What is MCP (Model Context Protocol)?

MCP (Model Context Protocol) is an open standard created by Anthropic that provides a universal way for AI models and applications to connect with external tools, data sources, and APIs. Think of it as USB-C for AI — one standardized protocol instead of custom integrations for every tool.

MCP uses a client-server architecture. An MCP Host (like Claude Desktop or an IDE) contains an MCP Client that connects to MCP Servers. Each server exposes tools, resources, and prompts that the AI model can use. The protocol uses JSON-RPC 2.0 over stdio or HTTP for communication.

What is the difference between MCP and function calling?

Function calling is model-specific and requires you to define tools inline with each API request. MCP is a universal protocol that lets you define tools once in an MCP server and reuse them across any MCP-compatible host. MCP also supports resources (read-only data) and prompt templates, not just tool calls.

MCP was created by Anthropic and released as an open-source standard in November 2024. It is designed to be model-agnostic, meaning any AI model or application can implement the protocol.

What can you build with MCP?

With MCP you can build servers that let AI models interact with databases, file systems, APIs, web browsers, development tools, and more. Examples include a GitHub MCP server for repo management, a Postgres server for database queries, or a Slack server for messaging.

WTF is MCP?

It's USB-C for AI. One protocol that lets any AI app talk to any tool.

Claude Desktop

Cursor IDE

Your App

MCP

GitHub API

Postgres DB

Slack, Files, ...

↓ scroll to see it in action

Build your own

An MCP server is just ~30 lines of code

Here's a weather server. Click each step to see how it comes together.

weather-server.ts

Interactive

Try it: Set up MCP in 3 steps

Pick your app, pick a server, get the config. Copy, paste, done.

1 Pick your AI app

2 Pick an MCP server

3 Add this to your config

The difference

What changes when you plug in MCP?

Pick a server. Flip the switch. See the magic.

MCP Server

exposes

You

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

What is MCP in one sentence?

An open protocol (like HTTP, but for AI-to-tool communication) that lets any AI app connect to any tool through a standard interface.

How is MCP different from function calling?

Function calling is per-request and model-specific. MCP defines tools once in a server, and every MCP-compatible AI app can discover and use them. Plus, MCP adds resources and prompts on top of tool calls.

Is MCP only for Claude?

No. It's an open standard. Claude Desktop, Cursor, Windsurf, Cline, and many others already support it. Any AI app or model can implement MCP.

Who created MCP?

Anthropic released MCP as an open-source standard in November 2024. The spec, SDKs (TypeScript, Python, Java, Kotlin, C#), and reference servers are all on GitHub.

How do I build my own MCP server?

Pick an SDK (TypeScript or Python are most popular), define your tools, and run it. A basic server is under 50 lines. Check modelcontextprotocol.io for quickstart guides.

WTF is MCP?

An MCP server is just ~30 lines of code

Try it: Set up MCP in 3 steps

What changes when you plug in MCP?

Frequently asked questions

Found this helpful?