What is MCP?
MCP is a standard for connecting AI agents to tools. One protocol. Many tools behind it.
MCP stands for Model Context Protocol. It is a shared way for an agent runtime to discover tools, call them, and read results. Think of it as a plug shape for agent tools.
Without a shared protocol, every tool needs a custom client. With MCP, the agent speaks one language. The tools on the other side can still be different products.
One protocol surface. Many tools behind it.
What MCP is not
MCP is not a model. It is not a prompt template. It is not a hosted app by itself. It is the wire format and lifecycle for tool use.
Why teams care
Agents need secrets, mail, search, storage, databases, research, and writing. Each used to ship as a one-off integration. MCP lets you keep one client and grow the tool list.