MCP(7)Protocol ReferenceMCP(7)
NAME
mcp — The Model Context Protocol (MCP) is an open standard for connecting AI assistants to external data sources, tools, and services.
METADATA
VERSION2025-11-05
VENDORAnthropic
TRANSPORTJSON-RPC over stdio/HTTP+SSE
STATUSACTIVE
VERIFIED2026-03-16
LINKS
CONFIG FILES
| Filename | Format |
|---|---|
| .mcp.json | JSON |
| claude_desktop_config.json | JSON |
| mcp.json | JSON |
CAPABILITIES
- Tool execution
- Resource access
- Prompt templates
- Sampling
- Roots
DESCRIPTION
The Model Context Protocol (MCP) is an open standard for connecting AI assistants to external data sources, tools, and services. It provides a universal interface that allows LLM applications to access context from any compatible server, replacing fragmented point-to-point integrations with a single protocol.
IMPLEMENTED BY
Coding tools:
Agent frameworks:
EXAMPLES
.mcp.json
json
{
"mcpServers": {
"filesystem": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem", "/path/to/dir"],
"env": {}
},
"github": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-github"],
"env": {
"GITHUB_TOKEN": "ghp_xxxxxxxxxxxx"
}
}
}
}
claude_desktop_config.json
json
{
"mcpServers": {
"brave-search": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-brave-search"],
"env": {
"BRAVE_API_KEY": "BSA..."
}
}
}
}
mcp.json
json
{
"mcpServers": {
"postgres": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-postgres", "postgresql://localhost/mydb"]
}
}
}
SEE ALSO
Anthropic2026-03-16MCP(7)