What is MCP?
In short:MCP, the Model Context Protocol, is an open protocol for connecting AI applications to tools and data. An MCP client inside the agent talks to MCP servers that expose tools. It has become the common plug between agents and business systems, which is why identity matters here.
How does it work?
The client lists a server's tools, then calls them with arguments. The 2026-07-28 specification made the core stateless.
What does it look like in practice?
A coding agent uses an MCP server to read tickets from the issue tracker.