Lesson 2 of 7
One port for every tool
6 min read
If every assistant needs its own special wiring to every app, you'd need hundreds of custom connectors. Someone had to untangle that. How?
A cable for every pair
Early on, connecting an AI app to a tool meant building a custom hookup for that exact pair — this assistant to that calendar, then again for the next assistant, and the next tool. Three apps and three tools already means nine separate connectors. Add one more of either and the tangle grows fast.
Without a standard, every new app-and-tool pair is another connector to build and maintain. The mess grows with every addition.
MCP: one shared port
MCP — the Model Context Protocol — is one shared standard for connecting AI to tools. Instead of a bespoke cable per pair, every app speaks MCP and every tool offers an MCP port. Build it once, and it plugs into everything — the same way one USB-C port fits your charger, your drive, and your screen.
MCP turns a tangle of one-off connectors into a single common port. Build to the standard once; connect to anything that speaks it.
You don't have to wire this up yourself. Apps like ChatGPT and Claude speak MCP for you — you just switch a tool on. The standard is what lets any of them connect the same way.
The shape of it
- —Without a standard, every app-and-tool pair needs its own custom connector.
- —MCP is one shared standard, so each side builds to it just once.
- —Any tool that speaks MCP plugs into any app that speaks it — like USB-C.
A new note-taking app wants to work with every AI assistant out there. With MCP, how many connectors does it build?
Continue in the app
Take the whole Agents & Tools course — tracked
Get your personalized path, progress and streaks in the app — this lesson and every next one, in order.