Model Context Protocol is a common set of rules that lets AI systems connect to outside tools and information in the same way every time.
Before this kind of standard existed, connecting an AI assistant to a new tool, like a calendar, a database, or a piece of software, usually meant writing custom code for that specific pairing. Every new tool meant another custom connection.
As AI assistants started handling more real tasks instead of just answering questions, that approach became harder to scale.
A shared protocol solves that by giving developers one consistent way to plug tools into an AI system, instead of building a new bridge each time.
