What is an MCP connector?
The short answer
MCP, the Model Context Protocol, is an open protocol introduced by Anthropic in November 2024 for connecting AI assistants to tools and data.
An MCP connector is a server that exposes a product's API as tools the assistant can call, so users can work with that product from the chat.
How it works
The connector is a remote server reached over HTTPS using Streamable HTTP. Users sign in with OAuth, so the assistant acts with their own account and permissions.
The assistant sees each tool's name and description and calls tools with the user's permission.
Where it works
Claude, ChatGPT, Grok, Cursor, VS Code with GitHub Copilot, Mistral Le Chat and Perplexity can connect to remote MCP servers, and Microsoft Copilot Studio and Gemini Enterprise can use them too. Plan requirements and setup differ by platform.
Directory listings in Claude, ChatGPT and xAI are reviewed by each platform.
What it takes to build one
- Hosting and a domain for the server
- OAuth sign-in
- A focused set of well-described tools
- Tests in each assistant
- A privacy policy and docs
Toolbridge builds it in 10 business days once API access, hosting and DNS are in.