MCP (Model Context Protocol)
An open standard for connecting AI tools to external services. "USB-C for AI."
Why it matters
MCP standardizes AI integrations — any AI tool can connect to any MCP-compatible service.
In practice
We use MCP servers in Claude Code: context7 for docs, Playwright for browser testing, Vercel for deployment.
Related terms
Tool Use
An agent's ability to call external tools: searches, databases, APIs, code execution.
Function Calling (Tool Calling)
The model's ability to trigger external tools: searches, databases, APIs, code execution.
Claude Code
Anthropic's agentic coding tool that runs in the terminal, understands codebases, and executes tasks autonomously.
Agent SDK
A software development kit for building production AI agents (e.g., Claude Agent SDK — the same engine that powers Claude Code).