MCP (Model Context Protocol)
The Model Context Protocol (MCP) is an open standard for connecting AI applications to external data, tools, and services through one consistent interface, often described as a USB-C for AI.
Introduced by Anthropic in late 2024 and adopted across the industry, MCP replaces the old pattern where each connection between an AI application and an external tool needed its own custom integration, which did not scale. It standardizes this with a client-server model: tools and data are exposed through MCP servers, and AI applications connect as MCP clients, discovering and calling what they need.
It builds on tool use and function calling, standardizing them so the same integration works across different models and vendors. This makes it easier to build agents that can securely access live data and take action.
Frequently Asked Questions
It is an open standard that lets AI applications connect to external tools, data, and services through one consistent interface, instead of a custom integration for each.