Anthropic has launched the Model Context Protocol (MCP), an open protocol designed to enable seamless integration between large language model applications and external data sources and tools. MCP supports diverse resources such as file contents, database records, API responses, live system data, screenshots, and logs, identified by unique URIs. It also includes reusable prompt templates, system and API tools, and JSON-RPC 2.0 transports with streaming support. MCP allows servers to request LLM completions through clients with priorities on cost, speed, and intelligence, hinting at an upcoming model router by Anthropic.

Launch partners like Zed, Sourcegraph, and Replit have reviewed MCP favorably, while some developers express skepticism about its provider exclusivity and adoption potential. The protocol emphasizes security, testing, and dynamic tool discovery, with guides and videos available from community members such as Alex Albert and Matt Pocock. This development follows Anthropic's recent $4 billion fundraise from Amazon and aims to advance terminal-level integration for Claude Desktop.