MCP

[ em-see-PEE ]noun

Model Context Protocol: an agreed way to plug an AI into outside tools and data.

Explanation

Anthropic put it out in late 2024 and it became the standard plug. A tool that does not speak it is effectively off the grid.

Related words

• tool use — An AI actually doing something — running a command, reading a file, sending a request — instead of only writing about it.
• prompt injection — An attack where something the AI reads — a web page, a file, a comment, a support ticket — contains instructions, and the AI just does what they say.