# What is MCP (Model Context Protocol)?

> MCP is an open standard that lets AI assistants like Claude and ChatGPT use outside tools and data. What it means for marketers, with examples.
- **Author**: Marxx
- **Published**: 2026-10-24
- **Category**: AI
- **URL**: https://marxx.ai/library-glossary/mcp

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MCP (Model Context Protocol) is an open standard that lets an AI assistant, such as Claude or ChatGPT, connect to outside tools and data. With an MCP connection, you can ask the assistant a question and it fetches live numbers from your ad account instead of guessing.

Anthropic [announced MCP](https://www.anthropic.com/news/model-context-protocol) as an open standard on 25 November 2024. Other AI companies and many software makers have since added support.

## How it works, in plain words

Think of MCP as a plug socket. The AI assistant has the socket. Each tool, such as an ad platform or a reporting app, offers a plug, called an [MCP server](/glossary/mcp-server). Plug it in once and the assistant can use that tool when you ask.

## What marketers use it for

- "Which ad had the lowest cost per purchase last week?" The assistant reads your account and answers with real figures.
- "Summarise what my top three competitors launched this month." It pulls their ads from an ad-intelligence tool.
- "Draft a new ad set with these five ads." Some servers let the assistant prepare changes for you to approve.

## A worked example

Without MCP, you export a CSV from Ads Manager, paste it into a chat and ask for a summary. That takes ten minutes and the data is stale by tomorrow.

With an MCP server for your ad account connected, you type: "Compare last 7 days with the 7 before, by campaign." The assistant fetches both periods and writes the comparison in under a minute.

## What to check before connecting one

- **Read or write?** Can it change your campaigns, or only read them?
- **Approval.** Does every change wait for your yes?
- **Who built it?** Prefer servers from the platform itself or a vendor you already trust.

Marxx runs a hosted MCP server, so Claude and ChatGPT can read your ad account, your competitors' ads and your account audit. See [how it connects](/mcp).

## FAQ

### Is MCP only for developers?

No. Many servers now connect with a link and a login, with no code.

### Is MCP safe?

It is as safe as the server you connect. Give each one the least access it needs and keep write access behind approval.

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