MCP in Plain English

MCP stands for Model Context Protocol. It is an open standard, introduced by Anthropic in late 2024, that gives AI assistants a common way to talk to outside tools. Before it, every connection was custom-built for one assistant and one tool. With a shared standard, a tool can build one connection and many assistants can use it.

The usual comparison is a universal charger. You do not need to know how the plug works, only that things which follow the standard fit together. The technical name for the tool’s side of that connection is an MCP server. It is a small live service that tells the assistant what the tool can do, such as search files, read a record, or create an entry, and carries out the request.

You will mostly never see any of this. You click Connect and the assistant handles the rest. But knowing the word helps when you read release notes or shop for tools, because it explains why a tool advertises that it works with several assistants.

One more point worth holding on to: MCP is about the wiring, not the trust. A standard plug tells you it will fit, not that what is on the other end is safe.

Takeaway: MCP is a shared standard that lets assistants plug into tools. It makes connections possible; it does not make them safe.

Tools, prices and features in this area change quickly. Last reviewed September 2026.