What is an MCP server?+
An MCP server exposes tools, resources, and prompts to any LLM client that speaks the Model Context Protocol — a JSON-RPC 2.0 standard created by Anthropic. It's like an API adapter for AI agents.
Which MCP servers are most popular?+
The most widely used MCP servers connect to databases (PostgreSQL, SQLite), code tools (filesystem, GitHub), web browsers (Playwright), and productivity apps (Notion, Slack, Google Drive).
Is MCP only for Claude?+
No. While Anthropic created MCP, the protocol is open and model-agnostic. OpenAI, Google, and many IDE tools (Cursor, Zed, VS Code) now support MCP clients.
How do I build an MCP server?+
Use the official TypeScript or Python SDK. You define tools (functions the LLM can call), resources (data the LLM can read), and prompts (reusable templates). Deployment can be local stdio or remote HTTP/SSE.