What Is MCP? Model Context Protocol Explained for 2026 The Model Context Protocol, or MCP, is the closest thing AI has to a universal adapter. Released by Anthropic in November 2024 and now governed by the Linux Foundation as of December 2025, MCP solves a problem that was eating engineering hours across every company building with large language models. Before MCP, connecting an AI assistant to your database, your file system, or your favorite SaaS tool meant writing a custom integration for every model and every tool combination. With MCP, you write one server, and any compliant AI client can use it. This guide walks through what MCP is, how it works under the hood, why it matters in 2026, and how to start using it whether you write code or just want to know what the acronym means.…