MCP Client
An MCP client is an AI assistant or application that connects to MCP servers to discover and use their capabilities. Popular MCP clients include Claude, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, and other AI-powered developer tools.
Explanation
MCP clients are the consumer side of the protocol. When a user asks an AI assistant to perform a task, the client checks its connected MCP servers for relevant capabilities. It discovers available tools, reads resource descriptions, and presents prompt options. The client handles the AI reasoning layer — deciding which tools to call, what parameters to use, and how to present results to the user. Most users interact with MCP through clients they already use: Claude Desktop, Cursor IDE, or other AI-powered tools. The beauty of MCP is that building one server makes your product accessible to all MCP-compatible clients, rather than building separate integrations for each AI provider.
Related Terms
Model Context Protocol (MCP)
Model Context Protocol (MCP) is an open standard that defines how AI assistants connect to external tools, data sources, and services. It provides a structured way for AI models to discover, understand, and use capabilities from any MCP-compatible server.
MCP Server
An MCP server is a service that implements the Model Context Protocol to expose tools, resources, and prompts to AI assistants. It handles connection management, capability negotiation, and request routing between AI clients and your underlying systems.
MCP Transport
MCP transports define how AI clients communicate with MCP servers. The protocol supports two transport types: HTTP (for cloud-deployed servers accessible over the internet) and STDIO (for local servers that communicate through standard input/output).
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