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What is MCP? #
MCP stands for Model Context Protocol. It is an open standard. Anthropic released it in late 2024.
MCP lets an AI agent connect to outside tools, databases, and services. It uses one common language to do this. Think of it like a USB port. Any MCP tool can plug into any MCP-ready AI assistant. The AI does not need custom code for every new tool.
This is very useful. **But it also creates risk. **MCP does not build in security on its own. The protocol only defines how a model finds a tool and calls it. It does not decide who can use the tool. It does not decide what the tool can touch. Every company must add that protection itself.
This guide explains how to do that. It covers ten popular MCP tools. Five are built for large enterprises. Five are built for developers and testers. It also covers general rules that apply to all of them.
How MCP works #
MCP has three main parts. Each part plays a different role.
Host application. This is where the AI…