Level 2 · Power user
MCP: the USB-C of AI
A standard to connect AI to your tools.
Before, every connection between an AI and a tool was built by hand, one by one. MCP (Model Context Protocol) is an open standard, like USB-C: one kind of connector to plug AI into your email, calendar, files or your company's systems.
Each connector defines what the AI can see and what it can do. Reading your calendar is not the same as deleting events or sending email on your behalf.
Try it today
In Claude or ChatGPT, open the connectors or apps section. See what's connected and what permissions each has.
Test yourself
You connect AI to your email. Which permission first?
- Everything, so it's more useful
- Read-only, and send with your approval
- None
See the answer
Read-only, and send with your approval. Start with the least permission that works. Expand once you trust how it works.
If you lead a team
Each connector is a door into a system. Security must know which are open, with what permissions and who approved them.