Model Context Protocol (MCP) is an open protocol dedicated to standardizing the way applications provide context to large language models (LLMs).
You can think of MCP as the "USB-C interface" in the AI field: just as USB-C allows you to connect different devices with a unified standard, MCP enables AI models to connect to different data sources and tools with a unified standard, thus completing complex tasks more efficiently.
What are the advantages of MCP?
MCP makes collaboration between your application and LLM models simpler and more efficient. It can provide:
📦 A rich set of pre-built integration toolscan be directly used by LLMs; 🔄 high flexibility，supports seamless switching between different LLM providers; 🔒 security best practices，ensuring that data always remains securely within your infrastructure.
Overview of MCP Architecture
MCP adopts a classicclient-serverarchitecture, allowing one host application to connect to multiple servers simultaneously:
MCP Host：Like Claude desktop version, various IDEs or AI tools, they need to access data through the MCP protocol. MCP client：Protocol client, establishing a one-to-one connection with the server. MCP server：A lightweight service that provides specific functions to clients via a standardized protocol. Local data source: For example, your computer's file system, database, or other local tools. External data source: For example, Internet services, remote APIs, etc.
Claude Desktop App MCP Trial
Claude Desktop is now available with support forModel Context Protocol (MCP)the feature of connecting different data sources to AI models, which significantly enhances Claude's capabilities.
Example
🌟 Official Reference Server
Below are some official reference server implementations that demonstrate the core capabilities of the MCP function:
AWS KB Retrieval：AWS knowledge base search. Brave Search：Web or local search using Brave Search API. Google Drive：Direct access and search of Google Drive files. Google Maps：Location services, route planning, and place details. PostgreSQL：Read-only database access and querying. Memory：A persistence memory system based on knowledge graphs. Filesystem：Connect to the local file system to implement file read/write operations.
Officially integrated service selection.
These services are maintained by the official platform and are suitable for production environments. For example:
21st.dev MagicGenerate high-quality UI components. Apex Fintech：Rapid detection of complex threats in the financial sector. Grafana：Dashboard queries and data analysis. JetBrains：Connect to JetBrains IDE development environment. Milvus：Vector database search and analysis. Oxylabs：Website crawling and data extraction. Stripe：Interact with payments, transactions, subscription management, etc.
🌟 Community-developed servers
In addition to the official servers provided, the community has also developed a large number of excellent third-party MCP servers:
Able to interact with databases： BigQuery, PostgreSQL, MongoDB, ClickHouse, MSSQL, MySQL, etc. Blockchain services： GOAT (supports over 200 on-chain operations), Bankless Onchain, Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM), etc. Productivity Tools： Anki (flashcard management), Notion, OneNote, Todoist, Monday.com, Notion, Todoist, etc. Programming and automation： Docker, Kubernetes, GitLab, GitHub, etc. AI data analysis and generation： EduBase (educational platform), Chronulus AI (predictive tool), Chroma (vector database), etc. Office and communication tools： ClaudePost (email management), mac-messages-mcp (iMessage management), LINE, Discord, Todoist, Notion, etc.