Agents and automation · Layer 3
MCP (Model Context Protocol)
An open standard for plugging an AI into your software and data, like a universal socket, without custom development for each tool.
A way to picture itA USB port: one format to connect a keyboard, a drive or a printer. But a connected device can read and write: it is up to you which one to plug in, and with what rights.
A customer service team connects its AI assistant to the ticketing tool and the knowledge base through two MCP servers. The assistant can read tickets and suggest a reply, but cannot close a case or grant a goodwill gesture. The ticketing server runs under a dedicated read-only account, separate from the advisers’ accounts. Every tool call is logged with the agent’s name and the request.
Connecting an MCP server opens access to your systems: data minimisation and security require granting only the permissions strictly needed (EU · GDPR, art. 5 and 32). The specification itself asks for the user’s explicit consent before any tool is called, and for tool descriptions from servers that are not trusted to be treated as unreliable (international · MCP specification). A remote server run by a third party that processes your personal data on your behalf is in principle a processor, to be covered by a contract (EU · GDPR, art. 28).
“Which MCP servers does your solution use, who publishes them, under which account and with exactly which permissions does each one act, and how is access revoked?”
Anthropic released the protocol as open source on 25 November 2024 (United States · Anthropic). Since 9 December 2025 it has been housed in the Agentic AI Foundation, part of the Linux Foundation and co-founded by Anthropic, Block and OpenAI (United States · Linux Foundation); ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and Microsoft Copilot, among others, support it.
Yes, like any third-party software. In September 2025, a fake MCP server, published under the name of an email delivery service it had no link with, added a hidden copy of every message to an attacker’s address in its version 1.0.16 (United Kingdom · The Register).
No, it usually builds on them: an MCP server presents a system’s functions as tools an AI can understand. The access rules of those APIs remain your first line of defence.
Educational explainer, not legal advice. Up to date as of 29 October 2026.