Connecting Data
Goal: Get your information flowing into the workshop.
A connection is where your data enters OpenX - the main line into your workshop; surfaces are where you put it to work. Start with a built-in simulator, connect a live device, or poll a third-party API. You own it: it runs in your tenant, and the data stays yours.
Create a connection
Drag a Connection from the Node Bank onto the canvas and name it ProductData. Click it to
open the Inspector; it sets up its own identity behind the scenes.
From any agent connected over MCP, propose it: the agent calls manage_proposals with a
DataConnection. The proposal lands in your workspace; you accept it in the portal, then deploy.
Ask Azi: "Create a connection called ProductData." She proposes it (Azi uses the same MCP server); review and accept.
Connection types
| Type | Best for | Setup |
|---|---|---|
| Simulator | Getting started, testing | Built in - Simulator |
| API Source | Poll a third-party REST API on a schedule | API Source |
| Live device | Real devices and streams | Live devices |
| Database | An existing store | Database - pull via API Source today |
Pushing data in from your own service or a database isn't a one-click connector yet - see Database for how to do it today and what's coming.
Verify
Live data-flow particles on the connection and incoming events in the Live Stream panel. Each event ("impulse") looks like:
{ "deviceId": "ProductData", "signups": 12, "activeUsers": 318, "timestamp": "2026-06-05T10:30:00Z" }
No data after ~30 seconds? Confirm the source is attached. Watch live data any time from an AI with
tail_telemetry. Stuck? See Can't connect.
Next steps
- Route data to a Surface
- Crystallize a Warm Query