What Is MCP? Model Context Protocol Explained Simply
· via Spacelift
Summary: MCP became the default way to give agents tools, and the mental model is small: hosts, clients and servers exposing tools, resources and prompts. It complements APIs by standardizing how a model discovers and calls capabilities. A working server takes an afternoon, so build one before forming an opinion about the protocol.
Who should read it: engineers wiring agents to real systems, and anyone who keeps hearing MCP in meetings and wants the plain version.