Anthropic's MCP Protocol Aims to Standardize How AI Models Call External Tools
Anthropic open-sourced the Model Context Protocol (MCP) in late 2024, designed to create a universal standard for AI models invoking external tools, much like USB-C standardizes device connections. Unlike Function Call, which is a model-level capability where an LLM outputs JSON for the application layer to execute, MCP operates at the protocol layer, defining how tools are discovered, described, invoked, and deregistered independently of any specific model. Built on JSON-RPC 2.0, MCP supports both stdio subprocess communication and HTTP with Server-Sent Events, and enables bidirectional messaging between clients and servers. A project called IHUI-AI demonstrates a practical implementation, acting simultaneously as an MCP client that dynamically loads tool lists from connected servers and as an MCP server exposing its own knowledge base and agent definitions to external clients like Claude Desktop. The protocol's reusability means a single MCP server can be consumed by any compatible client without code changes, positioning it as a foundational layer for future multi-agent communication networks.
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