MCP (Model Context Protocol) is an open-source standard for connecting AI applications to external systems. In other words, MCP servers are programs that expose specific capabilities to AI applications through standardised protocol interfaces.

Notably, MCP is widely used to connect Large Language Models (LLMs) with data and external resources.

The main MCP Server benefits are:

• MCP reduces development time and complexity when building or integrating with an AI application or agent.
• MCP gives AI applications and agents access to an ecosystem of data sources, tools, and apps, enhancing their capabilities and improving the end-user experience.
• MCP enables more capable AI applications and agents to access user data and take actions on the user’s behalf when needed.
• MCP is an open protocol supported across a wide range of clients and servers.

The diagram below shows where the MCP server fits in a multi-agent architecture.