Model Context Protocol (MCP)
The open standard that lets AI assistants plug into tools and data sources — USB-C for the agent era.
In one line
MCP standardises how an AI application discovers and calls external capabilities — so any compliant assistant can use any compliant tool server without custom integration code on either side.
How it works
An MCP server exposes three kinds of things: tools (functions the model may call, with JSON-schema parameters), resources (readable data), and prompts (reusable templates). An MCP client — Claude, an IDE, your own agent — connects over stdio or HTTP, lists what is available, and lets the model invoke tools with structured arguments. The protocol handles discovery, typing, and transport; the security model is yours: authentication, scoping, and rate limits live at the server.
Where it shows up in digital health
EHR vendors and health platforms exposing safe, scoped query tools to AI assistants; clinical-knowledge services answering grounded questions; terminology lookups as callable tools. This platform will ship its own MCP server (roadmap M6) so a user's assistant can search Kosha and query Shabda directly — distribution for the agent era, with citations required and free-tier content only.