Think of the Model Context Protocol as a universal remote for AI systems. Instead of every developer building a custom connection between an AI model and an external data source, MCP provides one standardized interface that works across the board. It is, in the words of its early advocates, the USB-C port for AI.

Anthropic introduced MCP on November 25, 2024, as an open-source standard hosted at modelcontextprotocol.io. The core idea is straightforward: give AI models like Claude a secure, consistent way to reach external data, whether that means a calendar, a company database, or a blockchain.

From enterprise software to blockchain wallets

OpenAI, Google Cloud, Databricks, Oracle, and Stripe have all added MCP…