# Model Context Protocol

> The Model Context Protocol (MCP) is an open standard, introduced by Anthropic in 2024, that defines how applications expose tools, data resources, and prompt templates to language-model clients through a common client-server interface.

- Identifier: PTL-0061
- Category: Retrieval & Tool Use
- Canonical URL: https://protologue.com/t/model-context-protocol/
- Also known as: MCP
- Introduced: 2024

## Description

MCP replaces one-off integrations between each model application and each data source with a single protocol, so any compliant client can use any compliant server.

## Related terms

- [Function Calling](https://protologue.com/t/function-calling/)
- [Context Engineering](https://protologue.com/t/context-engineering/)

## Sources

- Anthropic (2024). Introducing the Model Context Protocol. https://www.anthropic.com/news/model-context-protocol
- Model Context Protocol (2025). Model Context Protocol specification. https://modelcontextprotocol.io/

## Cite this entry

Protologue. (2026). Model Context Protocol. In Protologue: A Taxonomy of Prompting and LLM Techniques (v1.0.0, PTL-0061). https://protologue.com/t/model-context-protocol/

License: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)