What is MCP?

On its own, an AI assistant can only talk. It can't open your files, read your database, search the web, or post to Slack — because it has no standard way to reach those systems. Every integration used to be bespoke: custom code, custom auth, custom glue, rebuilt for each tool and each assistant.

MCP is a shared language between AI clients (like Claude) and the outside world. Instead of one-off integrations, a tool is wrapped once as an MCP server that speaks the protocol — and then any MCP-compatible assistant can use it. Write it once, use it everywhere.

An MCP server exposes three kinds of things to the assistant:

• Tools — actions the AI can take: write a file, run a query, open a pull request, send a message.
• Resources — data the AI can read: documents, rows, logs, API responses.
• Prompts — reusable templates that package a task the server is good at.

Connect a GitHub server and your assistant can manage issues and PRs. Connect a Postgres server and it can answer questions straight from your database. Each server adds a new set of abilities.

Most servers ship as a regular package, so installing is usually a single command — for example:

You then point your MCP client (Claude Desktop, an IDE extension, or your own app) at that command in its config, and the server is available the next time the assistant runs.

There are thousands of MCP servers and no easy way to tell which are maintained, trustworthy, or right for your task. MCPStore tracks every server from the official registry in one place and adds the signals you need to choose:

• • Real GitHub stars, language, and last-commit activity.
• • Community ratings and reviews.
• • A clear Official / Verified trust signal.
• • The exact install command, ready to copy.