The Model Context Protocol (MCP) is a rapidly gaining protocol that allows external tools, services, and data sources to extend Large Language Model (LLM) capabilities. By building a standalone MCP server, developers can expose their smart home control utilities to any existing LLM agents, making the approach more scalable and reusable across multiple LLM apps and agents. This contrasts with function calling, which requires additional abstraction layers for scalability. MCP extends LLM function calling by separating function definitions from LLM applications, allowing tool builders to create standardized interfaces (MCP servers) for their tools and services. The protocol provides a higher level of abstraction than function calling, enabling seamless integration between LLMs and external tools.