Mag / AI
MCP explained: giving AI assistants safe access to your data
The Model Context Protocol lets assistants like Claude talk to your systems through one standard door. What it is and why it matters.
Every useful assistant eventually needs your data: your CRM, your product catalog, your support history. Until recently each connection was a custom integration. The Model Context Protocol (MCP) turns that into a standard.
What an MCP server is
An MCP server is a small service that exposes tools and data to AI assistants in a format they all understand. You build it once, and any MCP-compatible assistant can use it: Claude, IDE agents, and a growing list of others.
Why it is safer than pasting data into a chat
The server decides exactly what the assistant may see and do. A read-only tool for order status is a very different risk from full database access. Scopes, authentication and audit logs live in the server, under your control.
What we usually build
Typical first servers expose a product catalog, order lookup, or an internal knowledge base. Most take one to two weeks, including tests that confirm the assistant cannot reach anything it should not.
