MCP (Model Context Protocol)

Model Context Protocol (MCP) is an open protocol created by Anthropic that standardizes how AI assistants and agents connect to external data sources, tools, and systems. Think of it as a universal adapter that allows any AI model to work with any external service through a consistent interface.

Before MCP, each AI application had to build custom integrations for every tool and data source. MCP provides a standard way to: discover available tools (what can the AI do?), describe tool capabilities (what parameters does each tool accept?), execute tool calls (run the tool and get results), and manage context (share relevant information with the AI).

MCP architecture includes: MCP servers (expose tools and resources to AI systems), MCP clients (AI applications that consume tools), transport layer (communication protocol between clients and servers), and tool definitions (standardized descriptions of available capabilities).

For AI agent builders, MCP is significant because it creates an ecosystem of reusable tools. Instead of building custom integrations from scratch, builders can connect their agents to pre-built MCP servers for popular services like Asana, Fireflies, GitHub, and more.

On Chipp, Pro Actions use MCP to give AI agents access to external tools. Builders can connect to existing MCP servers or build custom ones, enabling their agents to take actions in any connected system during conversations.