Model Context Protocol: How AI Agents Connect to Your Data

The Model Context Protocol (MCP), introduced in late 2024 by Anthropic and open-sourced under the Linux Foundation’s Agentic AI Foundation, addresses the challenge of connecting AI models with external data and tools, thereby transforming isolated language models into connected agents. MCP standardizes AI system interactions via a universal interface, akin to a USB-C, allowing AI applications to connect to any data source or tool without the need for custom code. This protocol eases the transition from traditional "chatbots" to more autonomous "agents" by facilitating reliable access to diverse data contexts. Utilizing a client-server architecture based on JSON-RPC 2.0, MCP supports structured data access, action execution, and workflow standardization through Resources, Tools, and Prompts, while ensuring backward and forward compatibility through capability negotiation. Its implementation reduces the complexity and scale of custom integrations and introduces observability and optimization features through platforms like Opik, which enhance the development and deployment of agentic AI systems across various organizational contexts, including developer tools, enterprise platforms, and consumer applications.