MCP Protocol

Anthropic has open-sourced the MCP protocol , which provides a common and open standard for connecting AI systems with data sources, replacing fragmented integration methods with a single protocol.

As a result, AI systems can access the required data in a simpler and more reliable manner. Through this protocol, developers can interface with multiple data sources via the standardized MCP interface, without the need to write customized code for different data sources. This significantly reduces integration complexity and enhances reliability.

This “plug-and-play” feature enables enterprises to quickly inject business data streams into large model training and inference processes, accelerating knowledge learning and pattern discovery.

Brief Overview of MCP Architecture

• MCP Hosts: Programs like Claude Desktop, IDE, or AI tools that wish to access data through MCP
• MCP Clients: Protocol clients that maintain a one-to-one connection with the server
• MCP Servers: Lightweight programs that provide specific capabilities through the standard Model Context Protocol
• Local Data Sources: Computer files, databases, and services that can be securely accessed by MCP servers
• Remote Services: External systems on the internet that MCP servers can connect to (e.g., via APIs)