What is an MCP server?
MCP server
An MCP (Model Context Protocol) server lets AI apps such as ChatGPT or Claude read and act on data in other software.
MCP in plain words
MCP, short for Model Context Protocol, is an open standard for connecting AI apps to other software. Its official site compares it to a USB-C port: one standard way to connect many devices. An MCP server is the plug on the software's side.
The server tells AI apps such as ChatGPT or Claude what data they can read and what actions they can take.
Anthropic, the company behind Claude, released MCP as an open standard on 25 November 2024. In December 2025 it donated MCP to the Agentic AI Foundation, which Anthropic, Block and OpenAI co-founded under the Linux Foundation. Anthropic says ChatGPT, Gemini, Microsoft Copilot, Cursor and Visual Studio Code have adopted MCP.
How it works with your business software
An MCP server lets you ask your business software questions through the AI app you already use. Take a question a sales head might ask: which website leads from last week have no next step? The AI app asks your CRM's MCP server, gets live records back and writes the answer.
Under the standard, a server can offer three kinds of things:
- Tools: actions the AI app can run, such as finding deals or creating a task.
- Resources: data for the person or the AI app to use, such as a contact record.
- Prompts: ready-made instructions for common jobs, such as a weekly pipeline review.
MCP server vs API
An API is built for developers, while an MCP server is built for AI apps. Developers write code against an API, usually one integration at a time. An MCP server presents data and actions in one standard way, so any AI app that supports MCP can use them.
Anthropic described this as replacing "fragmented integrations with a single protocol". Connecting one is a settings task. In Claude, you add a custom connector with a name and the server's web address, then sign in.
What to check before you connect one
An MCP server can let an AI app read customer data and change records, so check five things first.
Who built it
Connect only servers built by the software maker or another company you trust. Claude's help centre and OpenAI's developer docs both give this advice. OpenAI's docs also note that any MCP server may receive sensitive data as part of a query.
Claude's help centre adds that malicious servers may hide instructions meant to make the AI act in ways you did not intend.
What it can see and change
Check what the server can read and what it can change. When you connect, review the permissions it asks for and grant only what the job needs. Claude's help centre notes that Claude can only reach what you have given the server permission to access.
Also ask whether the server follows the user roles in your software, so each person's AI app sees only what that person can see.
Approvals
Changes should wait for a person's yes. The MCP specification's safety principles say apps must get the user's explicit consent before running any tool. The protocol cannot enforce this itself, so it is up to the AI app and the server.
OpenAI's docs say ChatGPT currently asks for manual confirmation before write actions. In Claude, choose "Allow always" only for servers and tools you trust to run unsupervised. Anything sent to a customer should be a draft you approve word for word.
Activity log
Every action taken through an AI app should be recorded: what changed, when, by whom and through which app. A log lets you check the AI's work.
Customer data
Records the AI app reads are passed to that app, so check the AI provider's data terms. In India, ask your adviser how the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 applies before an AI app reads customer data.
How Superlane's connector works
Superlane's connector for ChatGPT and Claude is an MCP server, rolling out to workspaces in stages. Once connected, ChatGPT or Claude reads live data from your Superlane workspace, not an old export.
Small changes happen in one step, and bigger changes need your confirmation in the AI app. A message to a customer is sent only after a person approves the exact draft inside Superlane. Actions taken through AI apps are recorded in Superlane's audit log. See how it works with ChatGPT and Claude.
Superlane is opening through a waitlist, starting in Jaipur. Every new business gets a 14-day free trial, starting when its workspace is ready. Join the waitlist for early access.
Sources
- What is the Model Context Protocol (MCP)?, Model Context Protocol
- Specification, version 2026-07-28, Model Context Protocol
- Introducing the Model Context Protocol, Anthropic, 25 November 2024
- Donating MCP to the Agentic AI Foundation, Anthropic, 9 December 2025
- Get started with custom connectors using remote MCP, Claude Help Center
- Building MCP servers for plugins and API integrations, OpenAI
- The Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 (PDF), Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology
Common questions
What does MCP stand for?
MCP stands for Model Context Protocol. It is an open standard for connecting AI apps to other software, first released by Anthropic in November 2024.
Is an MCP server the same as an API?
No. An API is a set of rules developers write code against, usually one integration at a time. An MCP server presents data and actions in one standard way, so any AI app that supports MCP can use them.
Is it safe to connect my CRM to ChatGPT or Claude?
It depends on the server and your settings. Use a server from a company you trust, and grant only the permissions the job needs. Check that changes and customer messages wait for your approval.
Does Superlane have an MCP server?
Yes. Superlane's connector for ChatGPT and Claude is an MCP server, rolling out to workspaces in stages. Customer messages go out only after a person approves the exact draft inside Superlane.
Give every lead a lane.
Superlane is opening to teams in stages, starting in Jaipur. Join the waitlist and we will set up your workspace with you. Every new business gets a 14-day free trial.