What is Model Context Protocol (MCP)?
Model Context Protocol (MCP) — An open standard that lets AI assistants connect to external tools, data sources, and services through a unified protocol.
What is the Model Context Protocol?
The Model Context Protocol (MCP) is an open standard created by Anthropic that defines how AI assistants communicate with external tools and data sources. It provides a unified way for AI applications to connect to databases, APIs, file systems, and other services without building custom integrations for each one.
Why does MCP exist?
Before MCP, every AI tool had to build its own way to connect to external services. MCP standardizes this connection so that a tool built once can work with any MCP-compatible AI assistant — whether that's Claude Code, Cursor, Windsurf, or another tool.
How is MCP different from function calling?
Function calling defines what an AI can do. MCP defines how the AI connects to the thing that does it. MCP servers are reusable across AI tools, while function calling implementations are typically tool-specific.
Who supports MCP?
MCP is supported by Claude Code, Claude Desktop, Cursor, Windsurf, Cline, and a growing number of AI tools. The ecosystem includes over 21,000 community-built MCP servers covering databases, browsers, APIs, file systems, and more.