EN
FR
ES
DE
Open protocol developed by Anthropic enabling AI models to access external data sources in a standardized and secure way.
The Model Context Protocol (MCP) is an open communication protocol created by Anthropic in 2024. It defines a standardized interface allowing language models (LLMs) to access external data and tools securely.
How it works
MCP operates on a client-server model:
- The MCP client is integrated into the AI application (Claude Desktop, ChatGPT, IDE...)
- The MCP server exposes "tools" that the AI can call to retrieve or manipulate data
Each tool is described by a JSON schema specifying its input and output parameters, allowing the AI to use it autonomously.
Benefits of MCP
- Standardization: a single protocol to connect any AI to any data source
- Security: API key authentication, granular permissions, encrypted communications
- Real-time: data is fetched on demand, always up to date
- Interoperability: works with Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini and any compatible client
Use cases
MCP is particularly useful for:
- Connecting business intelligence tools to AI assistants
- Enabling AIs to access internal databases
- Automating complex workflows involving multiple data sources
- Creating specialized AI assistants with access to business data