Anthropic has released a new open-source tool to connect AI assistants directly to the information they need to inform their responses or carry out tasks. The new Model Context Protocol (MCP) provides a universal connection to all sorts of data sources, which Anthropic says will improve performance.

Earlier this month, OpenAI started testing a new “Work with Apps” feature that lets the Mac version of ChatGPT directly connect to certain coding apps. Anthropic’s tool, on the other hand, aims to work across all AI systems and data sources.

As noted by Alex Albert, Anthropic’s head of Claude relations, developers currently have to create custom code for each dataset they want their AI model to draw from. With Anthropic’s MCP, Albert says developers can integrate it with their AI tool once and then “connect to data sources anywhere” thanks to a “standard protocol for sharing resources, tools, and prompts.”

Anthropic says coding software like Replit, Codeium, and Souregraph have already started using MCP to build out their AI agents, which can complete tasks on behalf of users. This tool will likely make it easier for other companies and developers to connect an AI system with multiple data sources — something that could become especially helpful as the industry leans into agentic AI.

“Instead of maintaining separate connectors for each data source, developers can now build against a standard protocol,” Anthropic’s announcement says. “As the ecosystem matures, AI systems will maintain context as they move between different tools and datasets, replacing today’s fragmented integrations with a more sustainable architecture.”