Six months after Anthropic open-sourced the Model Context Protocol, adoption numbers tell a clear story: MCP is winning.
The protocol, which standardizes how AI agents connect to external tools and data sources, now has over 200 community-built servers. More importantly, the big players are on board. Cursor, Windsurf, and Cline have all integrated MCP support. Even competing AI labs are building compatible implementations.
Why MCP Won
The protocol's success comes down to three factors:
Simplicity. MCP uses JSON-RPC over stdio or HTTP. Any developer who's built an API can build an MCP server in an afternoon. The learning curve is shallow enough that individual developers can contribute, but the spec is rigorous enough for enterprise use.
Timing. MCP arrived exactly when agents needed it. The explosion of tool-using models in late 2025 created demand for a standard way to connect them to the world. Anthropic filled the gap before fragmentation could set in.
Neutrality. Despite being created by Anthropic, MCP is genuinely open. The spec lives on GitHub. Anyone can implement it. This neutrality has made it acceptable even to teams building on competing models.
The Server Ecosystem
The community has built MCP servers for nearly everything:
- File systems and databases
- Git and GitHub
- Slack, Discord, and email
- Browser automation
- Smart home devices
- Financial APIs
The pattern is consistent: someone needs their agent to do something, they build an MCP server, they open source it. The ecosystem grows.
What's Next
MCP 1.1 is in draft, adding support for streaming responses and better authentication. The protocol is also being considered for inclusion in the emerging Agent Protocol standard being developed by multiple AI labs.
For now, if you're building agent infrastructure, MCP support isn't optional. It's table stakes.