What is MCP?
Before MCP, every AI client needed a custom integration for every app. MCP defines a common shape, so a client that speaks the protocol can use any server that implements it, with the same permission model.
What matters here
- A shared protocol between AI clients and apps
- Exposes tools, resources and prompts
- Runs over a local process or HTTP
- Authorized by a token or an OAuth flow
- Keeps the client from hardcoding each app
What a server exposes
A server publishes a list of tools with descriptions and parameters. The client shows those to the model, which can then call them. From the user's side it looks like the assistant suddenly knows how to search your tasks.
Why a standard helps
Without one, connecting four clients to five apps means twenty integrations. With one, each side implements the protocol once. The practical benefit is that small apps can be reachable from the editor or chat client you already use.
Permissions still apply
A protocol is not a security model by itself. Access should be scoped to a token or an approved connection, revocable, and limited to what the tool actually needs. Read access and delete access should not arrive together by default.
Frequently asked questions
Keep reading
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- Prysm Note for interview prepInterview preparation that compounds: a note per company, stories you reuse, and a short list of questions you always ask.
Turn talk into a plan
Capture a thought in plain language and let Prysm Note shape it into tasks and a timeline.
Disclaimer
This page is general information, not professional, legal, financial or medical advice. It describes common ways of working and how Prysm Note approaches them. Software changes over time, so details may differ from what you see in the product. Any product, company or brand names that appear are the property of their respective owners and are used only for identification. We do not claim any endorsement or affiliation. Where we compare approaches, we aim to describe each one honestly, including where a different approach may suit you better. Try the tools that matter to you and judge for yourself.