Model Context Protocol
An open protocol for connecting AI assistants to external tools, data sources, and systems in a standardized way.
Model Context Protocol (MCP), introduced by Anthropic in 2024, is an open standard for connecting LLMs to external tools and data. Instead of each AI app building custom integrations, MCP provides a common interface any AI client can use.
An MCP server exposes resources (data), tools (functions), and prompts (templates). AI clients like Claude Desktop or Cursor can connect to any MCP server and gain new capabilities instantly.
The protocol is open source and vendor-neutral, with implementations appearing across databases, file systems, cloud services, and productivity tools. It's quickly becoming the standard for AI-tool connectivity.