Agentic Development · Interoperability
An open standard (introduced by Anthropic) that defines a common interface for connecting LLMs to external tools and data sources, so any compliant tool can plug into any compliant agent without custom integration code.
Example: A developer writes one MCP server for their database. Any MCP-compatible agent — regardless of vendor — can now query that database without bespoke wiring.
In practice: MCP is analogous to USB for agents: a universal connector. It's gaining adoption across the ecosystem and significantly reduces the glue code needed to give agents access to external systems.
Debated: MCP is relatively new (2024) and the ecosystem is still maturing. Some teams prefer vendor-specific SDKs for tighter integration and more predictable behavior.