MCPCloud.sh — Product and API reference
Get started

Concepts

MCP, explained

Plain-language answers to the questions everyone evaluating MCP asks — what the protocol is, what a server actually contains, how it differs from the API you already run, and where skills fit.

What is MCP (Model Context Protocol)?MCP (Model Context Protocol) is the open standard that lets AI models discover and use external tools at runtime — and every major AI client speaks it.What is an MCP server?An MCP server exposes typed tools that Claude, ChatGPT, and Cursor call at runtime — what one contains, local vs. remote, and what production takes.MCP vs. API: what’s the difference?APIs serve developers who integrate ahead of time; MCP serves agents that discover tools at runtime — what changes when an API becomes an MCP server.What is an AI skill?An AI skill is a versioned package of instructions and guardrails that teaches an agent to do a job well — competence, where MCP tools give capability.