Choose the Proper Alexa+ Integration Approach
Alexa+ offers two integration paths. Choose the one that fits your service and infrastructure.
- Category SDK — For partners whose services fit an Alexa+ supported category, such as restaurant reservations, food ordering, ride booking, home services, local booking, or ticketing.
- MCP Toolkit — For partners whose services don't fall under an Alexa+ supported category. Bring an existing MCP server or build a new one from the ground up.
Category SDK
Choose the Category SDK path if your service fits one of the Alexa+ supported categories. This path offers two options:
Category SDK: Action add-on
A category action add-on is for partners with established APIs who need low-latency, structured service-to-service communication. If your organization has invested in developing and maintaining structured APIs, action add-ons offer a direct path for integration. It enables service-to-service communication, making it an efficient choice for partners with strong API infrastructure.
When to choose the category action add-on option:
- You have established API endpoints that can take actions
- You need low-latency responses
- Your service fits a supported Alexa+ category:
Get started:
- Overview
- Create a Category Add-on Using an AI Coding Agent
- Create a Category Add-on Manually with the CLI
Category SDK: MCP add-on
A category MCP add-on is for partners who prefer the MCP approach for a supported category. It uses the MCP standard to plug into pre-built Alexa category flows, reducing the development effort required to reach Alexa+ customers.
When to choose the category MCP add-on option:
- You prefer the MCP standard over Alexa-specific SDKs
- You want a lower-effort path to integration
- Your service fits a supported Alexa+ category:
Get started:
MCP Toolkit
The MCP Toolkit path is for partners whose services don't fall under an Alexa+ supported category. Bring an existing MCP server or build a new one. Alexa+ acts as the MCP client, consuming your MCP tools and resources.
When to choose MCP Toolkit:
- Your service doesn't fit an existing Alexa+ category
- You already have MCP servers built for other AI agents and want to extend to Alexa+
- Your organization supports multiple AI assistants and wants a single integration layer
- You prefer working with the open MCP standard
Key benefits:
- Reuse existing MCP investments across multiple AI services
- Build once with the open MCP standard and deploy across AI solutions
- Alexa+ supports the MCP Apps extension for interactive visual experiences on screen-based devices
- You return standard MCP responses, and Alexa+ handles natural language understanding, response generation, and UI rendering
Considerations:
- Your MCP server must meet a round-trip query response latency of less than 500 ms.
Get started:
Comparison of integration approaches
The following table summarizes the key characteristics of each integration approach.
| Factor | Category SDK: Action | Category SDK: MCP | MCP Toolkit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best for | You have established APIs in a supported category | You prefer MCP for a supported category | Your services don't fit a supported category |
| Supported categories | Restaurant reservation, food ordering, home services, local booking, ticketing | Ride booking | Any service |
| Development effort | Low to moderate: Requires API implementation | Low: Plugs into pre-built category flows | Low: Depends on existing MCP investment |
| Latency | Low | Low | Low |
| Cross-service reuse | Alexa-specific | Alexa-specific | Reusable across AI services |
Related topics
Last updated: Jul 10, 2026
