Model Context Protocol (MCP)
An open standard that lets AI assistants connect to external data sources, tools, and systems through a single protocol instead of custom integrations.
What is Model Context Protocol (MCP)?
Model Context Protocol (MCP) is an open standard that lets AI assistants connect to your data sources, tools, and systems through a single protocol.
Instead of building custom integrations for every data source, you install MCP servers that expose your files, databases, APIs, or business tools to AI apps like Claude or agents you're building.
Think of it like USB-C for AI. One protocol, many connections. You can run MCP servers locally (like connecting Claude Desktop to your filesystem) or build them into your products so AI agents can access your APIs, read your docs, or pull data from your systems.
Created by Anthropic and open-sourced in November 2024. Free to use. Growing ecosystem of pre-built servers for GitHub, Slack, Google Drive, Postgres, and more.
Good to Know
How Vibe Coders Use Model Context Protocol (MCP)
Frequently Asked Questions
Your Idea to AI Business In Days
Join Dan, Zehra and 0 others building AI businesses in days with video tutorials and 1 on 1 support.
Related Terms
An open-source AI agent that runs on your computer and actually does things like installing software, sending emails, and managing files.
A unified API that gives you access to 400+ AI models from dozens of providers through a single endpoint and API key.
Elon Musk's AI chatbot built into X (Twitter) that searches the internet in real-time and answers questions other AI assistants won't touch.
An open-source framework that lets you build AI apps by chaining together LLMs, tools, and data sources into reusable workflows.
A technique that lets AI models search your documents or databases before answering, combining real-time data retrieval with text generation.
Join 0 others building with AI