What is MCP (Model Context Protocol)?
Last updated: · Based on 15,923 rated MCP servers
MCP (Model Context Protocol) is an open standard created by Anthropic in late 2024 that lets AI assistants like Claude connect to external tools, data sources, and services through a unified interface. An MCP server exposes capabilities (file access, database queries, API calls, code execution) that an AI agent can invoke during a conversation. MCP is now supported by Claude Desktop, Cursor, Continue, Cline, and other AI clients. The ecosystem has grown to over 15,923 public MCP servers on GitHub, npm, and PyPI, which is why independent security ratings have become essential.