MCP in Plain English
MCP (Model Context Protocol) is an open standard developed by Anthropic. It lets AI assistants securely connect to external data sources and tools.
Just as USB lets you plug any device into your computer, MCP lets AI tools plug into any compatible data source. Before MCP, every AI tool had to build custom integrations. Now there's one standard that works across all tools.
| Before MCP | With MCP |
|---|---|
| AI only knows what's in its training data | AI can access live data from your tools |
| Context limited to current conversation | Context includes your docs, decisions, codebase |
| Every AI tool builds custom integrations | One standard works across all AI tools |
How MCP Works
- AI Assistant sends a query via MCP (e.g., "What did we decide about authentication?")
- MCP Server (Brief) receives the query and searches your data
- Response flows back to the AI assistant with relevant context
- AI Assistant uses that context to give you better answers
Why MCP Matters for Development Teams
Your AI Assistant Gets Smarter
Without MCP, Cursor or Claude only knows what you paste into the chat. With MCP, your AI can query Brief to understand what decisions you've made, who your customers are, and what constraints you're working within.
Context Persists Across Sessions
MCP connections are persistent. Brief remembers your product context, so every AI session starts with full awareness, not a blank slate.
One Integration, Many AI Tools
Brief's MCP server works with Cursor, Claude Code, Claude Desktop, Windsurf, VS Code, and any MCP-compatible tool. Connect once, use everywhere.