CS

Model Context Protocol

Reference for the Model Context Protocol (MCP): the standard that connects AI assistants to external tools, resources, and data sources, organized by method category.

What this covers

The Model Context Protocol (MCP) is a standard for connecting AI assistants to external tools, resources, and data sources over a common interface, so an LLM client can discover and call capabilities exposed by any MCP-compliant server. This page is a method reference organized by category. For broader AI development concepts, see AI Development.

When to use it

  • Implementing or troubleshooting an MCP server or client
  • Deciding which method category a new capability belongs in (a tool call vs. a resource read vs. a prompt)
  • Debugging a session/connection issue between an MCP client and server

Session / Connection Methods

initialize, session/open, session/close, session/list

Tools Methods

tools/list, tools/call, tools/register, tools/unregister

Resource Methods

resources/list, resources/read, resources/write, resources/delete

Prompts / Messages

prompts/list, prompts/submit, prompts/feedback

Logging / Monitoring

logging/get, logging/subscribe, logging/clear

Server Info

server/info, capabilities/list