Glossary
Model Context Protocol
An open standard for connecting AI applications to outside tools and data sources.
The Model Context Protocol (MCP) is a technical standard that describes how an AI application can connect to external tools and data, such as a file system, a database, a calendar, or a scientific software package. A program that offers tools this way is called an MCP server.
Anthropic introduced MCP in 2024 as an open standard, and other AI companies and developers have since adopted it. It matters because it makes it easier to give AI agents access to many systems without writing a custom connection for each.
Easier access also widens what an agent can do with a mistake or a manipulated instruction. Security depends on which servers are connected and what permissions they grant.