Model Context Protocol is an open standard developed by Anthropic that defines how AI models connect to external tools, data sources, and services. Before MCP, every AI application required custom integration code for each tool the model needed to use: one integration for a database, another for a file system, another for a web browser. MCP standardizes this interface. Any tool that implements the MCP server specification can be used by any MCP-compatible AI client without custom integration. Think of it as the USB standard for AI. Just as USB lets any device connect to any computer with a standard cable, MCP lets any tool connect to any AI model through a standard protocol. This greatly reduces the engineering effort required to build agentic applications. A developer building an AI assistant can add MCP-compatible tools without writing new integration code for each one. MCP is gaining adoption across the AI industry, with major development tools, databases, and services releasing MCP servers. It is becoming a foundational infrastructure layer for agentic AI systems.
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