What it is
Anthropic's open standard for connecting AI models to external data sources and tools. Think of it as a universal adapter for AI.
Why it matters
AI models are smart but blind - they can't see your files, databases, or tools unless you connect them. MCP standardizes how that connection works, so you build once and it works across different AI systems.
MCP vs A2A
Connects AI to tools and data
Connects AI agents to each other
Related terms
A2A (Agent-to-Agent Protocol)
Google's open protocol that allows AI agents from different vendors to communicate and collaborate with each other.
AI Agent
An autonomous AI system that can perceive its environment, make decisions, and take actions to achieve specific goals - without constant human direction.
RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation)
A technique that makes AI smarter by fetching relevant information from your data before generating a response. The AI "looks it up" instead of guessing.