MCP Explained: Interactive Guide to Model Context Protocol
Original: MCP Explained
Why This Matters
MCP is fast becoming the standard wiring for agentic AI tool integrations.
mcp-explained.com offers a free, interactive explainer on Anthropic's Model Context Protocol (MCP), breaking down how AI apps connect to external tools and data via JSON-RPC over stdin/stdout or HTTP.
Model Context Protocol (MCP) is an open standard that defines how AI applications — such as Claude, Cursor, or ChatGPT — communicate with external tools and data sources. The site mcp-explained.com, built by Runlayer, walks through the protocol's architecture in plain terms. The setup has three parts: a Host (the AI app), a Server (a small program exposing tools, data, or prompts), and the Model itself, which decides what to call but never speaks to a server directly. Transport is JSON-RPC over stdin/stdout or a single HTTP endpoint — not REST. MCP goes beyond raw JSON-RPC by specifying the methods, capability negotiation, transport options, and auth on top of that envelope. The site includes step-by-step lessons, a live message-flow visualizer, and a reference to the MCP spec dated 2025-11-25. It's aimed at developers building agents or integrations who want a plain-English walkthrough before diving into the official spec.