What is the Model Context Protocol (MCP)?

Q: What is the Model Context Protocol (MCP)?

MCP is an open standard from Anthropic that lets AI assistants like Claude, Cursor, and VS Code connect to external tools through one shared interface.

The Model Context Protocol (MCP) is an open standard, introduced by Anthropic in late 2024, that lets AI assistants connect to external tools, data, and workflows through one shared interface. It works like a universal plug: once a platform exposes an MCP endpoint, any MCP-compatible client (Claude, Cursor, VS Code, GitHub Copilot, ChatGPT, Windsurf, and others) can read from it without a custom integration.