Enterprise AI Glossary · Reviewed June 2026

MCP (Model Context Protocol)

An open protocol for exposing tools, data sources, and prompts to AI agents in a standard way.

What is MCP (Model Context Protocol)?

MCP lets you wrap an internal API or a third-party agent platform as a tool any compatible agent can invoke. In practice it is the integration glue between platforms — for example, running n8n or CrewAI flows as tools inside a VDF AI Network. See Model Context Protocol and Integrate n8n & CrewAI as MCP Tools.

Why it matters for on-premise & regulated AI

MCP standardises how agents reach tools and data — which makes it the natural enforcement point for on-prem governance. Self-hosting your MCP servers means connectors to Jira, databases, and file stores run inside your network with your credentials, and every tool invocation can be policy-checked and logged locally. The alternative — cloud-hosted connectors holding standing credentials to internal systems — is precisely what security teams reject.

Related terms

Putting MCP (Model Context Protocol) to work?

VDF AI runs governed AI agents on your own infrastructure — on-premises, sovereign cloud, or air-gapped. Book a working session to map the architecture.

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