What Is the Model Context Protocol (MCP)? A Simple Explanation

The Model Context Protocol (MCP) is an open standard created by Anthropic that defines how AI assistants communicate with external tools and data sources. Think of it as USB for AI: a universal interface that lets any compatible platform use the same skills and tools.

Before MCP, every AI tool had its own way of connecting to external capabilities. A plugin built for ChatGPT wouldn't work in Claude. A Cursor extension wouldn't work in Windsurf.

MCP solves this by creating a single standard that all tools can implement. When a skill is built for MCP, it works everywhere MCP is supported. No rewriting, no porting, no platform-specific code.

This is the same pattern that made USB successful. Before USB, every device had its own connector. USB created one standard, and the entire hardware ecosystem benefited.

Anthropic, the company behind Claude, created and open-sourced the Model Context Protocol. It's not a proprietary standard owned by one company. It's an open specification that anyone can implement.

This matters because it means MCP isn't going away. It has the backing of one of the leading AI companies, and it's been adopted by competitors too: Cursor, Windsurf, GitHub Copilot, Gemini CLI, and others all support MCP.

As of 2026, MCP is supported by 12+ AI platforms:

• Claude Code and Claude Cowork (Anthropic)
• claude.ai (Anthropic web)
• Cursor (AI-first code editor)
• Windsurf (AI coding editor by Codeium)
• Codex (OpenAI)
• Gemini CLI (Google)
• GitHub Copilot
• Kiro (AWS)
• And more being added regularly

When you install a skill from AgentPowers, it works across all of these platforms without any changes.

AgentPowers is built entirely on MCP. When you connect AgentPowers to your AI tool, it runs a local MCP server on your machine. This server acts as a bridge between your AI assistant and the AgentPowers marketplace.

Through this bridge, your AI assistant can:

• Search the marketplace for skills
• View skill details, reviews, and security ratings
• Install skills directly from the conversation
• Complete purchases (for paid skills)
• Check for updates

All of this happens without leaving your AI tool. No browser tabs, no copy-pasting, no switching contexts.

No. You don't need to understand how MCP works to use skills. It's like how you don't need to understand HTTP to browse the web.

You just connect AgentPowers once (one terminal command), and everything else happens automatically through conversation with your AI assistant.