What Is MCP? The Model Context Protocol Explained Simply
MCP, the Model Context Protocol, is an open standard. It lets an AI assistant connect to outside apps and data. Think of it as a USB-C port for AI: one standard plug instead of a custom cable for every app. Once a tool “speaks MCP,” an assistant like Claude or ChatGPT can use it directly.
This page explains MCP in plain words. You need no technical background. By the end, you’ll know what MCP is, why it exists, and why it matters for your flashcards.
What problem does MCP solve?
On their own, AI assistants can only talk. They explain, summarize, and write text well. But they can’t reach into your other apps or see your data.
Think about what a chatbot does by itself. You type a message, and it types back. That’s its whole world. It can’t open your calendar, read a file, or add a flashcard. It has no way to touch anything outside the chat window.
For a long time, the only fix was to build each connection by hand. Want an AI to use your calendar? Someone had to build a calendar connection. Want it to read your files too? That’s another build. Every pair of one AI and one app was its own project. With many assistants and many apps, that meant a lot of repeated work.
What is MCP, in plain terms?
MCP, short for Model Context Protocol, is a shared standard that solves this. It gives AI assistants and outside tools one common “language.” So they no longer need a custom connection for every pair.
The official project calls MCP “like a USB-C port for AI applications.”[1] Before USB-C, every device had its own cable. USB-C replaced that messy drawer of cables with one socket that fits everything. MCP does the same for AI. One standard plug, not a different connection for every app.
A standard doesn’t care what sits on the other end. Once something speaks MCP, an assistant can use it. That could be your files, a calendar, a database, a flashcard app, or even a washing machine. If an app can describe what it does in MCP’s shared language, the assistant can work with it.
What is an MCP server?
An MCP server is a small helper program. It knows how to talk to one specific app on the AI’s behalf.[2] The word “server” sounds scary, but it isn’t a big machine in a data center here. It’s just a small helper.
Picture an interpreter standing between two people who don’t share a language. The AI assistant is on one side, your app is on the other. The MCP server sits in the middle and relays requests and answers, so both sides understand each other.
Here’s the whole idea in one line: AI assistant ⟷ MCP server ⟷ the app.
So the flow works like this:
- You ask your AI assistant to do something, in plain English.
- The assistant sends that request, in MCP’s shared language, to the right MCP server.
- The server translates the request for the app, gets the result, and passes it back.
You don’t see any of this. From your side, it just feels like the assistant can suddenly do new things. There’s an MCP server for files, one for calendars, and one for many other apps. Each one teaches the assistant how to use that single tool.
Why is MCP a big deal?
The payoff is simple: build a connection once, and it works everywhere. Every MCP server and every MCP-aware assistant speaks the same language. So the old web of one-off connections goes away.
Any app that adds MCP support becomes usable by every assistant that speaks MCP, not just one. And any assistant that speaks MCP can use the whole growing library of MCP servers. One piece of work helps both sides.
MCP is an open standard. Anyone can build with it freely, and it isn’t controlled by one company. Anthropic, the company behind the Claude assistant, introduced MCP in November 2024.[3] Since then, many companies have adopted it across their assistants and developer tools.[1][4]
What happens when the app is Anki?
Everything above is general. MCP lets an AI assistant work with files, calendars, databases, and almost anything that speaks the protocol.
But this is a guide about flashcards. So picture pointing all of this at Anki. An MCP server sits between your AI assistant and your decks, and it knows how to talk to your Anki collection. Now the assistant isn’t just describing good study habits. It can create cards, organize decks, and quiz you. How that works, and what it unlocks for your study, is exactly where this guide goes next: How Anki and AI work together.
That connecting piece is exactly what AnkiMCP is: an MCP server that links AI assistants to Anki.[5]
Common questions
Is MCP only for Claude? No. MCP is an open standard, not a Claude-only feature. Many AI assistants and tools support it. Anthropic created MCP, but any company can build with it.
Do I need to be technical to use it? No. MCP and its servers run in the background. You just talk to your AI assistant in plain language, and it handles the rest.
Is an MCP server hard to set up? It depends on the tool. Some setups need technical steps. Tools like AnkiMCP are built to make this easier, so you can skip most of the manual work.
Is MCP safe? MCP itself is just a shared language for connecting apps. You stay in control of which servers you connect and what they can access.
Disclaimer: “Anki” is a registered trademark of Ankitects Pty Ltd. AnkiMCP is an independent, community-built project and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Ankitects. MCP is an open standard originated by Anthropic; AnkiMCP is likewise not affiliated with or endorsed by Anthropic.
Sources and further reading
- Model Context Protocol — What is the Model Context Protocol (MCP)? (official documentation, source of the “USB-C port for AI” analogy and ecosystem support): modelcontextprotocol.io
- Model Context Protocol — Build servers (overview of MCP servers as programs that expose data and tools to AI clients): modelcontextprotocol.io/docs/develop/build-server
- Anthropic (Nov 25, 2024). Introducing the Model Context Protocol: anthropic.com/news/model-context-protocol
- Model Context Protocol — overview and adoption: Wikipedia
- AnkiMCP — Anki MCP server (open-source project): github.com/ankimcp/anki-mcp-server