MCP
Model Context Protocol
ELI5 — The Vibe Check
MCP is like USB for AI — a universal standard for connecting AI models to external tools and data. Instead of every AI tool having its own custom integration, MCP provides one protocol that works everywhere. Your AI can read files, query databases, browse the web, control browsers — all through MCP. It's what makes AI assistants actually useful beyond chat.
Real Talk
Model Context Protocol (MCP) is an open standard by Anthropic for connecting AI models to external tools, data sources, and services. It defines a JSON-RPC-based interface for tool discovery, invocation, and resource access. MCP servers expose capabilities that any MCP-compatible client can use, creating an interoperable ecosystem for AI tool use.
When You'll Hear This
"Add an MCP server so Claude can access our database." / "The Playwright MCP lets the AI control browsers for testing."
Related Terms
AI Agent
An AI Agent is an AI system that can think, plan, and act on its own to accomplish a goal.
Claude Code
Claude Code is Anthropic's agentic coding tool that lives in your terminal.
Function Calling
Function Calling is the OpenAI term for what Anthropic calls Tool Use — teaching the AI to call your code functions.
MCP Server
An MCP Server is like a plugin for your AI assistant.
Tool Use
Tool use is when an AI can call external functions, APIs, or programs to do things it can't do alone.