What MCP actually is
MCP is a protocol for exposing a specific business capability — a lookup, a search, an update — as a structured tool an AI agent can discover and call during a conversation. Instead of teaching a model everything about your systems up front, you expose the exact tool it needs when it needs it.
Read tools versus write tools
A read tool answers a question: what is the price, is the item in stock, what does this record say. A write tool changes something: updates a field, creates a record, sends a file. Read tools are generally lower risk to expose; write tools deserve tighter scoping and a clear approval path before they reach production.
Why permissions matter more than the tool label
A connector's name does not tell you what it can actually touch. What matters is per-tool scoping, which actions are approved, and whether every call is logged so it can be reviewed later. Ask about the permission model before you ask about the integration list.
How file relay works
A well-built MCP tool can return the exact image or PDF tied to a result — a floor plan, a brochure, a specification sheet — instead of a generic attachment or a broken placeholder link.
Where to start
Start with one read-only connector against a real system, prove the pattern with real conversations, then add scoped write actions once the read path is trusted. Trying to connect everything on day one usually slows the project down rather than speeding it up.