Model Context Protocol

Also known as: MCP

The Model Context Protocol is an open standard that defines how AI models connect to external tools, data sources, and services through a common JSON-RPC interface. Rather than writing custom integrations for every combination of model and tool, developers implement a single MCP server that any compliant host can consume. Anthropic published the specification and first-party SDKs in late 2024; the protocol quickly gained adoption as a de-facto standard for agentic integrations.