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What is MCP (Model Context Protocol)?

MCP (Model Context Protocol) is an open-source standard for connecting AI applications to external systems such as files, databases and tools. An AI app (the host) connects to MCP servers, which expose tools, resources and prompts in one common format, so the same server works with different AI apps. The current protocol version in the docs is 2026-07-28. Read from modelcontextprotocol.io on Oct 27, 2026.

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Evidence: Reported. MCP's definition and architecture are from the official docs at modelcontextprotocol.io read from the sources listed below on 2026-10-27 (America/Chicago). We did not run these products or models for this page; the one MCP framework we ran is FastMCP, tested separately.

Cite this: Agentic Weekly, "What is MCP (Model Context Protocol)?", https://theagenticweekly.com/what-is/model-context-protocol, read Oct 27, 2026.

Method: The definition and architecture are read from the official docs at modelcontextprotocol.io and labelled Reported; the registry entry and server tool list were read from the live registry and our own /mcp endpoint on Oct 27, 2026. We have not tested our server against protocol version 2026-07-28.

Data: server card (mcp.json) · developer docs · answers.json

What MCP is

The docs describe MCP as "an open-source standard for connecting AI applications to external systems" and compare it to a USB-C port for AI: one connector instead of a custom integration per app and per service.

How it works

  • Host: the AI application, such as Claude Code, Claude Desktop or Visual Studio Code. It creates one MCP client per server.
  • Server: a program that provides context to clients. It can run locally (stdio) or remotely (Streamable HTTP).
  • Primitives a server can expose: tools (actions the AI can call), resources (data to read) and prompts (reusable templates).
  • Messages use JSON-RPC 2.0. Clients discover a server's tools with tools/list and call them with tools/call.

For a longer explainer on servers, see what is an MCP server.

An MCP server you can try: ours

Agentic Weekly runs a free, read-only MCP server with the same sourced model and release data as this site. It is listed in the official MCP Registry as com.theagenticweekly/agentic-weekly (status active when we looked on Oct 27, 2026; registry entry). Remote URL: https://theagenticweekly.com/mcp (Streamable HTTP, no key).

  • Tools, from a live tools/list call on Oct 27, 2026: latest_models, get_model, latest_releases and compare_tools, all marked read-only.
  • Protocol versions its server card lists: 2025-06-18, 2025-03-26 and 2024-11-05 (server card). The docs above name 2026-07-28 as current; we have not tested our server against that version.
  • Every fact carries a source URL, an as-of date and a Reported or Tested label, the same as models.json. Setup and examples: developers.

MCP versus a normal API

MCP server versus a regular API
FeatureMCP serverRegular API
Who calls itAn AI application on the model's behalfCode you write
DiscoveryThe client asks the server what tools it offers (tools/list)You read the docs and hard-code calls
InterfaceOne standard protocol across serversDifferent for every service
RelationshipA server can wrap an existing APICan exist without MCP

FAQ

What is MCP (Model Context Protocol)?

An open-source standard for connecting AI applications to external systems. Servers expose tools, resources and prompts, and AI apps (hosts) connect to them through one common protocol (modelcontextprotocol.io, read Oct 27, 2026).

What is the difference between an MCP server and an API?

An API is a service's own interface that code calls directly. An MCP server presents tools to an AI application in a standard, discoverable format, and often wraps an existing API. The two are complementary, not rivals.

Which AI apps support MCP?

The MCP docs list broad client support, including Claude, ChatGPT, Visual Studio Code and Cursor. Check each app's docs for the exact version you use.

Does MCP have different versions?

Yes. The architecture docs we read on Oct 27, 2026 use protocol version 2026-07-28, and mark client-side sampling and logging as deprecated in it.

Does Agentic Weekly have an MCP server?

Yes: a free, read-only server at https://theagenticweekly.com/mcp, listed in the official MCP Registry as com.theagenticweekly/agentic-weekly (active on Oct 27, 2026). It exposes latest_models, get_model, latest_releases and compare_tools. See developers.

Have you tested MCP servers?

We have test logs for several, such as filesystem, git, fetch and Playwright MCP. Each states what was run; none is a ranking.

Sources

Page history

  • : First published. Facts read from the sources listed below on this date.

Markdown version for agents: /what-is/model-context-protocol.md