MCP — Model Context Protocol
Model Context Protocol (MCP) is an open standard that lets Claude connect to external tools and data sources in a consistent, permission-controlled way. It powers everything from filesystem access to database queries to custom business integrations.
In This Section
What is MCP
Protocol overview — why MCP exists, what problem it solves, and how it differs from raw function calling.
MCP Architecture
Hosts, clients, servers, and transports (stdio and SSE) — how the protocol layers fit together.
Using MCP with Claude Desktop
Connecting MCP servers in the Claude.ai desktop app — config file, adding servers, and testing connections.
Using MCP with Claude Code
MCP in the Claude Code CLI — adding, enabling, and managing servers in your project config.
Popular MCP Servers
Filesystem, GitHub, Postgres, Brave Search, Puppeteer, Slack — the most useful ready-to-use servers.
Building a Custom MCP Server
SDK walkthrough — expose any tool or data source to Claude by writing your own MCP server.