Model Context Protocol

The Model Context Protocol (MCP) is an open standard and open-source framework introduced by Anthropic in November 2024 to standardize the way artificial intelligence (AI) systems like large language models (LLMs) integrate and share data with external tools, systems, and data sources. MCP provides a universal interface for reading files, executing functions, and handling contextual prompts. Following its announcement, the protocol was adopted by major AI providers, including OpenAI and Google DeepMind.

MCP was announced by Anthropic in November 2024 as an open standard for connecting AI assistants to data systems such as content repositories, business management tools, and development environments. It aims to address the challenge of information silos and legacy systems. Before MCP, developers often had to build custom connectors for each data source or tool, resulting in what Anthropic described as an "N×M" data integration problem.

Earlier stop-gap approaches—such as OpenAI's 2023 "function-calling" API and the ChatGPT plug-in framework—solved similar problems but required vendor-specific connectors. MCP re-uses the message-flow ideas of the Language Server Protocol (LSP) and is transported over JSON-RPC 2.0.

In December 2025, Anthropic donated the MCP to the Agentic AI Foundation (AAIF), a directed fund under the Linux Foundation, co-founded by Anthropic, Block and OpenAI, with support from other companies.

The protocol was released with software development kits (SDKs) in programming languages including Python, TypeScript, C# and Java. Anthropic maintains an open-source repository of reference MCP server implementations and SDKs.

MCP defines a standardized framework for integrating AI systems with external data sources and tools. It includes specifications for data ingestion and transformation, contextual metadata tagging, and AI interoperability across different platforms. The protocol also supports bidirectional connections between data sources and AI tools.

MCP enables applications such as querying structured databases with plain language in the field of natural language data access.

The protocol is used in AI-assisted software development tools. Integrated development environments (IDEs), coding platforms such as Replit, and code intelligence tools like Sourcegraph have adopted MCP to grant AI coding assistants real-time access to project context.

In March 2025, OpenAI officially adopted the MCP, after having integrated the standard across its products, including the ChatGPT desktop app.

MCP can be integrated with Microsoft Semantic Kernel, and Azure OpenAI. MCP servers can be deployed to Cloudflare.

The Verge reported that MCP addresses a growing demand for AI agents that are contextually aware and capable of pulling from diverse sources. The protocol's rapid uptake by OpenAI, Google DeepMind, and toolmakers like Zed and Sourcegraph suggests growing consensus around its utility.

In April 2025, security researchers released an analysis that concluded there are multiple outstanding security issues with MCP, including prompt injection, tool permissions that allow for combining tools to exfiltrate data, and lookalike tools that can silently replace trusted ones.

MCP has been likened to OpenAPI, a similar specification that aims to describe APIs.

• Agent2Agent – Open protocol for communication between AI agents

• AI governance – Guidelines and laws to regulate AIPages displaying short descriptions of redirect targets

• Application programming interface – Connection between computers or programsPages displaying short descriptions of redirect targets

• LangChain – Language model application development framework

• Machine learning – Study of algorithms that improve automatically through experience

• Software agent – Computer program acting for a user

• Hou, Xinyi; Zhao, Yanjie; Wang, Shenao; Wang, Haoyu (2025). "Model Context Protocol (MCP): Landscape, Security Threats, and Future Research Directions". arXiv:2503.23278 [cs.CR].

• Edwards, Benj (April 1, 2025). "MCP: The new "USB-C for AI" that's bringing fierce rivals together". Ars Technica.

• Jackson, Fiona (March 28, 2025). "OpenAI Agents Now Support Rival Anthropic's Protocol, Making Data Access 'Simpler, More Reliable'". TechRepublic.

• Official website

• modelcontextprotocol on GitHub