  • Fast-ack + resumable waits: start_conversation returns as soon as the conversation exists, and send_message folds the wait in by default. Use wait_for_reply to await what comes next; if it returns stillWaiting, call it again.
  • Read-first gate: send_message refuses unless you’ve seen the latest conversation state (pass lastSeenMessageId, or call get_conversation first).
  • The patient always confirms payment: Arlo never auto-charges. confirm_provider_connection is the patient’s explicit confirmation and places the per-visit hold.

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Error Handling

Common error codes returned by tools:

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Error Recovery

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Authentication Failures

Error: not_authenticated
  • On connector hosts (Claude.ai, ChatGPT): the platform’s connector UI handles re-auth.
  • On agent runtimes: call init_signup for a fresh auth URL, direct the user to it, then poll check_account_status until authenticated: true.

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Payment Issues

Error: payment_hold_failed or a PAYMENT_SETUP_REQUIRED gate
  1. Call get_payment_status to check whether a card is on file
  2. If not: call create_payment_setup and direct the user to the Stripe card-setup URL
  3. Poll get_payment_status until paymentStatus is ACTIVE
  4. Call confirm_provider_connection again to place the per-visit hold

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Conversation Stuck in MATCHING

  1. Call wait_for_reply — it returns the moment a provider joins and is resumable
  2. Inform the user that providers are being matched (typically resolves within minutes)
  3. If the user no longer wants to proceed, cancel_request returns the conversation to IDLE — they can re-engage anytime

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Triage Not Responding

  1. Call wait_for_reply with the conversationId — triage replies arrive on their own schedule
  2. If it returns stillWaiting, call it again to keep waiting
  3. Check get_conversation for an informationNeed checklist you can answer in one batched send_message
For persistent issues, check the Consultation Lifecycle docs to understand valid state transitions and expected behavior at each stage.