Model Context Protocol: the open standard to connect LLMs and data
In one sentence On November 25, 2024 Anthropic open-sources the Model Context Protocol (MCP), a JSON-RPC-based standard for connecting AI assistants to external data and tools without a custom integration for every source.
Anthropic publishes MCP, an open protocol that lets an AI assistant talk to external data and tools: project files, databases, repositories, services like Slack or Google Drive.
Before, every connection between an assistant and a data source had to be custom-built. With MCP you write a "server" once that exposes data and functions, and any compatible application can use it.
The comparison often used is a universal port: a single standard way to connect AI to the systems where data lives.
Companies
Anthropic
Tools
Claude Desktop, MCP
Tags
Sources