A large language model on its own, doesn't have access to external tools or real time data.
It only knows what is in its training in cursor.
The built in agent can run commands, which already makes it quite powerful.
Still, there are many tools and services outside the agent's reach which could actually give it more
superpowers.
This is where MCP comes in.
MCP stands for Model Context Protocol.
It is an open standard that defines how application can expose both context and tools to llms in a structured
way.
Think of it as a plugin system, which allows us to extend the agent's capabilities by connecting it
to external data sources and services using a standardized interface.
A standardized interface is very important because this is not only about cursor, this is about all
other tools out there.
So pay attention to this.
An MCP server can expose custom tools to the LLM tools that are purpose built for your specific workflow.
There can be tools that are used for fetching analytics data, sending notifications, or even basic
things like updating an issue in JIRA.
So when do we actually need MCP?
Well, the answer is pretty simple.
Whenever we find ourselves doing something manually, like copy pasting data into or out of cursor,
or switching tabs to create a JIRA ticket, whenever we feel that we are reaching the limits of what
the agent can do natively, it's probably a good idea to see if there is something in terms of MCP that
can help us eliminate that friction by wiring up those actions directly into the agent's toolset.
At the time of this recording, setting up MCP is still a manual process in cursor, but in the near
future, I believe cursor will offer a tool store where you can browse and integrate MCP enabled tools
with just a few clicks.
There are already websites like Cursor directory, so if you go here to MCP, you're going to find here
a lot of MCP.
So you can go ahead and search for whatever tool you would like to integrate with and follow the instructions
there.
Now, don't get me wrong, I don't expect you to get MCP just from this lecture.
Consider this a brief introduction to the topic which has recently gained a lot of traction.
And don't worry, in the upcoming lectures we're going to also look at a practical example.