What it means
MCP defines how an AI application discovers and uses tools offered by other systems. Anthropic introduced it in November 2024, OpenAI and Google DeepMind adopted it in 2025, and in December 2025 it was donated to the Agentic AI Foundation under the Linux Foundation.
The protocol has continued to evolve. The specification dated July 28, 2026 made the core of the protocol stateless, which simplifies hosted servers.
Why it matters for a business
Before MCP, each AI connection was built separately for each app. With a common standard, a connection built once works across many assistants, so investments in connecting your systems are not tied to one AI provider.
A business example
Things to watch
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Treat each server like a new user with access to your systems.
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Check the specification version your tools support.
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Keep sensitive actions behind approval.
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Review servers when their maintainers publish updates.