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.
Explanation
An MCP server sits between your existing services and AI assistants. It translates your API endpoints, database queries, and business logic into MCP primitives that AI models can understand and use. The server handles protocol negotiation (what capabilities are available), transport (HTTP for cloud, STDIO for local), authentication (who can access what), and session management (maintaining state across interactions). Building an MCP server with xmcp involves defining your tools, resources, and prompts as TypeScript functions with type-safe schemas, then deploying the server. The framework handles all protocol-level concerns — you focus on the business logic. A single MCP server can serve multiple AI clients simultaneously, making it an efficient way to AI-enable your entire product surface.
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 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.
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).
xmcp
xmcp is a TypeScript framework for building Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers. It provides type-safe tool definitions, built-in authentication, HTTP and STDIO transport support, and one-command Vercel deployment.
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